Here’s some local news that showed up on our radar last month. While we often share news about our aviation sector, this month we’re also featuring the development sector - both private and public, as well as a recent announcement about a new local professional sports team moving to town. You can follow the links where you see bold blue font to learn more about items of most interest to you.
In aviation (and environmental) news, Boeing is donating $1 million to support the creation of the 44-acre Angel Oak Preserve, which we reported on last October when the site was admitted into the national Old-Growth Forest Network. Angel Oak itself has also been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. This preserve, a joint effort of the City of Charleston, the Lowcountry Land Trust and other local community partners, will serve not only to protect the centuries-old Angel Oak but also as a center for conservation, interpretation, public education and recreation. Breeze Airways continues to expand its services from Charleston International Airport, with a seasonal nonstop service to Fort Lauderdale beginning early July its latest announcement.
There’s been a lot of development news recently. The Town of Mount Pleasant has approved final design plans for Bennett Hospitality’s luxury, 300-room Grand Patriot Hotel for Patriots Point. MUSC’s proposed sky bridge to connect four buildings in an area prone to flooding has received conceptual approval from Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review. The City of Charleston has also been active. Its $71 million Low Battery Restoration Project to strengthen and protect this area in downtown Charleston from flooding is now completed. Funded primarily by the city’s hospitality tax, it came in on time and under budget. The City just approved additional funds to complete the Ashley River Pedestrian Bridge Project which should open in mid-2027, and it has also just launched both a new zoning classification and an interactive dashboard to track progress of its Project 3500, which aims to create 3,500 affordable housing units by 2032. Charleston County is also providing over $4 million from its Housing Our Future Trust Fund to four affordable and workforce housing projects that will provide 184 units.
Now for that recent sports announcement you may have missed! Charleston is getting a professional football team, the SC Seawolves, next spring. It will be joining the new ApexPro Football League (APFL) for cities without NFL teams. Their logo and jersey reveal just took place on February 27th!
