CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Medical University of South Carolina may soon take a major step toward expanding its footprint in downtown Charleston.
At a special meeting Tuesday evening, the city’s Planning Commission will vote on a proposal to create a 62-acre Medical District Overlay Zone, a zoning change that would give MUSC and the city more flexibility to grow together on the peninsula. The zone would eliminate certain restrictions and help fast-track future development as part of MUSC’s long-term “Innovation District” plan.
The overlay would allow higher housing density, relaxed parking requirements and building height limits would increase to 200 feet to make room for a new comprehensive cancer center, which university leaders say is the catalyst for the entire innovation district.
Oversight of the demolition of more than a dozen buildings is also part of the proposal, some of which may have historical significance.
University President Dr. David J. Cole said the initiative has been in the works for more than a year and a half; its goal is to honor the city’s history while also building a future where MUSC can thrive as a statewide academic health system.
“We’ve been a part of this community for 200 years,” Cole said. “Our plan is to be part of this community for the next 200 years. But in that context, we have to build for the future.”
Cole said the university has no intention of harming the city’s history and, in fact, is working to preserve and restore it.
“We have no intention of getting sideways with the Preservation Society or anybody else within the city. We respect the neighborhoods. This zone overlay, if it’s a truly historic building, changes nothing,” Cole said. “We will continue to elevate and maintain those buildings. I know that there’s been concern out there that MUSC has not been doing its part, but I’ll tell you, we have been renovating facilities.”
Cole said some of the university’s most notable renovations, like Whitcliffe House and Anderson House, took years to do and have resulted in vast improvements by the university. He said this overlay zone will allow for even more projects like these.
“In an innovation district of the future, I would anticipate that those historic properties will be an essential element of the culture and elevation of what is Charleston. What is an innovation district in Charleston? It’s celebrating our common history. It’s being able to see both the past and the future,” Cole said.
Cole said that the university’s future is focused on continuing their commitment to best-in-class care and they need to grow to do that with the trust of the community and city leaders behind them.
“We’ve always been good neighbors, we will continue to be good neighbors,” Cole said. “I think, at the end of the day, there has to be mutual trust that this is going to be how we walk down this path. I always tell people, don’t judge us by what people say, judge us by our actions. I think our actions have proven that we’re an outstanding, trustworthy, high integrity organization and we’ll continue to do that.”
Cole acknowledged that challenges from their Downtown location like workforce housing, traffic, and parking won’t be solved overnight but, this innovation district aims to fill some of those gaps.
“We’re not going to solve any of those alone,” he said. “We want to do that in a respectful manner as a part of this community, but also, for us to be able to deliver what our mission is, we need to redevelop and reconfigure and revitalize our campus.”
He said he thinks the city proposed this overlay zone to allow them to do just that and, if they don’t take action soon, he worries they may have to consider alternative locations to expand.
“If we sit back and we do nothing or we sort of move at one step after the other in a plotting manner, I think at some point we will be faced with the decision of should we be in downtown Charleston. That’s not where I want to be.”
The Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday in the first-floor public meeting room at 2 George Street. The public is encouraged to attend.
MUSC hopes to open the new facility by 2030, pending approval and continued development of the Innovation District.