We’re thrilled to share more positive news about the Charleston area this month, with much of it related to our food and beverage (F&B) and hospitality sectors, conservation and open space, and public infrastructure, along with an announcement of a new “far out” attraction coming to town! To learn more about any of the items covered, please follow the links provided where you see bold blue font.
Our local F&B and hospitality sectors continue to impress! Two such businesses recently became semifinalists for 2025 James Beard Foundation awards: Chubby Fish by Chef James London for Outstanding Restaurant and Femi Oyediran and Miles White of Graft Wine Shop for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service. We must confess that both are strong favorites of our team! According to Instacart, The New Primal, a Charleston brand known for its meat sticks, was the 15th fastest-growing emerging brand of 2024 in the US. Condé Nast magazine named The Cooper, with its waterfront location, planned excursions and amenities, as one of the most exciting new hotels coming in 2025.
On the conservation and open space front, the 94-acre Grayson Oaks property on Johns Island was recently purchased by the Lowcountry Land Trust with funding support from the Charleston County Greenbelt Program and the SC Conservation Bank to help preserve the area’s agricultural and natural heritage as well as provide public access to natural open space. The Charleston Parks Conservancy also has an ambitious year ahead for itself, aiming to complete the revitalization of Colonial Lake and begin the revitalization of Hazel Parker Park on East Bay Street, as well as address vulnerable areas in 26 of its parks, gardens and trails.
It seems that many public infrastructure projects are at various stages of implementation across the Lowcountry, including these that have come to our attention. Phase 2 of Berkeley County’s $25 million improvement project for roughly four miles of Henry E. Brown Jr. Boulevard in Goose Creek has been completed, with increased capacity and improved safety and bicycle/pedestrian access. The City of Charleston has broken ground on its largely federally-funded, $90 million Ashley River Crossing Pedestrian (and bike) Bridge project, connecting downtown Charleston and West Ashley and ultimately tying into other routes extending from outer West Ashley to the Isle of Palms such as the West Ashley Greenway, the Battery extension and the Lowline. Dorchester County and North Charleston Sewer District will each receive $1.5 million as part of the first round of fiscal year 2025 grants from the SC Rural Infrastructure Authority. These funds are to address critical infrastructure needs related to public health and the environment as well as to develop increased capacity for economic opportunities.
We end this month’s news with an announcement of a new attraction coming to town! The Charleston Planetarium will be opening at Citadel Mall in West Ashley by the end of February. It will provide a new immersive, domed-theater experience featuring space, stars and planets. It sounds pretty far out and outta sight to us!
