Towne Centre's future uncertain as Mount Pleasant denies rezoning request (WCIV)
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCIV) — After months of back-and-forth discussion, Mount Pleasant town leaders have denied a rezoning request for Towne Centre.
Discussions surrounding the future of the space first started when Bed, Bath & Beyond shut down.
“There were real concerns about some of those large buildings could someday be vacant, so they wanted to kind of think ahead and plan for different redevelopment scenarios,” said Michele Reed, the town’s director of planning.
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Continental Realty Corp., which owns the property, shared an original proposal with the Town Council in April to add apartments, a hotel, and more retail space. Overall, it consisted of buildings that would stand at 75 feet tall.
“I think that like maybe a hotel might be a bit too much because we already have that big hotel over there and I know around like the slow seasons now it's pretty much useless,” said Benjamin Marhefka, who works at TCBY in Towne Centre.
In a series of ten meetings and public hearings with residents, town leaders asked for adjustments to the plan; some of which were made, like lowering building height and adding greenspace.
However, some residents still worry about the possible issues new development could bring to Mount Pleasant.
“If they completely erase all the parking spots for like other businesses, I think that's going to be a big problem because I’ll see the parking lot like jam-packed on Saturdays,” Marhefka said.
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While parking isn’t a main area of concern with the proposal, the majority of council and Mayor Will Haynie still have reservations about the plan, saying it needs to be done right.
“Council really wants to see a solid plan that they know exactly what they're getting so that the people of the town know what they're getting, and they can really make a sound vote on this proposal,” Reed said.
The request has been shut down for now but a new version of it could be before Town Council in the next few months.
David Donato with Continental Realty Corp. sent News 4 the following statement after the original story aired:
“The next steps for CRC are to work on integrating the feedback from Council Members and the Mayor into a revised amendment that can garner Council support the next time through. The good news is that nearly everyone in this process sees the logic of doing what we can to improve Towne Centre. We knew this would not be a straight line to a PD Amendment - that is why we approached Town of Mt. Pleasant proactively. At the end of the day, I believe we will reach an outcome that keeps Towne Centre vibrant for years to come."