An update from the developer
With Daniel Island’s showcase annual event taking place here this week, our company is so proud to join island residents and businesses in welcoming the thousands of visitors who have come to Charleston’s island town to ex-perience the Volvo Car Open. The flags you see as you drive onto the island represent the vast international audi-ence visiting here this week, from the top WTA players from around the world to their families and fans who have come to support them. In addition to providing a highly regarded experience for visitors, the tournament is also a favorite annual event for locals throughout Charleston, and we look forward to seeing familiar faces on the tennis center grounds this week.
The Volvo Car Open staff does an outstanding job producing this tournament each year, combining the excitement of professional tennis with the southern hospitality Charleston is famous for. It wouldn’t be possible without the commitment of the title sponsor, Volvo Car of North America. Volvo is building their first American manufacturing plant here in Charleston and has become a strong community partner, supporting events like this and other initia-tives around the region. The company will begin production of the Volvo S60 at their new Berkeley County plant next year. We are happy to welcome them to Charleston.
Daniel Island has certainly matured since the tennis tournament first came to town 17 years ago. It has evolved as an established destination and a highly desirable submarket within the Charleston region. There’s still more to come, as you can see from construction activity. The exciting array of additions to our downtown includes retail space and an apartment community at Faison’s Central Island Square, the Wharf 7 apartment community, and a senior living community from Resort Lifestyle Communities. A food, beverage and entertainment venue anchored by Dockery’s, a brewery and restaurant from Atlanta-based Concentrics Restaurants, is under construction on Island Park Drive and will be open in time for next year’s tournament. The property is being developed by Amplify LLC.
Also under construction in town is the new, permanent headquarters for Blackbaud, the world’s leading developer of cloud software for non-profit and social good organizations. Blackbaud moved to their first home on Daniel Is-land in 2000 and has been growing ever since. They had several options for a new location for their new permanent headquarters, and we are so pleased that they have committed to remain part of our community for the long term.
Meanwhile, development is continuing within the final neighborhoods on Daniel Island. Homes are under construc-tion in Edgefield Park, the last neighborhood on the south end of the island, and a wonderful new pool and amenity is about to open here for residents. In Daniel Island Park, on the island’s northern end, the final neighborhoods are being developed with homesites that offer among the most scenic golf, marsh and water settings on the island.
One of the things that makes the Volvo Car Open such a good partner for Daniel Island is its commitment to phi-lanthropy. The tournament’s charity mission focuses on women, families and children, and it proudly supports the City of Charleston’s Courting Kids Program, Tennis in the City and MUSC Children’s Hospital, among other chari-table initiatives. The greater Daniel Island community is also focused on giving back, and the Daniel Island Com-munity Fund - an established vehicle for community giving - has raised millions of dollars over the years for a wide array of local charitable initiatives that serve Daniel Island and its surrounding neighborhoods.
We have a lot to be proud of on Daniel Island, and we’re happy to showcase our community not only to visitors here this week, but also to millions of viewers around the world who will be watching live broadcasts and program-ming on the Tennis Channel. If you can’t make it to the tournament, be sure to tune in to watch the action unfold on television as one of the most exciting weeks of the year in Charleston’s island town continues.