NORTH CHARLESTON — A new motel, barbecue restaurant and coffee shop are slated to be the newest businesses in the Chicora Cherokee neighborhood where once-vibrant Reynolds Avenue is now a focal point for revitalization.

“Our goal is to not be King Street,” said Ed Sutton, developer and president emeritus of the Reynolds Avenue Area Merchants Association, emphasizing the need for the North Charleston strip to attract locally owned business as opposed to chain restaurants.

But there’s another problem that affects the downtown Charleston business corridor that those living near North Charleston’s Reynolds Avenue are hoping to keep at bay: flooding.

The Chicora Cherokee community, a hot spot for new development and also a target for affordable housing and new businesses, is one of six neighborhoods that have been targeted for drainage improvements. Though residents and community leaders welcome the improvements, the city’s recent decision to move forward with a flooding study in Chicora was met with mixed reactions.

City Council voted Dec. 15 to pay civil engineer Reveer Group $146,510 to lead the Chicora Drainage Study. The study will analyze existing flooding conditions and evaluate remedial action in the form of maintenance or drainage improvements that will reduce or eliminate future flooding.

Reveer, a North Charleston-based firm, will also develop alternatives that will increase the capacity of the stormwater system and reduce the flooding potential in Chicora.

Chicora will be the first of six neighborhoods to undergo drainage studies using funding from grants awarded last year by the South Carolina Infrastructure Investment Program to help cover more than $14 million worth of drainage improvements. Other neighborhoods that will see flooding solutions are Union Heights, Accabee, Read Street, Midland Park and the Northwood/Bentwood area.

The city still needs to secure additional funding to implement the recommendations from the study, Councilman Michael Brown said.

AJ Davis, president of the Chicora neighborhood, said any improvement that seeks to alleviate flooding is welcomed. But the infrastructure improvements are to be expected, given the economic interests in the city’s south end, he said.

Development is trickling southward from the Park Circle community, an eclectic district of residences and restaurants. Businesses have stretched south along Spruill Avenue and along Reynolds Avenue into the predominantly Black Chicora neighborhood, where housing affordability and gentrification remain a concern.

Some expected that incoming development would “trigger” infrastructure improvements, Davis said.

“In my opinion, this is less about truly addressing infrastructure issues for the people there and more so about aligning with a development trajectory that we’re all pretty much seeing,” Davis said.

Union Heights, located a few miles south of Chicora, is also slated to see drainage improvements.

Skip Mikell, neighborhood president, said he was unaware of the $14 million being invested in southern end neighborhoods. He also said the city should have considered the number of grassroots organizations that have for years been examining environmental issues in these neighborhoods.

In 1980, North Charleston studied the Chicora Drainage Basin, which spans over 400 acres and covers the neighborhood, and concluded that a new box culvert and outfall to the Cooper River was needed. The study also concluded that the pipes upstream of the retention areas were undersized and only provided up to 50 percent of the required stormwater conveyance capacity.

Soon after, the city constructed the recommended saltwater retention. In 2007, the Charleston Naval Complex Redevelopment Authority built a new box culvert though the former Charleston Navy base and a new outfall to the Cooper River.

While drainage has improved, flooding has continued to impact the community, which includes several homes, nonprofits, businesses, schools and churches.

“You have flooding to where folks can’t get to their houses,” Brown said. Brown added that the problem hasn’t gotten better over the years, even as new infrastructure projects have made way, such as the four-lane Cosgrove overpass that was replaced several years ago.

Evie Palmisano lives at the corner of Arapahoe Street and Captain Avenue, located in the adjacent Nafair neighborhood. She bought her home in 2019. Since then, her yard has flooded at least 10 times, she said. In 2021, Palmisano lost her car after the vehicle was flooded during heavy rainfall.

“I’m tentatively hopeful,” she said in hearing about the city’s new Chicora drainage study.

Rexton Street, a strip that stretches off the up-and-coming Reynolds Avenue, is also frequently under water. This impedes current plans to transform the strip into community-oriented space that includes an amphitheater, cafe and plaza. But proper infrastructure will need to be in place for those plans to be successful, Sutton said.

Reno, Nev.-based ITS Logistics issues the January forecast for its U.S. Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index. Also, the South Carolina Ports Authority approves $100 million-plus in contracts for its new intermodal facility in North Charleston.

The January forecast for the ITS Logistics U.S. Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index reflects “a muted increase in inbound volumes due to the Lunar New Year, with a slight increase in container volumes,” according to the third-party logistics (3PL) firm, which provides port and rail drayage services in 22 coastal ports and 30 rail ramps throughout North America. “There is also cause for concern with inland ocean chassis at the rail ramps, as rail operations could be impacted by a lack of ocean chassis availability.”

The ITS Logistics US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index forecasts port container and dray operations for the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf regions. Ocean and domestic container rail ramp operations are also highlighted in the index for both the West Inland and East Inland regions. (Download January report below.)

2777-DI-Port-Rail-Ramp-Freight-Index-January-2023-v2-FINAL-COPYDownload

“The Lunar New Year is once again approaching and as a result, we can expect to see a slight increase in container volumes, but it should not add any significant stress to U.S. Port operations,” said Paul Brashier, Vice President, Drayage and Intermodal for ITS Logistics.

The Lunar New Year—aka Chinese New Year or Spring Festival—marks the start of the year within the Chinese calendar. A seven-day public holiday in China, it will be held Jan. 21-27 this year.

“This time of year traditionally has an immense impact on the logistics infrastructure as China and other Southeast Asian countries temporarily shut down production facilities and operate transportation services with significantly limited personnel on hand,” said Brashier, who noted that a “bottleneck can be caused due to orders flooding in before the Lunar New Year and heavy delays can be experienced with goods exported from, as well as imported into, the countries that acknowledge the holiday. Both the Atlantic and Gulf regions are expected to experience higher than normal volumes as a result.”

Despite shipping ports and airports remaining open during the Lunar New Year, they will operate at a limited capacity, and the overall process of shipments being loaded and discharged may be delayed due to limited personnel and cargo deliveries, according to ITS Logistics. The trucking sector is expected to ramp up container transportation to and from the ports, the 3PL firm said.

Other potential disruptions to port/rail ramp operations in January: “The ILWU and Terminals have still not come to terms on a new contract,” Brashier reported. “Rail operations could be affected by a lack of ocean chassis availability as more volumes move IPI and move via rail further inland since the resolution of rail labor disputes. The ocean chassis availability is expected to potentially impact both the West and East Inland rail ramp regions.”

The South Carolina Ports Authority has signed off on contracts valued at more than $100 million for design and construction of a new facility in North Charleston, according to a Jan. 17 report by WCSC, Channel 5.

In October, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the rail-served Navy Base Intermodal Facility, which will provide near-dock rail and inner-harbor barge operation to the Port of Charleston.

In partnership with Palmetto Railways, Class I railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern will utilize the new facility, which is located about one mile from Leatherman Terminal. Nearly 80,000 feet of track will create a capacity of one million rail lifts in phase one. Containers will be moved to and from the Leatherman Terminal on a dedicated road. Inside the intermodal yard, rail-mounted gantry cranes will lead containers on and off trains.

The South Carolina Ports Authority Board selected Landmark Construction to build sound walls, rail foundations, 11 processing tracks, and four arrival and departure tracks, WCSC reported. That contract is worth nearly $120 million. The Board “also unanimously voted to pay over $4.3 million to design around 15 miles of rail that would head south from the facility toward Charleston before wrapping back to North Charleston,” according to the news outlet.

In phase one, South Carolina Ports Authority President and CEO Barbara Melvin told WCSC, “We expect to be able to handle a million rail lifts, and as we move into phase two, which is the second part of the design, it moves to 1.3 million rail lifts.”

The first trains are expected at the facility in July 2025.

As a new state legislative session in Columbia begins, members of South Carolina’s LGBTQ+ community are bracing for fights over a slew of bills they say would discriminate against them.

Members of S.C. United for Justice and Equality, an umbrella organization for LGBTQ+ rights supporters, held a news conference at the State House Thursday to oppose a string of bills introduced in the new Legislature that the group says would affect the health care available to transgender people, allow businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people, and restrict education about queer people and issues.

“We know there have been a ton of anti-LGBTQ bills filed, more than we’ve seen since I started in 2005,” said Melissa Moore, the organizing director of the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network. “It’s one of the highest volumes in the entire country.”

The rally was also meant to support a bill in the S.C. House that would prohibit discrimination in employment, housing and accommodation on the basis of someone’s gender identity or sexual orientation.

“I filed it because of the homophobic, in my view, bills that have been filed in the General Assembly,” Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, said of the proposed legislation. Currently, members of South Carolina’s LGBTQ+ community “face all kinds of barriers, opposition and down-right nastiness based on who they are and who they love,” Cobb-Hunter said.

Newly-elected Rep. Heather Bauer, D-Richland, is sponsoring a bill to make it easier for someone to change their last name, after she a officiated a wedding for a nonbinary couple who subsequently faced a bunch of hurdles to getting their names changed officially.

Cobb-Hunter invoked Martin Luther King Jr. by saying “you can only combat hate with love.”

“I know it can be tough living in South Carolina, but you can’t get frustrated,” she said.

Ivy Hill, who runs the community health program for Southern Equality, is concerned about legislation that would prohibit transgender youth from being prescribed puberty blockers or other gender-affirming care. Other proposals this year would require teachers to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender.

“Parents and health care providers should make these decisions, not politicians,” Hill said. “It’s not necessary to interfere with medical decisions.”

North Charleston parent Kristen French is concerned that the legislation could take away her ability to make decisions with her teenage transgender daughter. She also worried mandatory reporting in schools would mean questioning students aren’t able to trust their teachers to keep what they tell them confidential.

“Being transgender does not make someone harm themselves or others,” French said. “It’s these anti-LGBTQ bills that are harmful.”

Alyssa Fuller of Pickens traveled to join Thursday’s event because her local chapter of American Atheists includes many LGBTQ+ people, so the kinds of issues the Legislature will consider this year “hit close to home.”

“Especially in my area, there are a few representatives who might be receptive to talking to us, and some others who are much less receptive,” Fuller said.

“So talking to (others at Thursday’s event) is helpful,” Fuller said. “You will see several groups in coalition that are active in fighting these measures.”

South Carolina Ports had a record 2022 with the most containers ever handled at the Port of Charleston.

SC Ports moved nearly 2.8 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2022, a 1.5% increase over 2021. When accounting for containers of any size, SC Ports moved more than 1.5 million pier containers in 2022, a 1% increase from 2021.

“South Carolina’s excellent port team and maritime community efficiently handled record cargo volumes and expertly navigated supply chain challenges to keep freight moving for our customers,” SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin said.

With the resumption of cruises, SC Ports had 261,636 cruise passengers come through the Passenger Terminal last year.

SC Ports moved 199,343 vehicles across the docks of Columbus Street Terminal in 2022, further connecting South Carolina’s automakers with global consumers.

Inland Port Greer and Inland Port Dillon handled a combined 167,147 rail moves in 2022, enabling more companies throughout the Southeast to quickly move goods to and from the port via rail.

“South Carolina Ports serves as South Carolina’s gateway to the world, giving companies direct access to global markets,” Melvin said. “We proudly move goods for advanced manufacturers, retailers, farmers, medical providers, grocery stores, solar panel producers and small businesses, helping to support 225,000 jobs in South Carolina.”

Booming business in SCSouth Carolina’s economy is booming as companies make big investments to expand operations and open new facilities to take advantage of the state’s strong business climate, excellent workforce, expansive infrastructure network and world-class port.

“South Carolina’s booming economy is breaking records left and right because of the communication, collaboration and cooperation among our unmatched strategic assets, including the South Carolina Ports Authority,” South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said. “Our ports’ success creates prosperity, growth and opportunity for South Carolinians, which means today’s announcement is a sign of more good things to come.”

In 2022, the South Carolina Department of Commerce secured more than $10 billion in total capital investment from companies establishing or expanding operations in South Carolina. This record investment amount represents 120 projects and more than 14,000 announced new jobs.

“South Carolina is experiencing unprecedented economic development growth as domestic and international companies, alike, recognize the long-term potential within our borders,” Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III. “The South Carolina Department of Commerce is proud to collaborate with allied partners and state leadership to prioritize strategic infrastructure investments that help existing and future industry realize that success and maximize efficiencies while creating opportunities for all South Carolinians.”

Many of these economic development wins are port-dependent businesses that rely on SC Ports to import goods for production and export products for overseas consumption.

“Major business announcements and expansions are happening in South Carolina, and we have strategically invested in critical port infrastructure to support the growth occurring today and into the future,” SC Ports Board Chairman Bill Stern said.

Strong infrastructure in SCWith great support from the state, SC Ports has invested more than $2 billion into port infrastructure in recent years to support the state’s booming business sector. Combined with port funding and state funding, SC Ports plans to spend an additional $2.5 billion over the next decade.

Investments thus far have yielded modernized container terminals with ample capacity, the deepest harbor on the East Coast at 52 feet and a strong rail-served inland port network.

Construction is now underway on SC Ports’ Navy Base Intermodal Facility, a modern cargo yard in North Charleston that will by rail-served by CSX, Norfolk Southern and Palmetto Railways. Creating near-dock rail at the Port of Charleston will make South Carolina more competitive as an import gateway to the United States.

SC Ports is also developing an inner-harbor barge operation to support the Navy Base Intermodal Facility; it will transport cargo between container terminals via water.

The SC Legislature and Governor Henry McMaster allocated $550 million to build the rail yard and barge operation.

“With critical support from our state leaders, SC Ports is boldly investing in port infrastructure to ensure port-dependent businesses can thrive in South Carolina,” Melvin said.

Beyond the port, containers need to move fluidly on highways to reach their destinations — whether that may be a rail yard, manufacturing facility, import distribution center, retail store or a resident’s doorstep.

Critical infrastructure investments are happening around the state to support the state’s supply chains. The South Carolina Department of Transportation has significantly increased investments to the state’s transportation network, spending nearly $4 billion in construction contracts in 2022.

“We know how important it is to our thriving economy to ensure that goods can move efficiently across the state and region,” SC Department of Transportation Secretary Christy Hall. “With the support of the Governor and the General Assembly, the South Carolina Department of Transportation has made unprecedented investment in our state’s infrastructure system since 2017. This work includes more than 100 miles of interstate work either complete or underway, improving our critical freight corridors and making good on our promises to the people of South Carolina.”

With the current Charleston weather on the fritz, we are all struggling to either embrace the unseasonably warm moments or bundle up for the typical January chill.

Thankfully there are several indoor events and happenings this weekend, as well as chances to enjoy the mid-60 degree weather this Friday and Saturday.

If you’re wary, head indoors and take the opportunity to support local artists and performers at “The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show” at Dock Street Theatre, “Requiem” by the Summerville Singers or “Rock the 90′s” at The Music Farm.

Or enjoy the predicted nice weather at Topgolf North Charleston’s grand opening and test your driving range golf skills.

Rock the 90′s

Get your dose of nostalgia Jan. 21 beginning at 8 p.m. at the Music Farm for a performance from Rock the 90s USA: The Official 90′s Rock Tribute. The band advertises a no-frills experience: no costumes or remixes, just alternative rock. For $17 at the door or $15 in advance, there’s little reason to turn down some tunes. Tickets are available via the Music Farm’s website: bit.ly/3Xe5SqS.

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show”

Dock Street Theatre presents “The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show,” running both this weekend and the next. Join a cast of around 75 puppets Jan. 21, 22, 28 and 29 at 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. for a magical performance transporting you into the classic children’s books by Eric Carle. See classic characters from “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” and — of course — “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” The show is world-renowned; showing in the UK, Australia and China. Snag tickets now before they’re sold out. Tickets are $34.50 for all attendees over one year old. More information and tickets are available via bit.ly/3Wdamg6.

“Requiem”

The Singers of Summerville and the Summerville High School Greenwave Chorale present “Requiem” at 3 p.m. Jan 21 in the Bethany United Methodist Church, 118 W. 3rd Street South. The choral work “Requiem” by Michael John Trotta is the second performance since its creation and the first in South Carolina. The 10-movement work is said to encompass hope and solace for those who’ve experienced loss and grief. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and are available via bit.ly/3Xkf9xx.

Topgolf

Topgolf, a premier driving range featuring a bar-style atmosphere, is set to open Jan. 20. The new North Charleston venue is the third location available in the state. The driving range is a two-story entertainment hub with a full restaurant and bar, rooftop terrace, nine-hole mini golf course and a high-tech driving range using microchipped golf balls to record accuracy and distance. Topgolf is advertised as fun for all ages and skill levels. Customers can rent their personal driving bay, accommodating up to six players, for $52 an hour after 5 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but due to the buzz surrounding the new location, it is suggested that you RSVP via the Topgolf website: bit.ly/3ZKDOwM.