Chiropractic Care in Mount Pleasant, SC

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Carolina Sun Real Estate recently hired two real estate agents to its Mount Pleasant office.

Brenda Bryant is originally from Greenville, N.C. and she has a degree from the University of South Carolina Aiken. Bryant lived in the Aiken area for 10 years, then Columbia for 10 years and now has been living on Mount Pleasant for the past 10 years, as well. Bryant has several interests that include genealogy, and buying and selling home décor collectibles.

Bryant also has a passion for real estate and truly enjoys finding her buyers the perfect property. She also has had tremendous success in successfully marketing and selling homes for her seller clients.

Bryant can be reached at (252) 364-6568 or breniznew@gmail.com.

Courtney Vorachek has lived in Charleston for nearly a decade and has used her local status to become one of the premier real estate agents in the tri-county area. Vorachek’s passion for real estate was ignited

when she first moved to Charleston and started to explore the uniqueness of the Lowcountry. Charleston has many different communities to offer, from the beaches to the peninsula, and Vorachek seamlessly guides prospective buyers to the location that checks all of their boxes. Whether a primary residence or a vacation home, she

thrives on helping clients find their perfect place. Vorachek is known for her first class service, client-centered relationships and unmatched negotiation skills. Vorachek mindset is always centered around business and she works relentlessly to ensure her clients complete satisfaction throughout the entire process.

In addition to loving her career in real estate, Vorachek has a passion for fitness and owns The Barre Code in Mount Pleasant. She loves all that Charleston has to offer and in her free time she enjoys exploring the many wonderful restaurants, beautiful beaches,

amazing golf courses and any country concert she can find locally. Also, she loves dogs, especially golden retrievers.

Reach Vorachek at (843) 817-3148 or courtney@bhhssun.com and visit her website at courtney.myhomecharleston.com

South Carolina’s initial plan to improve traffic on Interstate 526 and the Long Point Road interchange in Mount Pleasant was met with an outpouring of public opposition, and that’s prompting the state to make revisions.

The road work is critical for operations at South Carolina’s busiest port, the Wando Welch Terminal at the end of Long Point Road, and for traffic relief at the busy interchange.

The plan calls for new elevated ramps to and from the interstate dedicated to port trucks, and a version presented to the public in 2022 showed that building those ramps could require the demolition of two or three homes in the Tidal Walk subdivision. The subdivision sits along the north side of I-526.

Nearly 540 people submitted comments about those plans in the fall and 59 percent opposed the proposed elevated port ramps, while just half supported the S.C. Department of Transportation’s favored plan known as Alternative 2.

S.C. Department of Transportation Project Manager Joy Riley said the responses showed that people in residential communities north of the interstate were against the proposed elevated ramps and favored keeping port truck traffic on Long Point Road. Unsurprisingly, those living in communities between the highway interchange and the port favored the new ramps, which would remove truck traffic from Long Point Road.

The plans were revised following the survey results, and those changes were outlined at an invitation-only “stakeholders meeting” at the end of November, which included homeowner associations and business owners, plus elected officials and SC Ports representatives.

The revised plans still call for elevated truck ramps, but no longer impact Seacoast Parkway or homes in the Tidal Walk subdivision. Riley said DOT also feels “pretty confident” that an analysis will justify noise walls along the north side of I-526, addressing another concern among residents.

“Noise has always been the number one concern in our neighborhood, along with not wanting any neighbors to lose their houses,” said Grassy Creek resident Lee Lazarus, who has spoken at public meetings about the plans. “Supposedly we’re going to something like a 20-foot wall.”

Under state law, DOT would need Mount Pleasant’s consent for the project. Riley said the town’s approval would likely be sought after another round of public comments following a meeting planned in March, which could prompt more refinements to the plan.

Mayor Will Haynie said the recent revisions addressed the town’s main concerns.

“People were going to lose their homes, and we are very happy that we’re not going to see that,” he said. “Not that there’s no room for improvement — such as turns onto Belle Hall Parkway — but the parts affecting neighborhoods in a major way have been addressed.”

The Belle Hall Parkway issue involves the planned elimination of left turns from Long Point Road to the parkway, where a Waffle House restaurant is located.

That may sound like a small detail, but the parkway is the main entrance to the large subdivision. The elimination of left turns would mean that anyone coming from the interstate would need to drive past the subdivision’s main entrance, then turn on a different road and double back.

Riley said DOT is still looking at alternatives that would allow for left turns there, but so far has not resolved the issue.

The work at I-526 and Long Point Road would be a large road project on its own, but it’s just a small part of the roughly $7 billion Lowcountry Corridor plan to widen the interstate from West Ashley to Mount Pleasant and redesign the interchange of interstates 526 and 26 in North Charleston.

The I-526/Long Point Road project is being addressed in the early years of the larger project partly because traffic has overwhelmed the interchange, and port-related truck traffic regularly backs up on the interstate while trying to exit at Long Point Road.

“It’s a failing interchange because it just cannot process the number of people who are trying to turn left to get to Mount Pleasant, and you have trucks continuously clogging up the interchange as well,” Riley said.

And traffic is expected to increase significantly by 2050.

The next public hearing on the project is tentatively scheduled for March 14, though a time and location have not been announced. The recommended plan, potential impacts on properties, and an analysis of where noise barriers are warranted are among the information that should be presented then.

Until then, “we will be working diligently to assemble the environmental document and move through some critical Federal Highway reviews of our traffic analysis and designs,” Riley said. “All this must be approved before we hold the public hearing in March.”

The leading plan, Alternative 2, would require an estimated 28.5 acres of right of way involving 98 properties, some of which are home to businesses, but no houses. Construction work on the road plan is anticipated in the spring or summer of 2024 and to finish in 2027 or 2028.

Meanwhile, information about the project can be found online at 526lcclongpoint.com, the project team can be emailed at info@526LowcountryCorridor.com, or contacted by regular mail to the attention of Joy Riley, PO Box 191, 955 Park St., Columbia SC 29202-0191.

Tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money could soon be used for future park projects in Mount Pleasant from November’s referendum that passed by 700 votes.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - Tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money could soon be used for future park projects in Mount Pleasant from November’s referendum that passed by 700 votes.

A total of $50 million could be used for future projects in the town, and council are set to vote on the measure’s first reading.

The referendum increases property taxes for the next 15 years. The money will be used to build new ballfields, tennis courts and fix up old fields and facilities.

“When I coached, I coached for 37 years, I’d have to go over to Sullivan’s Island to play in that field next to the hill because there were no fields available for me to practice over here,” Councilmember Gary Santos said. “We needed to fix some of our facilities, our pools that are really old and dilapidated, so to speak, so and not only that, we have parents that have to take their kids over to North Charleston to play other Mount Pleasant teams, and that should not happen.”

Just off Rifle Range Road sits 145 acres of land the town currently uses as greenspace.

As part of this referendum, the town wants to turn 25% of the land into ballfields and tennis courts while keeping the rest as a wooded area.

However, not all locals want to see the land developed…

“For me, I find a lot of enjoyment in the woods, and there aren’t many spaces around Mount Pleasant that are like this protected patch of woodlands,” neighbor Amy Cyzman said.

Neighbor Daniel Brownstein said if the referendum didn’t pass, the park at Rifle Range may have never had enough money to start construction.

“I have two young kids, and they’re very involved in sports and the arts,” Brownstein said. “I really wanted to see this park come to fruition after all these years.”

Santos said the town hasn’t kept up with demand for parks and greenspace as the population nears 100,000.

He said they’re hoping to start construction on the planned park at Rifle Range in the coming months and already working on fixing some ballfields.

“It’s kind of a balance, and that’s what life is all about,” Santos said. “It’s about balance, and that’s what we’re doing now. We’re trying to put some balance in there, so everybody can have a little piece of something that they want.”

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Wando and Lucy Beckham High Schools battled it out in varsity basketball for the first time in the schools’ histories at a sold-out game on Dec. 9. The girls varsity teams played a tough, physical game with the Wando Lady Warriors ultimately taking the win over the Beckham Bengals, 49-40. Then, the boys varsity teams took the court, with Lucy Beckham starting out strong and keeping the energy up for a victory against Wando, 68-54.

Boaters rejoice — more parking is coming to one of the busiest boat landings in the East Cooper area. Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission is expanding parking for the Shem Creek Boat Landing with the purchase of the adjacent Simmons Street property.

The 0.53-acre two-lot property was purchased for $1.9 million from PSC, LLC and is expected to bring an additional 20 trailer spaces to the boat landing. At the boat landing, there is only one spot for a vehicle without trailers and 28 parking spaces for vehicles with boat trailers, including one ADA-accessible space.

“The purchase of this land is wonderful news for boat owners and any user of the Shem Creek Boat Landing, which is currently one of the county’s busiest boat landings,” said CCPRC Executive Director Kevin Bowie. “We were very pleased to have the opportunity to expand parking at this site to better serve the community.”

The Shem Creek Boat Landing is usually at capacity during favorable weather and peak seasons. When the lot is full, people will choose to launch their boat and then try to find parking for their vehicle in overflow parking at the Moultrie Plaza shopping center. This causes a backlog of other boaters waiting to launch their boat or come back in from the water. CCPRC is hopeful the additional parking will reduce wait times for boat launching and returning to the landing.

Patricia Newshutz, the director of planning and development for Charleston County Parks, said the extra parking will provide additional parking close to the landing, freeing up street parking for businesses in the area.

“The additional parking at the new site is an effort to replace parking that has been lost for the boaters. Also, the additional parking will provide an alternative to boaters parking on the street right-of-way. With additional parking close to the landing, the surrounding business and residents will be able to have street parking available for their customers and guests,” Newshutz said.

There is no anticipated completion date for the project at this time. The property will be rezoned, and planning and permitting, which can take upwards of a year, will happen soon after, Newshutz said.

The parking lot at the landing will undergo previously-scheduled accessibility and drainage improvements. Improvements will provide include reconstructing sidewalks, installing ADA ramps, reconstructing parking spaces and replacing storm grates that have large grids with ones that have smaller gaps to meet ADA standards.

“In addition, the parking lot will be repaved and new stormwater structures and storm drain lines will be installed to correct puddling, which causes potholes in the pavement. Also, a small bit of dredging under the floating dock will remove built-up sediment, which causes the dock to list at low tide,” Newshutz said.

The boat landing will be closed during the construction of the improvements, which are expected to begin the second week of January and continue until March 31, 2023.

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A household-name home-goods retailer and a giant of the silver screen serve as bookends of sorts among the stores and restaurants at the upscale Mount Pleasant Towne Centre — and probably other shopping destinations around the country.

Both mall staples are emerging from the holiday season in deep financial funks.

Bed Bath & Beyond was the latest to sound the alarm bell.

A longtime name on various “watch lists” of ailing retailers, the chain known for its barrage of coupon mailings said last week that it could be forced to seek bankruptcy protection to cut debt and restructure its business as it struggles to lure shoppers to its understocked stores and website.

“There is substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern,” the New Jersey-based retailer said in a filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company’s self-assessment followed yet another grim financial update.

BB&B said it expects to report sales of $1.26 billion for the quarter that ended Nov. 26, a 32 percent drop from the same period of 2021. It also projected its net loss would swell to $385.8 million, up from $276.4 million a year earlier.

BB&B’s long sales slump took a turn for the worse after it pivoted a few years ago under previous management to focus on its own line of goods rather than national brands.

Shoppers didn’t buy into the strategy, forcing the company to reverse course in August. It also announced plans to close 150 stores — none in South Carolina — to cut costs.

The company’s recently hired CEO blamed the latest disappointing financial performance on inventory constraints, fueled in part by BB&B’s inability to borrow enough to replenish its shelves and e-commerce warehouses. The result was a dearth of goods that shoppers wanted to buy.

Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, said in a Twitter post on Thursday that BB&B, which has a dozen stores across the Palmetto State, is “too far gone to be saved in its present form and its future options are few and far between.”

“A catalogue of missteps has run the company into the ground and has made it increasingly irrelevant,” Saunders added in a written report. “Only very radical action will allow it to survive, and, even if it does, it will be a shadow of its former self.”

More details about BB&B’s future plans are expected on Tuesday, when the retailer releases its official financial results and takes questions from investors and financial analysts.

The other hard-luck tenant at Towne Centre can be found a few hundred yards to the north from the home-goods store — at the movie theater.

The financial fallout from the COVID-19 lockdowns caught up with the operator of Regal Palmetto Grand and several hundred other Regal Cinemas-branded theaters in September, when their U.K.-based parent company filed for bankruptcy protection in Texas.

Cineworld Group LLC has been struggling under $4.8 billion in debt, not including lease payment obligations, and was banking on box-office sales and attendance figures to rebound enough through the rest of 2022 to see it through the crisis.

In short, they didn’t.

Josh Sussberg, an attorney for Cineworld and Regal, pointed to a lack of blockbuster releases at the tail end of last year and the mounting competition for movie theater operators from at-home streaming services. Average admissions figures in the last four months of 2022 were 37 percent below forecasts and 44 percent short of projections for December, he said.

“The box office receipts have significantly and consistently underperformed expectations during these cases,” Sussberg said at a recent hearing.

Last week, Cineworld announced it would put itself up for sale and seek a single buyer for the entire company, including its overseas theaters. It also denied reports that it had held talks to sell some of its holdings to larger U.S. rival AMC Entertainment Holdings.

In South Carolina, Regal reopened its current lineup of 13 theaters after a lengthy shutdown in the spring of 2021. By that point, the chain had shuttered its Regal Cinebarre location in Mount Pleasant and the Regal Columbia Cinema in the Midlands.

At least one key actor in the restructuring drama feels the show has gone on long enough, according to a report last week by the entertainment news website Deadline.

On Wednesday, an increasingly restless U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Marvin Isgur stressed that Cineworld and its subsidiaries, including Regal, need to negotiate with creditors post-haste and decide whether to shut more theaters if their landlords won’t agree to new lease terms.

“We are not going to stick around forever,” Isgur said, according to the report. “The debtors need to be aggressive. I am not sitting here for a year, or for six months, to figure out what shops are closing That is a process that is going to happen now … We need to move on with life.”