Mortgage Broker in James Island, SC

JAMES ISLAND – Tucked away in an overgrown forest blanketed in draping Spanish moss, The May Forest Convent will soon become the centerpiece of a new state park.

From the outside, the single-story beige building could be anything, but this was where Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy lived and spent their lives in service to their faith on the edge of Charleston Harbor with a panoramic view of the city.

Much of the religious artifacts have been removed but the tall stained-glass windows forged in the 1800s and vaulted point of the chapel are the only giveaways to its former life.

Soon, it will serve a new purpose as an event venue.

Saving Grace

Every day, the sisters would start their mornings together in prayer as the sunrise shined through the chapel’s stained-glass windows. They spent most of their days volunteering in the community, caring for their eldest sisters and spending time with one-another during mass, meals and free time.

Sister Mary Joseph, general superior of the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy, made her vows in 1960 after graduating from high school. Now 80, she said many of her favorite memories throughout those 63 years of service are the times spent with sisters in their chapel after taking the vow “of commitment to the church and in service of God’s people.”

The Sisters of Charity congregation of nuns dates back nearly two centuries in Charleston. The group ran a school for free children of color in the 1840s, cared for both Union and Confederate wounded soldiers during the Civil War, founded the hospital that would evolve into the Roper St. Francis Healthcare system and ran social service organizations that helped those facing poverty.

As the congregation aged and fewer women joined the ranks, a decision was made to relocate its surviving members to the Bishop Gadsden retirement home and sell the property. The once sacred place of prayer is just a place of peace now, nestled along the waterfront. It sits empty, but the state has big plans for the site.

New life for former convent

The 23-acre waterfront parcel was bought by the state in 2021 for $23.25 million. Located at the end of Fort Johnson Road, the convent was built in the 1950s.

The waterfront property offers a one-of-a-kind view that can only otherwise be seen from a boat in the harbor, complete with views of downtown Charleston, Fort Sumter, and the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. The waves gently grace the shore, offering a soothing sound in tune with the rustling trees.

Despite having a cash offer from a developer, the Catholic Church worked with the state to preserve the property. Many had hoped it would become a park to keep that rare view from being privatized. It’s a promise the state intends to keep.

The property is owned by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, which runs the marine lab next door, and is managed by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

“Unless you were a sister or visiting priest, chances are you didn’t know that this was tucked away back here,” said agency Director Duane Parrish. “This is a rare opportunity here. We envision the building to become a space for people to stay or to enjoy events like weddings, and for the property to become a place where people can relax along the harbor-front in a peaceful park setting.”

The venue will be similar to Charles Towne Landing, he added.

Director of State Parks Paul McCormack envisions the rental space will include overnight accommodations as well as a chapel area, a rental hall and dining offerings, and the scenic view will be a “prime wedding location along the harbor.”

“It may not look like it now but there’s no doubt about it, this would be a unique event space,” McCormack said. “To be right on the water outside of downtown and to have this view, it’s one of a kind.”

As it stands, the convent main building has 27 rooms, a chapel that seats 60 and a large open meeting space that can seat 125. Once updates are completed, they expect around 15-20 rooms. They also hope to add a dock along the water to complement the existing gazebo and bench swing.

McCormack said the biggest challenge is the convent is not turnkey and ready to rent out.

The property is undergoing evaluation as part of a master planning process that will map out the next 20 years for the entire Fort Johnson pointe, the area surrounding that part of James Island. The building needs to be reviewed by architects and engineers to see what the price tag will be to renovate.

“This was a treasured place of religion, which is evident by the chapel and other markers,” Parish said. “We want to acknowledge and honor its 70-year history as a convent, yet modernize it for future generations to cherish. It’s location along the harbor makes it the perfect place for weddings and events.”

The property was most recently used as a film set for the Netflix flick “Suncoast,” featuring Woody Harrelson and Laura Linney. A faux digital stained-glass window featured in the film still sits in the chapel as a centerpiece over the former altar.

This business model is a new approach to helping the department become more self-sustaining, Parrish said. Eventually, money made from renting the convent’s rooms and event space will go back into upkeep and renovations.

The undertaking is expected to have an architectural design in place by sometime in 2024. Parrish said his office has requested about $10 million in assistance from lawmakers, on top of the $5 million received last year.

While the future state park on the site has not been officially named, it is likely to be May Forest at Fort Johnson State Park. It’s a nod to the convent and the area’s rich history — the point at the end of Fort Johnson Road is where the first shots of the Civil War were fired on Fort Sumter.

Changing times

When the property was bought by the Catholic Church, the sisters raised money to clear the land and build their new home. The building housed sisters and new members joining the religious community who needed to be trained.

Sister Mary Joseph said that as times changed, the needs of the sisters did too. Much of the building was renovated after Hurricane Hugo. By that time fewer sisters were joining and existing members needed somewhere to age in place. A great hall was added to become the “center of spirituality” and more rooms for the aging and semiretired sisters were built, as well as a medical wing for those needing more intense medical care.

Now, the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy are only 12 members strong. While the decision to sell their home was a difficult one, Sister Mary Joseph said their top priority was ensuring their members were taken care of. It came down to knowing their financial and health care needs were too great.

“The sale of the property allowed us to move to Bishop Gadsden, which allowed us to provide continuing health care at different levels for our sisters,” Sister Mary Joseph said. “There is a strong sense of community at Bishop Gadsden. Our sisters there, who are able, can continue practicing their faith and provide ministry to other residents. It’s been life-giving in that sense for the sisters.”

Sister Mary Joseph said that the sisters’ faith, ministry and charity are gifts that they “continue to share wherever we are.”

A collection of artifacts and history panels are displayed in a room within the convent, which has been called the “Heritage Room.”

The state will soon open the former convent’s grounds for individuals looking to picnic or roam the property of the former convent.

“I’m so proud that our state stepped in to protect this property and its history by ensuring it’s accessible to everyone,” McCormack said. “The opportunities we have before us with this project are endless.”

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A new traffic light on Johns Island has caused a stir for people who live and drive through the area.

The light, located at Maybank Highway and Fenwick Hall Allee, was installed Tuesday. After just one day, officials with the City of Charleston have received calls from people who drive through the area frustrated that traffic on Maybank Highway has gotten even worse.

“They’ve been steady coming from us. As well, they’ve been going to the DOT, and Charleston County as well,” Robert Somerville, director of the City of Charleston’s department of traffic and transportation said. “We are aware and we’re working on it. We just ask for your patience and we will get it figured out.”

This signal was part of the Northern Pitchfork project. Somerville said with concerns about safety involving drivers exiting out of Fenwick Hall Allee they decided to install a temporary signal before the mast arms were ready to be completed.

Since activating the signal Tuesday, Somerville said they found there is a problem within the corridor that affects the timing from Headquarters Plantation to River Road. They’ve had technicians from the city and DOT at the location to try to get the issue figured out.

“This is a safety project,” Somerville said. “We’ve had numerous accidents at that intersection so I believe this signal will be the best thing for Maybank Highway and Fenwick Allee in the long run.”

For Dan Kinne, who lives near the traffic light, the new signal is allowing him to breathe a little easier.

“You used to take your life in your hands when you were coming out of there and turning left onto Maybank or coming home on Maybank turning left onto Fenwick Hall,” Kinne said. “I’m lucky we never got hit.”

People have taken to social media to complain about an increase in traffic on Maybank Highway.

Katelyn Robinson commutes to Johns Island every day to take her daughter to school. She said it takes her 10 minutes to take her daughter to school, but an hour to get home.

“It’s affecting everybody’s sanity and their drive to work in the morning,” Robinson said. “They have a livelihood they have to keep up, they have jobs they have to get to, kids they have to drop off, things they have to do in the morning.”

Somerville said the permanent signal will be ready to be installed in about a year. For now, he is asking for patience.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Two fake stop signs have been found in one James Island neighborhood, which the mayor says has caused confusion and controversy between town officials and local

Published: Mon Oct 31 2022

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Two fake stop signs have been found in one James Island neighborhood, which the mayor says has caused confusion and controversy between town officials and locals.

A neighbor’s security camera captured the Town of James Island’s public works department removing the illegal stop signs from the corner of Clearview Drive and Tennant Street on Oct. 21.

“You cannot put your own stop signs out. You can always come to the town and make a request, and it will always be merited,” Mayor Bill Woolsey said. “We won’t often be able to put them up, but you can’t put them up yourself, and how we respond is we immediately contact SCDOT. We would have been very surprised if they put a stop sign out there without telling us beforehand.”

A worker could be seen wiggling one of the signs a couple of times before lifting it out of the ground and placing it in the back of a truck.

Not only were the signs put in illegally, according to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, but the ground next to the street was painted with white stop bars, as well.

“It’s the first I’ve ever heard about it, and I hope it doesn’t spread,” Woolsey said. “[I’m surprised] someone would come and paint a line in the road and buy some online stop signs and install them themselves in the middle of the night or early in the morning.”

Deputies said they were patrolling the area the night before and didn’t see any new signs, but when they went back the next day, they said the signs, which were apparently purchased online, had been put in overnight.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation has also confirmed they have not installed any stop signs at the intersection.

Neighbors initially thought the stop signs were put in by DOT to help with speeders and said the fake signs hurts their ability to address the issue.

“I guess somebody duped us, and they were putting in fake stop signs,” neighbor Jim Boyd said. “They looked to all of us legitimate and 100% real. We are just in favor of anything and everything that we can get people to slow down. Yes, we understand first responders need to get here quickly as well, but we want everything and anything.”

However, Woolsey said he believes the signs did not pop up at random.

“If we find out who did it, they will be charged, and we believe that, most likely, it was someone who lives close by,” he said.

Woolsey also said there was a recent incident where an illegal speed bump was found and removed near the intersection. He said the speed bump had black and yellow stripes and was similar to one found in parking lots across the Lowcountry.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

The City of Charleston’s Planning Commission on Wednesday will review plans for a new residential development on James Island.

Published: Wed Oct 19 2022

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Charleston’s Planning Commission on Wednesday will review plans for a new residential development on James Island.

The property has both low-lying wetlands and high ground, which appears to be causing concern for some James Island residents.

One James Island resident, Franny Henty, said she is concerned about the flooding problems that developments in low-lying areas may cause for surrounding neighbors.

Developers are proposing to build the ‘Harbor View Towns’ near the intersection of the James Island Expressway and Harbor View Road. According to the submitted plans, it will consist of six single-family and 10 multifamily units.

Henty lives off of Folly Road, right near Publix.

With the multiple jurisdictions interacting on James Island, she said she hopes the city is being careful with its stormwater retention plan, especially considering the low-lying areas and wetlands on the property.

“Adding so much development can flood out the neighbors, and that’s not apparent immediately, its apparent years later, Henty said.

City of Charleston Director of Planning, Preservation and Sustainability Robert Summerfield said the majority of the property is high land, but the portion of the property containing wetlands will be “pretty significantly” buffered away.

He said the developer’s plans include a stormwater retention plan, and even though the multiple jurisdictions can be confusing from a planning perspective, he is confident in the city’s stormwater requirements.

“This property is in the city, this property is not, and so on and so forth. But this one is in the city, has to meet all of our requirements. And again, our stormwater requirements, I would put those up against any in the state in terms of their stringent requirements to safeguard against future, and particularly downstream, flooding,” Summerfield said.

We are waiting to hear from the developer for comment.

Today’s planning commission meeting will take place at 5:00 p.m. in the Public Meeting Room on the first floor of 2 George Street.

The meeting will also be live streamed and recorded on the City of Charleston Public Meetings YouTube channel.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston City leaders provided some insight on a flood-prone neighborhood on James Island that saw an excess of water after Hurricane Ian.

News 2 first introduced viewers to Michael Miller and his wife on Friday when Hurricane Ian flooded their home and others on Shoreham Road.

According to Miller, it took about five to six hours for the water to drain on the street and about three hours for it to recede inside his home.

“We just started getting as much of the water and as much of the dirt out as we could. Putting up fans, scrubbing down everything. Trying to assess the damage,” said Miller.

According to Charleston City leaders, Shoreham Road is known to flood because it sits in a low-lying area.

“It’s a neighborhood where when that water falls on the streets and on the roofs and on the properties it’s hard to move it out very quickly especially if we get higher tides,” explained Matthew Fountain, the Director of Stormwater Management for the City of Charleston.

There are a few projects in the works to help prevent flooding in the neighborhood. Fountain said one includes a rain garden that is set to be built at the site of a former flood-prone home the city acquired through federal grants.

He said the other small project consists of constructing a drainage swale system to help store more water in the neighborhood. While these projects can help with a typical thunderstorm/rain event, Fountain said it will take more to prevent flooding in a major storm like Ian.

“That neighborhood is going to experience flooding. That’s part of the reason we’ve looked at home acquisitions and demolition in that location giving people the opportunity if they have a heavily flooded home to have the city work with the federal government and eventually buy their homes,” explained Fountain.

Meanwhile, drainage projects on other parts of James Island seem to be showing signs of improvement. News 2 met with Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt at the Charleston Municipal Golf Course where drainage improvements are underway.

She said Hurricane Ian was one of the first big storms to hit the area since rolling out the projects. Because of the work that was done over the last few years, Honeycutt said the water in the system was able to drain within one tide cycle, as opposed to sitting for days as it has in the past.

“One of the parts of the improvements that really helped was cleaning out the Stono River outfall and then back up the ditch system to the entire watershed, so that water could drain out faster. In conjunction, we also enhanced these ponds you see on the golf course to allow more water to stay in the system as the tides change,” explained Honeycutt.

According to city leaders, they monitor streets like Shoreham Road ahead of big storms, making sure the pipes aren’t clogged.