AC Repair in Nexton, SC

Newland, the developers behind the master-planned Summerville community, are being acquired by Brookfield Residential, a company headquarterd in Calgary, Canada. The acquisition won’t affect any current plans, including the groundbreaking of Downtown Nexton.

By Teri Errico Griffis

Brookfield Residential has agreed to acquire Newland, the developers of Nexton, an award-winning master-planned community in Summerville.

Along with the acquisition of the management company on June 1, Brookfield Residential is also acquiring the 5% general partner’s equity interest in 15 of the 20 master-planned communities that Newland is currently developing. Brookfield is headquartered with corporate offices in Calgary, Canada.

Brookfield Residential’s Managing Partner, Real Estate and President, Development Adrian Foley said the investment allows the company to expand as a “large-scale provider of lofts to third-party builders” and potentially expand the Brookfield Residential homebuilding brand.

“The acquisition of Newland adds phenomenal master-planned communities to our portfolio in exciting new markets that are experiencing tremendous growth and a lack of supply of new homes,” Foley said. “It will round out our existing development capabilities making us one of the few companies that has the breadth of resources, capital and operational talent to successfully scale in this area of the market.”

The company said the acquisition broadens’ Brookfield Residential’s footprint across the country and leverages Brookfield Properties’ development capabilities into new markets, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta, Tampa, Seattle-Tacoma, Portland, Raleigh-Durham and Wilmington, in addition to Summerville.

Newland is U.S. real estate land development company with 50 years’ experience in real estate developments.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to team up with Brookfield Properties’ development group,” Newland Executive Chairman Bob McLeod said. “This acquisition will provide more opportunities for the continued development of additional mixed-use masterplans well into the future as well as give us significant additional vertical development opportunities. We are looking forward to becoming part of the Brookfield team.”

A spokesperson for Nexton said the acquisition won’t affect any of the current developments, including the $300 million groundbreaking of downtown Nexton.

The urban-inspired mixed-use development will be situated on nearly 100 acres between Sigma Drive and Brighton Park Boulevard, a Nexton release said. Plans include retail, dining, hospitality, residential, service, office and commercial options within walking distance of Nexton’s residential neighborhoods.

In total, 110,000 square feet of office space will be available for lease.

Construction on Downtown Nexton will occur in phases throughout the next few years with the first stage including multifamily units and a mixed-use building that has ground-level retail beneath loft apartments.

The project is developed by New Jersey-based Sharbell Development Corp., a mixed-use developer with more than 37 years experience in the industry.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. – Nexton, the most innovative and walkable community in South Carolina, reported a successful 2023 that includes the addition of cutting-edge commercial space as well as fresh amenities and housing options. As a new year begins, the community is poised for growth on all fronts, advancing its status as a national model for master-planned communities.

“Nexton’s tenth year was filled with accomplishments. From celebrating 2,800 total home sales to welcoming a multitude of high-quality new businesses and housing choices, it was truly a remarkable year,” said Nexton’s Senior Vice President, Development Brent Gibadlo. “Each new year presents countless opportunities for Nexton, and we are excited to continue this momentum as a forward-thinking master-planned community and thriving economic hub in 2024.”

COMMERCIAL Nexton welcomed a collection of world-class retailers and commercial entities in 2023, including:

• The Hub at Nexton, developed by SL Shaw, added 88,000 square feet of office, retail, and restaurant space. It officially opened its doors in May, featuring local favorites such as The Co-Op and Derrington Dermatology. • Brighton Court: Two additional multi-tenant buildings were added adjacent to Coastal Fertility, offering new medical office and retail options. • Downtown Nexton: Sharbell Nexton LLC, the developer of Downtown Nexton, broke ground on Atelier Downtown Nexton office project in June and secured the first five tenants for the ground-floor retail in the Lofts Downtown Nexton apartments. Woodfield Development nears completion of The Ames, featuring 304 market rate apartments, and broke ground on The Radler, which includes 324 market-rate apartments. • Serendipity Labs, an established brand of co-working and flexible office facilities, celebrated the grand opening of its second Charleston location in Nexton in May. • The Pickle Bar: A new restaurant, retail and recreation concept that combines the growing popularity of pickleball with a bar and restaurant opened in November. • Dayfield Park, new commercial properties featuring office space and residential options, as well as retail and service providers broke ground in September. Tenants include The Goddard School daycare, HYLO Fitness, GoDog, Stretch Zone and Pinnacle Bank. • One Nexton, a Publix-anchored commercial center, broke ground with plans to include a bank and neighborhood-serving retail and dining.

RESIDENTIAL Nexton continued to provide a variety residential offerings and amenities to cater to all lifestyles and preferences, including:

• 492 homes sold in four residential villages including Del Webb Charleston, North Creek Village, Brighton Park Village and Midtown. • Nexton celebrated the 2,800 total home sale milestone. • Brookfield Residential was added to the community’s builder program and introduced their new townhome collection. • Builder Ashton Woods unveiled a new 55+ neighborhood of homes called Hammock Walk, featuring 100 villa-style homes in its first phase. The neighborhood celebrated the grand opening of its first homes and model home in December.

CIVIC • Nexton Middle School, a new fifth through eighth grade Berkeley County middle school, broke ground in December with a planned opening in 2026.

AWARDS + ACCOLADES Nexton received several national and regional accolades for demonstrating its commitment to forward-thinking design and innovation:

• Awarded the Grand Aurora Award in the category Residential Housing Community of the Year – Masterplan. • Awarded the Multi-Housing News Excellence Award in the category Development & Design: Mixed-Use. • Awarded a 2023 Best in American Living Award by The National Home Builders Design Committee for The Villas at Nexton in the category Single-Family Community For Rent. • Recognized as #38 of the 50 top-selling master-planned communities in the U.S. by RCLCO Real Estate Advisors, based on year-end 2023 home sales.

LOOKING AHEAD As Nexton closes another successful chapter, the community continues to set the industry standard for master-planned communities across the U.S. The following can be expected from the Nexton in 2024:

• Page’s Okra Grill opened in January 2024. • Additional homebuilder, Stanley Martin will join the Nexton community as well as new with a new collection of townhomes and condos to Brighton Park. Existing builders are adding new floor plans to Nexton’s Midtown neighborhood. • Brookfield Residential’s model townhome and first homes will open to the public in February. • Del Webb Nexton will break ground on its expanded amenity package with the addition of indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, a large gymnasium and restaurant. • Harris Teeter and Publix grocery stores will open. • Dayfield Park, a new commercial property featuring office space and residential options, as well as retail and service providers, will open. • Downtown Nexton: The first phase of the Lofts and Atelier Downtown Nexton will be completed in 2024. • Berkeley County Park will open in the summer of 2024.

More than a dozen tenants are coming to a new grocery-anchored retail development near Summerville that’s almost completely leased several months before construction is set to be completed.

The One Nexton commercial node on Nexton Parkway will include restaurants, service-industry providers, a bank and workout site in addition to a new 48,387-square-foot Publix supermarket.

Food-and-beverage offerings coming to the development include Catrina’s Cantina, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Woodhaven Pizza, Ruby’s Bagels, Indian restaurant Naan Appetit, and Dulce Churros, Ice Cream and Cocktails.

The Packie Wine & Spirits retail shop will join service providers Roper St. Francis Healthcare, Heartland Dental, Noire Nails and insurance firm Swamp Fox Agency. Workout site Basecamp Fitness and Fifth Third Bank round out the announced tenants coming to the site, which is still under construction. One outparcel site remains to be leased next to the 351-unit Camellia One Nexton Apartments under development on the combined 23-acre One Nexton site, Yurfest said.

The multifamily project is expected to be completed in May or June, according to Nexton spokeswoman Cassie Cataline.

Opening dates have not been announced for any of the commercial tenants, but construction is expected to be completed by the fall on the retail center. It sits across Nexton Parkway from a developing Harris Teeter-anchored commercial site. Harris Teeter is tentatively set to open in the spring.

On the way

A rhyming round of slushy sweet adult beverages is on tap for Upper King this spring with the planned arrival of Zachary’s Daiquiris.

The bar, opening in the former Basil Thai restaurant site at 460 King St., is being touted as “Charleston’s Chic Daiquiri Destination.”

Zachary Elliott, a South Carolina entrepreneur, filed for a liquor license recently for the property, and his social media accounts tease the spring opening of the sing-songy locale.

Elliott is also affiliated with Charleston’s Bourbon & Bubbles, Mesu and Republic Garden & Lounge, and is a partner with the Sweetberry Bowls franchise that has locations in the Carolinas, Georgia and New Jersey.

Elliott did not immediately respond for comment on the daiquiri venture.

The space at 460 King, a former bicycle shop and Huddle House, has been empty since spring 2021, when Basil closed its longtime downtown restaurant.

Gassing up

A Savannah-based convenience store chain is looking to add its first location in Mount Pleasant.

Parker’s Kitchen plans to build a 5,175-square-foot shop on S.C. Highway 41 at Wood Park Drive, next to the Lowes Foods-anchored Market at Mill Creek Shopping Center.

Site plans presented to the town show three options for the building’s placement: with fueling stations parallel to the store facing the highway, with gas pumps in the rear, and with the store on the corner near the street and pumps set perpendicular to S.C. 41.

The 6-acre site where the store is planned near the entrance to The Gates at Dunes West subdivision is owned by Highway 41 LLC, an affiliate of auto supplier Oakwood Group of Dearborn, Mich. It bought the property for nearly $1.3 million 16 years ago.

Heads up

A new salon focusing on relaxation and rejuvenation of the scalp and hair is now open in West Ashley.

Charleston Head Spa at 1420 Ashley River Road offers a serene atmosphere and personalized treatments to improve scalp health, according to its website. The business, owned by Molly and Josh Smith, is open weekdays by appointment.

Dance steps

A new place to twirl and tumble is being proposed in Mount Pleasant.

The owners of Tapio School of Dance and Gymnastics want to build a 9,500-square-foot studio between existing buildings at 600 and 608 Seacoast Parkway, a frontage road next to the Mark Clark Expressway west of Long Point Road, according to site plans presented to the town.

The school is currently at 455 Long Point Road in a shared-use structure. The proposal is making its way through the town’s review process.

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Nexton announces swift leasing on Publix-anchored mixed-use center

Leasing and development are progressing at One Nexton, a Publix-anchored mixed-use development situated on 23.66 acres at the northeast corner of Brighton Park Boulevard and Nexton Parkway in Summerville.

Developed by Branch Properties and Charlotte-based Crosland Southeast, the community’s first phase, expected to be completed this fall, features 32,000 square feet of retail space as well as two corner outparcels and 351 Class-A apartments. The retail shop spaces are 100% leased, with confirmed retail tenants such as Catrina’s Cantina, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Swamp Fox Agency, The Packie Wine and Spirits, Roper St. Francis, Dulce Churros, Ice Cream and Cocktails, Heartland Dental, Woodhaven Pizza, Ruby’s Bagels, Noire Nails, Basecamp Fitness, Naan Appetit and Fifth Third Bank.

Upon the full buildout of its multiple phases, One Nexton will offer its green space for year-round programming and activities and additional parks and trails connecting to the greater community. All of these are walkable and bikeable to the 7,500 homes in Nexton.

“One Nexton seamlessly epitomizes all that our community strives to accomplish by creating a dynamic and vibrant environment for residents to live, work and play,” said Brent Gibadlo, senior vice president of development at Nexton. “By prioritizing thoughtful commercial and residential additions, we can fulfill the desires and needs of our residents while cutting down on commute times and improving quality of life.”

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Less than a mile from the nearest major commuting route along Interstate 26, One Nexton will provide approximately 150,000 square feet of shopping and dining space throughout its multiple phases. Future phases include a hotel, office space, and additional retail and services.

“We are thrilled to welcome a strong mix of local and national retailers to One Nexton,” said Jesse Shannon, president and chief investment officer at Branch Properties. “Upon completion later this year, the center is poised to become the premier retail hub for the ever-growing Summerville community.”

Charlotte-based Shook Kelley was selected as One Nexton’s master designer, Charleston-based SGA Narmour Wright Design is the multifamily architect, and Alpharetta-based Hiscutt & Associates Inc. is the phase-one retail architect.

Jeff Yurfest, executive vice president with TSCG, is responsible for One Nexton’s outparcel and retail leasing activity. Greystar manages the multifamily real estate component.

As the Charleston area continues to grow and attract more residents, so does the need for food and the vendors who provide it.

No fewer than 12 new grocery stores are in the works across the Lowcountry, including plans to tear down and replace one store on site and relocate two others.

Around Charleston, the population boom — now expanding at an average net daily rate of 36 residents, according to the latest update — keeps fueling competition among supermarket chains that are angling to be as close as possible to the proliferating housing enclaves that keep their cash registers ringing.

That's about 13,300 new residents each year spread across Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties, with many of the newcomers settling on the fringes of the growing region, especially in large-scale developments in Goose Creek, Moncks Corner and Summerville.

The three counties saw a 20 percent population surge over the past decade to a combined 830,000 residents, according to the Charleston Regional Development Alliance.

Competing grocery chains closely analyze the numbers to decide where to set up shop.

By one measure, a general rule for a full-service supermarket of 40,000 square feet or more to be viable is to have 10,000 residents, or about 4,000 rooftops, within a 20-mile radius. If there's competition in the market, the required number of residents is higher and vice versa for an area with no rivals.

Berkeley bound

Near Summerville, North Carolina-based Harris Teeter and competitor Publix of Florida are building stores on Nexton Parkway, across the street from one another, to serve the developing 5,000-acre Nexton community, eventually home to nearly 19,000 residents.

Both are set to be completed this year in the Berkeley County development, with Harris Teeter set to open in the spring and Publix likely welcoming customers by mid-year, according to Nexton spokeswoman Cassie Cataline.

On the opposite side of Nexton, Lowes Foods of North Carolina plans to build a new supermarket on North Creek Drive, across the street from the Cane Bay development.

It will anchor a retail center on the corner near fast-food restaurant McDonald's. Look for an opening possibly in 2025, according to property owner and Charleston businessman Eddie Buck.

A little farther to the east, Publix also plans to anchor a corner shopping center at U.S. Highways 176 and 17A in Carnes Crossroads, a 2,300-acre mixed-use housing development that could accommodate about 11,000 residents at full buildout. Like Lowes Foods, it is expected to open in 2025, according to a Publix spokesman.

Cartload of competition

Southwest of Summerville, another Publix could begin construction in 2025, based on bidding documents last fall that show a 51,454-square-foot store slated for a 10-acre site on Beech Hill Road, across from the planned 8,000-home Summers Corner community.

The 7,200-acre mixed-use community with schools and shops has about 1,200 homes sold and another 250 under construction, according to Jason Byham, division president at Lennar, the homebuilder that bought the tract for more than $26 million in 2018.

In Mount Pleasant, three new grocery stores are in the works.

The Fresh Market of North Carolina plans to take over the 26,000-square-foot site discount grocer Lidl abandoned before moving in at Bowman Place Shopping Center at Bowman Road and Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.

The Greensboro-based grocer took over the remainder of the 15-year tenant agreement Lidl signed three years ago with the option for 15 additional years, according to a document filed in the Charleston County land records office.

Fresh Market has not announced an opening timeframe.

Business

On the northern end of the East Cooper town of nearly 100,000 people, discount grocer Aldi leased several acres at U.S. Highway 17 and KOA Campgrounds Road for a second Mount Pleasant location.

Aldi plans to build a 23,000-square-foot store on the land next to South Morgans Point Road after signing a lease last spring for 20 years with the option to renew up to 25 years. Construction has not begun, and the no-frills grocer has not announced a projected opening timeframe.

Also in the works is a new Trader Joe's. The California-based, German-owned chain recently confirmed its plans to open a second store in Mount Pleasant. The site was not announced, but the grocer is looking at part of the former Bi-Lo supermarket site in Sweetgrass Corner Shopping Center near Highway 17 and the Isle of Palms connector.

On James Island, German-owned Aldi recently leased 22,000 square feet in the former Bi-Lo supermarket on Folly Road.

Retail

The company's seventh Lowcountry store will sit next to Planet Fitness and likely open in 2025 "if not earlier," according to Mark Hoffman, director of development for New Jersey-based Garden Communities, which has owned the 4.5-acre retail center since 1994.

Building bigger

Three existing supermarkets are set to be replaced.

On Daniel Island, Publix wants to demolish its longtime store on Seven Farms Drive and build a 50,472-square-foot store and pocket park it in its place in the same location, according to plans presented to the city.

The new construction will replace the existing 29,618-square-foot supermarket that was built in 2002 as the only grocery store allowed on Daniel Island under an agreement with the developer of the master-planned community.

Construction likely won't start until 2025, and it will take 12-18 months to build the new store, according to Publix spokesman Jared Glover.

The grocer hasn't announced interim plans for shoppers while the replacement is being built. The nearest option for shoppers is across the Wando River — a Harris Teeter five miles away on Long Point Road in Mount Pleasant. Publix has another store about 7 miles north in the Point Hope development off Clements Ferry Road.

In West Ashley, plans are making their way through the city review process to relocate Publix from a free-standing building at Ashley Landing Shopping Center to a newly constructed site on the eastern side of the main retail center where Big Lots and Dollar Tree currently operate.

The property owner has not projected a relocation timeframe, and the future of the current Publix site has not been determined.

Finally, plans are in the works to build a new Harris Teeter supermarket up to 65,000 square feet on part of a 50-acre parcel adjacent to Freshfields Village Shopping Center between Kiawah and Seabrook islands.

The larger grocery store will replace the existing site in Freshfields. It's part of a planned 160,000-square-foot retail center that will connect to Freshfields off Kiawah Island Parkway.

The new supermarket probably won't materialize until 2027 as plans are still to be finalized, according to Chris Corrada, a principal with the development firm Riverstone Properties of Richmond, Va., which owns the parcel to be developed.

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