Not only is December full of special events and activities centered largely around the holidays, but the Charleston area also has a lot going on in terms of news! Here’s a quick overview of what we’ve recently come across. Be sure to follow the links provided where you see bold blue underlined text to find out more about the items of most interest to you.
We also want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a happy holiday season and to share this gift from the City of Charleston: a Holiday Parking Voucher for two hours of free parking downtown until December 31st. Find out which garages are participating and get your mobile and printable vouchers here.
Now for the news related to these popular topics: awards and rankings, air travel, public improvements and the environment, restoration and redevelopment, new development and business expansion.
Awards and Rankings
Five SC natives have been nominated for the 2025 Grammy Awards, two of whom - Clay Ross and Brandon Lake - have ties to Charleston. Check out their accomplishments and the genres - from classical to country to blues - in which they’re competing.
Charleston has once again made it onto Travel + Leisure’s list of The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2025. Specific mention was made of the International African American Museum, inaugural Food & Wine Classic, The Dunlin, and future The Cooper Hotel.
Charleston was recently ranked No. 8 on Condé Nast Traveler’s list of the friendliest cities in the US, with locals making out-of-town visitors feel especially welcome.
According to BetMGM, Charleston also ranked No. 12 among the coziest U.S. cities for a Christmas getaway. Even though it typically lacks snow and freezing temps, Charleston received high scores for accommodations, festive events and venues.
Air Travel
Charleston International Airport and BermudAir will launch weekly nonstop flights between Charleston and the island of Bermuda - about 800 miles due east of us - on Saturdays beginning in April 2025. This will be Charleston’s second international route, after Air Canada’s daily nonstop flights to Toronto, Canada commenced earlier this year.
LATAM Airlines - based in Santiago, Chile and the leading commercial airline group in South America - will be purchasing 10 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners assembled in North Charleston. The airline cites the plane’s fuel efficiency, capacity and range as key reasons for this purchase, as it works to grow sustainably.
Public Improvements and the Environment
The City of Folly Beach has introduced a new app - Folly Parking - that shares parking information and is available for both Android and Apple devices. It provides visitors with real-time parking info, availability, beach and parking rules, traffic cameras, and city updates as well as an option to pay parking tickets electronically through the app.
The City of Charleston recently revealed its updated Ashley River Crossing design, for a safer route for pedestrians and cyclists between downtown and West Ashley. It includes additional access points under the bridge to Brittlebank Park, an Ashley River viewing platform and opportunity for future tie-ins. The project heads back to the City Council for approval.
Outer West Ashley could soon boast a new passive park connecting neighborhoods and green spaces, with Charleston County unanimously approving the City of Charleston’s ~$1 million request for greenbelt funds to help buy 115 flood-prone acres in the Church Creek drainage basin.
Charleston County Council also voted to give the Lowcountry Land Trust close to $5 million in greenbelt funding to protect the ecological, cultural and recreational heritage of three Johns Island properties totaling 184 acres: Oscar’s Place, Grayson Oaks, and Main Road Park.
The Lowcountry Land Trust will also receive its first-ever funds - just over $1 million - from the Dorchester County Greenbelt Program for its Barry Tract and Young’s Farm conservation projects. The Barry Tract is expected to become a county public park, while water quality and wildlife habitat will be safeguarded at Young’s Farm.
Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge, which covers 12,000 acres of the 350,000-acre Ashepoo-Combahee-Edisto (ACE) Basin System just south of Charleston, was recently added to the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network that offers educational, research and interpretive opportunities on this historic post-Civil War period and joins 33 other SC sites, including Fort Sumter.
Restoration, Renovation and Redevelopment
The renovation work on Boone Hall Plantation’s 1850s Cotton Gin House in Mount Pleasant continues to receive praise. It was honored earlier this year with a Carolopolis Award and SouthCon Building Group, the company behind the project, recently won “Project of the Year” in the Restoration-Renovation category by the Associated Builders and Contractors of the Carolinas and the Eagle Award for its work.
The 152-year-old building at 71 Wentworth Street on the corner with King Street in downtown Charleston that was originally a Masonic Lodge was recently adaptively restored into 12 luxury residences by East West Partners. The 41 Tudor Gothic-style windows were recreated and the high ceilings preserved, with the new residences initially priced at $1.7 million all sold.
New Development and Business Expansion
After relocating a historic live oak tree, Charleston-based Greystar has broken ground on Phase II of Courier Square, a $185 million, 300-unit apartment community with over 13,000 sf of ground floor retail space on Upper King Street in downtown Charleston. It should be completed sometime around March 2027.
Portman Holdings LLC and CapitaLand Ascendas REIT have partnered to begin development of Summerville Logistics Center in Dorchester County. The development will include two industrial buildings totaling 549,000 sf and two points of access to I-26. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
Berkeley County Council has voted to lift its large-scale moratorium and allow development by Grambling Brothers of a close to 2,000-acre vacant property on Hwy 17 near Cane Bay into The Lake Village, a mixed-use development with 6,500 new homes and retail space, including two grocery stores. The development is expected to raise more than $100 million in tax revenue for the County and $400 million for the Berkeley County School District over 30 years. But first, the developers must complete a formal rezoning process before beginning development.
North Charleston-based OhmIQ Inc., an advanced heating solutions company, has expanded its Charleston County operations with a $1.1 million investment and 10,000 sf facility to serve as its global headquarters and R&D center, creating 21 new jobs for the Charleston region.
Low Tide Brewing plans to expand its Charleston County operations with a $22.2 million investment to build a new 26,800-sqft facility on Johns Island. The expansion will create 33 new jobs and help the company increase beer production to meet growing demand. The new operations are expected to begin in 2026.
