Daniel Island median makeover has COCO curb appeal

Mike White didn't hold back when describing the former appearance of the 120-foot traffic median at the intersection of Island Park and River Landing drives. 

"It looked like death," he said. 

"Hell on earth." 

Two weeks ago, the street divider, which is at the turning lane next to LIDI Ristorante, was foliage-free: lined with leafless plants, dried-out bushes, and loose-scattered pine straw. 

"It looked terrible. Ugly," White said. "Something that's not acceptable for our community's quality and standards." 

White owns the two-story commercial office building at 900 Island Park Drive across from the median. Both sit on a half-mile stretch of River Landing Drive where thousands of cars zip back and forth to access I-526. 

"It's Daniel Island's front porch. It's the first thing people see when they drive onto the island." 

With the 2026 Charleston Open anticipated to bring a crowd of 95,000 tennis fans to Credit One Stadium by car, bus, and foot, White started making phone calls to privately raise money for a total median makeover – something with more curb appeal. 

He called on Jose and Mercedes of Simon Lawn Service in North Charleston and within days, bunches of flowers were brought in: yellow Sunshine ligustrum, pink Encore azaleas, yellow Canna lilies, red dipladenia, purple and white verbena, and yellow zinnias. 

"She is an artist," White said of Mercedes. "I think she does an amazing job." 

The reimagined landscaping also includes the letters C-O-C-O on each side for Charleston One Credit Open, made up of purple and white petunia 'Rhythm and Blues' flowers and white Dianthus buds. 

White, who is also a board member of the Daniel Island Town Association, said the private donations came from area businesses, and said after the tournament, the landscaping and irrigation of the flowerbed would be maintained by the property owners' association.