Who gets the space?

For some Daniel Island businesses, a parking space has become a valuable commodity. 

Business owners in parts of the Daniel Island Town Center say parking lots intended for customers, employees, and tenants have increasingly been used by neighboring apartment residents and construction workers, creating headaches for businesses and prompting action by the Daniel Island Town Association. 

According to DITA Secretary Mike White, the issue has been especially noticeable at the spacious parking lot at 225 Seven Farms Drive. White is the broker-in-charge at Charleston Industrial, one of the businesses located at the property. 

"The problems at 225 Seven Farms Drive started over one year ago," White said, referencing when contractors working on repairs at the nearby Daniel's Landing condominiums began parking in the lot. White said residents also parked in the lot as construction and scaffolding took up their regular parking spaces. 

The problem worsened, White said, when Simmons Park Apartments, located across the street, began charging residents to park in its complex garage. "Many chose to park in the 225 Seven Farms Drive lot and walk across the grassy field owned by (another) family.” 

White said the combination of displaced condominium residents, construction workers, and apartment residents seeking parking created a growing shortage of spaces intended for the more than 20 commercial businesses and eight condominiums located inside the 225 Seven Farms property. 

"It's made parking in our lot very difficult for owners, tenants, and their employees and customers to find parking spaces in our lot," he said. "I was receiving daily complaints, sometimes multiple calls or emails in a single day." 

White believes the issue is concentrated in Daniel Island's busiest commercial areas. "This issue is mostly a problem in the densely packed central portion of the commercial DITA area, impacting River Landing and Seven Farms businesses.” 

SHARED PARKING 

White said the overarching problem centers around Daniel Island's Shared Parking Covenant.  

The covenant, implemented in 1999, allows the general public to park in private commercial surface lots. 

White argues the agreements governing those lots were intended to allow shared use – only – when spaces are available after serving the property's own needs. 

"The shared parking provisions were intended to provide flexibility during periods of excess capacity, not to convert the parking areas serving 225 Seven Farms Drive into a general or long-term parking facility for neighboring properties," he said. 

Rather than immediately towing vehicles, White said businesses first focused on education. 

"I hate the idea of towing a vehicle and only use this as a last resort," he said. "We've been successful at placing flyers on windshields educating folks that they cannot simply park anywhere they'd like to." 

NEW RULES 

After White joined the DITA board earlier this year, the issue was brought before the association. 

In April, DITA's Board of Directors unanimously adopted a resolution addressing the issue at 225 Seven Farms Drive. The resolution clarifies that parking areas must first serve the property's owners, tenants, employees, customers, and guests before being available to others on an "as available" basis. 

The resolution allows approved signage prohibiting overnight parking, construction parking, and parking longer than two hours unless specifically authorized. Vehicles parked in violation may be towed in accordance with state law. 

White said the measure has already helped. 

"We have worked hard to communicate the purpose of the resolution to the neighboring property managers and have found a noticeable improvement in our parking lot," he said. "There are still violators, but we've refrained from towing cars at this point." 

PREVENTING A PARKING WAR 

DITA President Colby Hollifield said shared parking generally works well throughout Daniel Island. 

"The majority of commercial area parking on Daniel Island is designated as shared parking in the PUD with the City of Charleston," Hollifield said. "Overall, the shared parking works well on the island, especially around the restaurant center with Heavy's Barburger, Agave Cantina, and Vespa Pizzeria specifically." 

When problems arise, however, DITA can step in to clarify how those parking agreements should be applied. 

"When there is an issue like there was with 225 Seven Farms Drive and Pier View condos, the shared parking language gives the board the ability to clarify the shared parking to ensure that the property owners and their guests are not disproportionately negatively affected by others using the space," Hollifield said. 

He emphasized that each situation is evaluated individually. "We do that on a case-by-case basis, so if any other property owners in the town association are experiencing problems, I would encourage them to reach out to the POA so we can investigate and address as needed." 

At the same time, Hollifield said DITA hopes to avoid the kind of parking conflicts that have become common in other Lowcountry destinations. 

"We do not want Daniel Island to end up like the Shem Creek parking wars with signage and towed cars, so that will not happen," Hollifield said. "In that respect, the shared parking is beneficial to all. When we need to make adjustments on a case-by-case basis to benefit association members, we will do that." 

For White, the issue reflects the growth of a community that continues to add residents, businesses, and visitors. 

"The issue is more acute as Daniel Island continues to grow," he said. "The resolution process gives affected commercial owners the ability to appeal to the DITA Board and receive a resolution empowering that DITA member to manage their own parking lot as they need to, ensuring their business is properly served."