Farr Street extention project approved by City Planning Commission

Plans for new senior apartment complex also in the works

Work on the long planned extension of Farr Street in Daniel Island’s Center Park neighborhood is set to begin next month. A concept plan for the project was approved at the October 19 meeting of the City of Charleston Planning Commission. The new roadway will connect the intersection of Farr Street at Grand Council Street with the intersection of Farr Street at Seven Farms Drive.

In addition to the Farr Street extension, the Planning Commission also approved the subdivision of a 12.6 acre parcel of undeveloped land, owned by the Daniel Island Company along the new stretch, into three separate lots. One of those tracts is likely to be the site of a planned active adult residential community for seniors age 55 and older. That project is being developed by Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC, the entity funding the completion of Farr Street. Greystar also developed the existing Daniel Island Village apartment complex at the end of Seven Farms Drive. The new senior community will sit to the left of the Daniel Island Village site, behind the Bishop England High School baseball fields and an adjacent pond.

According to Robert Morgan, development director for Greystar, the parcel nearest to the Blakeway Street and Grand Council street intersection will continue to be owned by the Daniel Island Company for future development, while the third parcel will be used to create “a passive linear public park along the marshfront that will become part of the Daniel Island park system along Farr Street.”

While the Planning Commission gave the road extension project a green light, several Daniel Island residents who attended the meeting did not necessarily agree it was a good plan. According to Kathleen Fitzpatrick, about 20 residents turned out for the session after learning about it, via a public notice posted in the neighborhood several days prior. Adding to confusion, the notice posted by the city blew off the sign, revealing an old meeting announcement pertaining to a neighborhood in West Ashley.

“No one bothered to knock on the doors of any residents to see if they wanted to have a say,” said Fitzpatrick, who lives on Daniel Island but not on Farr Street. “…This could impact their property values…Decisions are being made and people feel like they don’t know what’s going on. There is just a lack of communication with residents.”

Farr Street resident Patricia Kottka agrees. She fears there are likely to be potentially negative traffic impacts to her now quiet neighborhood once her street becomes a thoroughfare connecting the western side of the island with Seven Farms Drive.

“It’s going to become a major roadway and it’s not designed for that,” Kottka said.

“The Farr Street extension provides a third access point to Seven Farms Drive from Daniel Island’s southern neighborhoods, which should ease traffic,” stated Morgan. “The other roads being Daniel Island Drive and Etiwan Park Street.”

News about Greystar’s planned senior housing complex for the Farr Street extension also sparked concerns for Kottka, who feels there are already too many apartments on the island.

“Nobody knew,” she said. “People were blindsided and there has been no transparency. Why didn’t it get out to the general public?”

The new senior complex hasn’t been publicized yet, explained Daniel Island Neighborhood Association (DINA) Land Use and Zoning Chair Clyde Rush, because it has yet to begin the various phases of the city’s approval process. Its first stop would be the city’s Technical Review Committee (TRC), he said. According to Rush, Greystar officials discussed the project with him so that DINA would be aware of their plans. He hopes to provide some details on the complex at the November 1 DINA meeting. Once the project gets on the TRC’s agenda, more information will be available, he said.

“We will see everything as it moves forward,” added Rush.

According to Morgan, the senior apartments will be known as “Overture Daniel Island” and will be a high-end, age-restricted residential community. There will likely be between 180 and 200 units, he said, as well as adequate on-site parking. The parcel of land on which the apartment complex would sit is currently owned by the Daniel island Company, added Morgan, but Greystar expects to purchase the property in 2017.

“Overture Daniel Island is intended to provide a much-needed housing option on Daniel Island for the aging, Baby Boomer generation,” stated Morgan, in an email to The Daniel Island News. “…As an age-restricted active adult community, traffic will be significantly less than a conventional residential community, and the school impact will be nonexistent.”

Kottka says she knows there isn’t much, if anything, she and other residents can do to stop the road extension or apartment complex from being built, but she hopes the third parcel, adjacent to the Farr Street and Grand Council intersection, is not used for another multi-family development.

“We don’t want the second half developed if we can prevent that,” added Kottka. “…No more apartments. People are done.”

After the October 19 Planning Commission meeting, Kottka, Fitzpatrick and other residents spoke with Greystar representatives, who told them they would be happy to meet with them to discuss their concerns.

“We’re getting mobilized and we want to get the word out,” said Kottka, who is interested in offering some feedback to the developer on plans for the complex.

Fitzpatrick agreed it was a good first step.

“At least there is a dialogue opened,” she added. “…They were willing to come to the table. That was as much a win as we could have expected.”

Rush, who continually updates the DINA website to include announcements on all Daniel Island development projects making their way through the city review process, urged residents to stay informed while not rushing to judgement.

“The road was always part of the island’s master plan,” he said. “From what I see this is a normal part of the development of Daniel Island. As for the apartments, from the Greystar perspective, let’s wait and see what they propose. Nothing has been formally proposed. We can react at that time. I think it’s important that we don’t overreact.”

Once construction begins on Farr Street in mid-November, planners estimate it will take about 18 months to complete. Anyone interested in joining an email list for updates on the project can contact Rush at zoning@dineighborhoodassociation.org. A list of current Daniel Island development initiatives can be found on the DINA website at http://www.dineighborhoodassociation.org/?page_id=405.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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