AC Repair in Kiawah Island, SC

JOHNS ISLAND — A revised plan to create a 933-acre members-only golf course subdivision on Johns Island calls for the developers to pay more than $2.1 million toward affordable housing efforts and emergency vehicles.

The Orange Hill investment group is offering those and other incentives as it seeks a 10-year development contract with Charleston County, which would lock in zoning and fee rules for a decade.

Such agreements give builders certainty about regulations and costs — that wouldn't change during the life of a contract — and usually offer public benefits in return. Land, money and minor road improvements are the most common concessions offered.

“It was a long negotiation with the (county) staff," said Jordan Phillips, a managing partner at South Street Partners.

South Street in 2013 acquired Kiawah Partners, master developer of Kiawah Island. The nearby Orange Hill development on Johns Island would include a private golf course with up to 120 homes and 68 guest cottages.

Development plans for the former farm date back to 2005, and what was previously approved would have allowed 181 homes. Updated plans with the golf course were rolled out in 2022.

County Councilman Joe Boykin of Johns Island said the plan now on the table "is about as good as it gets" because compared to the previously approved plan it calls for fewer houses and fewer miles of internal roads. It further shifts the entrance path from Bohicket Road to River Road.

The money the developers are offering is also a plus, Boykin said.

"It wouldn't call it 'impact fees' but it's sort of like that with a development agreement," he said. "It's good to have these contributions."

The county does not collect impact fees when new homes and businesses are built, but it has negotiated multiple contracts for large-scale developments, and those have resulted in contributions of land or money for public purposes.

The nearby Kiawah River development, for example, has an agreement with the county that requires construction of up to 117 units of "housing for the workforce" as part of the 1,428-acre project.

“It just has to conform to the state law on development agreements, then it’s up to council," said Andrea Melocik, the county's deputy director of zoning and planning.

Boykin noted that at a May 12 Planning Commission meeting no one spoke in opposition to the Orange Hill plan and that comments submitted by the public were running 10-to-1 in favor. The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval.

The Orange Hill developers are offering:

Phillips of South Street said it made sense to direct some of the affordable housing money to the Sea Island Habitat group because "something like 60 percent of our employees are from Johns Island or Wadmalaw."

The developers are seeking:

Plans submitted to the county say there are 3,125 grand or protected trees on the property, 418 of which would be removed. Phillips said the development group will be "setting up the first Johns Island-specific tree fund" for mitigation efforts, which would involve planting trees to replace those cut down "on an inch-by-inch basis."

Of the 933 acres in the development plan, 305 are wetlands. A 212-acre portion of the property, 90 acres of which are high ground, would be left undeveloped and protected with a conservation easement.

The development schedule calls for the golf course to be constructed first, potentially opening in the fall of 2027, before any homes. The property is currently used as a sporting club, with activities such as skeet shooting.

As an exclusive club, property ownership is required in order to buy a Kiawah Island Club membership. That could be one of the new homes, one of the guest cottages or a share in a portion of undeveloped land that won't be built upon.

The guest cottages are "only for members and sponsored guests of the club," said Phillips, and won't be available to rent by the general public.

The Kiawah Club also operates the River Course, Cassique and other resort amenities on Kiawah Island.

Reach David Slade at 843-937-5552. Follow him on X @DSladeNews.

Ah, golf in the Southeast United States.

Where to begin?

With the holy lands that are Augusta National and Seminole? With bold, brawny major venues like Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course or Quail Hollow in Charlotte? Or with what becomes the center of the golfing universe every March: the iconic Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass? And don’t even get us started on the wonders of Pinehurst No. 2, which just last summer showed out as the U.S. Open host site.

The region’s offerings are vast as they are diverse, which made ranking the top 50 golf courses in the Southeast no small task our team of expert raters.

So, how did this magnificent list of courses come together? To produce more detailed local portraits of golf across the country, GOLF created rankings within our rankings by carving the U.S. into four regions and identifying the top 50 courses in each, based on votes cast by our raters in 2024.

We first conducted this regional ranking in 2020, and we liked it so much — as did you — we decided to do it again.

Below you’ll find the top-50 rankings for the Southeast region. To browse the list, keep scrolling.

MORE TOP 50 REGIONAL LISTS: West | Heartland | Northeast

Are you a golf travel junkie? Listen and subscribe to our Destination GOLF podcast: APPLE | SPOTIFY | IHEART | AMAZON

1. Augusta National, Augusta, Ga.

2. Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst, N.C.

3. Seminole, Juno Beach, Fla.

4. Old Town Club, Winston-Salem, N.C.

5. Peachtree, Brookhaven, Ga.

6. Kiawah Island — Ocean, Kiawah Island, S.C.

7. Ohoopee Match Club, Cobbtown, Ga.

8. Yeamans Hall, Hanahan, S.C.

9. TPC Sawgrass — Players Stadium, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

10. Old Barnwell, Aiken, S.C.

11. The Honors Course, Ooltewah, Tenn.

12. Wade Hampton, Cashiers, N.C.

13. Harbour Town, Hilton Head Island, S.C.

GOLF’s other course rankings: Top 100 in the World | Top 100 You Can Play | Top 100 Value Courses in the U.S. | America’s Best Municipal Courses | America’s Best Courses for $100 or Less | Top 100 in the U.K. and Ireland | Top 100 in Asia-Pacific | Top 100 Short Courses in the World

14. Pinehurst No. 10, Pinehurst, N.C.

15. Streamsong — Red, Bowling Green, Fla.

16. McArthur — Backyard, Hobe Sound, Fla.

17. Streamsong — Blue, Bowling Green, Fla.

18. Palmetto, Aiken, S.C.

19. Congaree, Ridgeland, S.C.

20. Pinehurst No. 4, Pinehurst, N.C.

21. Calusa Pines, Naples, Fla.

22. Tobacco Road, Sanford, N.C.

23. Mountain Lake, Lake Wales, Fla.

24. Tree Farm, Batesburg-Leesville, S.C.

25. Cabot Citrus Farms — Karoo, Brooksville, Fla.

A miniature golf course with an onsite restaurant and bar has been proposed for a busy corner on James Island.

The lot at Folly Road and Grimball Road Extension is currently empty and surrounded by a chain-link fence. It's across from Spyglass Seaside, a resort-style apartment complex.

Plans have been submitted to transform the property into a development called Community Corner, which would include a miniature golf course with a restaurant, bar and retail space on nearly three acres. The applicant is Grimball Corner Investments LLC.

The developer is looking to incorporate 114 parking spaces, most of which would be on another parcel across Grimball Road Extension. There is an existing traffic signal at the intersection, and sidewalks would be added to both sides of the property, renderings show.

The area is zoned for limited business, which allows for a variety of commercial uses and services that are compatible with residential areas.

Charleston’s Technical Review Committee, a staff-level look at site plans, considered Community Corner on Jan. 16. The city asked the owner to revise and resubmit plans based on concerns about stormwater runoff, flooding, traffic and other issues.

Charles Wilson of Grimball Corner Investments declined to comment about the development.

Pop-up no more

Think pink. Lots of it, in every shade.

That's what shoppers of Freshfields Village can expect when LoveShackFancy transitions from a pop-up to a permanent boutique at the Kiawah Island retail center.

New York City-based lifestyle brand was founded in 2013 by stylist, designer and creative director Rebecca Hessel Cohen who wanted to revel in the beauty of a rose-colored world.

The new Charleston area store offers an expanded selection of its uber-feminine women’s fashion and accessories, as well as perfume bedding and a children's collection.

In 2018, Cohen opened opened her first Charleston storefront at 218 King St. She now operates 20 stores throughout the U.S., from California to New York, and the United Kingdom.

Nearby in Freshfields Village, Café Eugenia, a to-go café and gourmet market, is expanding to a space next door and will be offering cooking classes and specialty workshops.

StretchLab, an assisted stretching studio, also opened 164 Gardeners Circle in the outdoor retail center. The studio offers help with increased mobility, improved posture and injury prevention through one-on-one stretch sessions for all fitness levels.

The franchise previously held a popup at the shopping center offering 15 minute demonstrations.

Another StretchLab is currently open on 151 Market St. in downtown Charleston.

Bank note

An Alabama lender has cut the ribbon on a new branch at 319 North Cedar St. in Summerville.

The site is the second in the Charleston area for Birmingham-based ServisFirst Bank, which for years has had an office in The Cigar Factory at 701 East Bay St. on the peninsula.

The Flowertown outpost will have 10 employees and features a drive-thru.

Coast-to-coast

Southern California lifestyle brand Jenni Kayne is making its Palmetto State debut on Charleston's busiest retail corridor.

The West Hollywood company said it plans to open its first retail location in the state on April 12 at 364 King St., between Calhoun Street and Burns Lane.

The 2,340-square-foot parcel will stock a full range of Jenni Kayne's coastal-inspired products, including apparel, accessories and décor. The store will also carry Oak Essentials, the founder's clean skincare line.

Drink up

A New Orleans-style restaurant in North Charleston is angling to add beer and liquor to its menu offerings.

The Seafood Pot recently applied to the S.C. Department of Revenue for on-site consumption of adult beverages in its Gas Lite Square location at 5629 Rivers Ave.

Taco 'bout Nexton

The Mexican-style restaurant El Patron Nexton is preparing to open and recently submitted an application to sell beer, wine and liquor at its at future Marketplace at Nexton space at 422 Cross Park Lane.

Premier Building Construction posted a sneak peek of the progress with floor-to-ceiling glazed overhead doors. The 2,900 square-foot restaurant will have indoor and outdoor bars and dining space.

A new chapter

A dark academia-inspired coffee shop and bookstore will officially open April 12 in Mount Pleasant.

Patrons of The Archive can buy a book, sit at the bar and enjoy a cocktail or mocktail, coffee, pastries and more in its corner spot at 700 Shelmore Blvd., near Mathis Ferry Road and the I'On neighborhood.

The store tailors to a subgenre of romance books and thrillers typically set in schools or secret societies, but will have something for everyone, owner Amanda Badeau said.

Enviro-outlet

Tanger Outlets in North Charleston will hold an Earth Day event April 19 from noon-3 p.m. with live music, native plant and bouquets sales, and a free gardening class. There will also be critters from the S.C. Aquarium, local vendors and hands-on workshops about protecting the environment.

South Carolina has seen orange mud gators, ice gators and giant gators … but what about a pollen gator?

Turns out this year’s pollen season is covering more than our cars in a blanket of yellow.

The latest spotting of this “rare yellow alligator” was on Kiawah Island at the Cassique Golf Course.

This gator was completely covered in pollen and spotted by a nearby golfer who snapped these photos:

This year’s pollen season has no doubt felt worse than normal for Lowcountry residents.

“This year has been an aberration weather-wise,” said Dr. Thomas Beller of the Hilton Head Allergy & Asthma Center. “With the influx of warm and cold weather this year, it makes sense that some tree pollen has been more active than normal.”

South Carolina is often ranked as one of the worst states for allergies. The combination of warmer climates and plants blooming earlier results in higher concentrations of pollen, making for a treacherous allergy season.

In the Lowcountry, it’s generally pollen from oak and bayberry trees that cause the most misery for people with allergies.

The marker of the season comes from pine pollen, which is notorious for covering our cars, porches, sidewalks and even gators in a blanket of yellow.

Alligators are cold-blooded creatures, which means their immune systems are easily affected by the temperatures outside.

“We don’t have much research right now that would indicate that pollen affects alligators,” South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Alligator Project Leader, Morgan Hart, said. “But the pollen will stick to them and washes off like normal once they get to the water.”

Springtime is when most alligators become active again. As temperatures steadily warm up, they are more likely to be seen out and about.

According to the SCDNR, young alligators can be seen moving into bodies of water, females enter their breeding period in April and adult alligators are likely to be seen basking in the sun or eating.

With alligators venturing out, more of these pollen gators might be spotted around the Lowcountry soon.

This story was originally published April 5, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

The Island Packet

(843) 626-0211

Anna Claire Miller is the Service Journalism Reporter for The Island Packet. Originally from Georgia, she has experience in magazine writing, non-profit communications and city government. Anna Claire has a bachelor’s degree in journalism, legal studies and English from High Point University.

An incredible video of an alligator on a stroll is making the rounds online.

You never know what you're going to get with the animal thunderdome. It can be a house of horrors or it can be pretty cool.

Massive buck? That's awesome. A massive alligator that could tear you limb-to-limb? Not so much, and that's what brings us here today.

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Giant alligator spotted on South Carolina golf course.

The X account @Top100Rick shared some awesome footage of a giant alligator walking around Kiawah Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, and the video is a must-watch.

The alligator didn't have a single fear in the world, which is par for the course (no pun intended).

Check out the video below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

I know some people see videos like this, and think it's all sunshine and roses. I definitely do not. I have zero interest in sharing golf courses with animals that are descendants of ancient creatures.

Hard pass.

An alligator gets too close to me, and the pistol is coming out of his holster. I don't care if PETA throws a fit or not.

If it's between me or a massive alligator, I can promise you I'm not taking any chances.

A massive crocodile was filmed walking around a golf course in South Carolina. (Credit: Getty Images Creative)

What do you think of the wild video? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

Love all things hunting/fishing/camping/outdoors? Follow OutKick OutDoors on Instagram and TikTok!