Quartz CountertopsNear Summerville, SC

Six years after a prominent grocery chain in the Charleston area bought land for a new store, the supermarket appears to be closer to taking shape on the edge of a planned 8,000-home community.

Bidding documents show construction could begin in March 2025 on a 51,454-square-foot new Publix grocery store near Summerville.

Supermarket spokesman Jared Glover said the Florida-based company has not set a definite timeframe for the new store to be built “at this time.”

The food chain paid $3.05 million for 10 acres in 2017 at Beech Hill Road and Summers Drive across from the developing Summers Corner community southwest of Summerville.

Summers Corner, on S.C. Highway 61 and near U.S. Highway 17A, is a 7,200-acre tract that’s permitted for about 8,000 homes.

In addition to schools and shops, it 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.

Byham said he’s not surprised the long-planned Publix might be “more imminent” than in the past few years.

“We are selling about 50 homes per month on average in Summers Corner,” Byham said. “We expect to sell between 600 and 700 next year.”

Lennar also plans to develop a multi-million-dollar amenity center with a pool, restaurants and other attractions over the next two to three years on a 15-acre site off Summers Drive near Clayfield Trail.

A historic Broad Street property that’s housed banks, law firms and a publicly traded real estate company over the past 134 years or so is back under local ownership in a deal totaling $6.2 million.

An affiliate of EP Group purchased the 15,500-square-foot, three-and-a-half story building at 39 Broad St. for $5.58 million last week, according to public land records. The deal included an adjacent 16-space parking lot at 28 Elliott St., which sold for $620,000.

The seller was Healthcare Realty Trust of Tennessee.

The vacant commercial building is between East Bay and Church streets. It underwent a top-to-bottom renovation about eight years ago.

EP Group, which said it invests in middle-market, U.S. based businesses and is based on Meeting Street, plans to take part of the newly acquired property. A spokesman said the privately held company is reviewing “a range of possible plans” for the rest of the space.

“We look forward to being the stewards of this building and remaining part of the vibrant downtown community,” EP Group CEO Terry Hurley said in a written statement.

The new owner and The Post and Courier were owned by the same parent company until September 2021, when both were spun off as standalone businesses.

According to Historic Charleston Foundation, 39 Broad dates to the late 1800s — with the “marked verticality” of its arched windows among its most distinctive architectural features. The builder was Charles Otto Witte, a wealthy German-born businessman and consul for various European nations who once lived at what’s now the Ashley Hall school campus.

The structure later became known as the Exchange Bank and Trust Co. building, named for an early tenant was established in 1891. Local archives show a law firm and Merchants’ and Miners’ Bank were operating at the same address a few years earlier.

A Charleston area luxury boat manufacturer will expand its Dorchester County headquarters with a $10 million investment.

The investment by Scout Boats will expand and renovate the company’s corporate headquarters and will facilitate the production of the new 67 LX series yacht, one of the largest outboard-powered sportfishing yachts to be built in the world, according to a news release from the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

Scout Boats plans to enlarge its 36-acre campus by expanding and renovating its corporate headquarters located at 130 Spaniel Lane in Summerville, the release stated. Scout will also build a new 35,000-square-foot facility, which will allow the company to build component parts for its yacht division and support its new product line for the 67 LX series, a 67-foot model that debuted at this year’s Miami International Boat Show in February.

Related content: Summerville boat company plans new yacht, plant expansion

“We meet with the craftsmen and women in each of our four plants every month for award ceremonies, and I often remind them that we ship our boats all over the world to some very affluent customers who choose our brand because of the pride they put into each and every build,” Scout Boats CEO Steve Potts said in the release.

Scout Boats designs and manufactures world-class, luxury models ranging currently from 17 feet to 53 feet, according to the release. The company’s portfolio includes custom, state-of-the-art sportfishing center and dual consoles, and inshore and bay boat models.

“We have a long-standing partnership with Scout Boats and are proud to see its continued growth in Dorchester County,” said South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III in the release. This expansion underscores not only the strength of South Carolina’s growing boat manufacturing sector but speaks to the ability of our workforce to produce luxury products that are available worldwide.”

Renovations are expected to be complete by spring 2024, and operations are expected to be online by summer 2024.

“Since 1989 Steve Potts and Scout Boats have been important assets to Dorchester County,” Dorchester County Council Chairman S. Todd Friddle said in the release. “We are thrilled at Scout Boats’ newest commitment to our community, their employees and recreational boating. Dorchester County looks forward to supporting many more years of Scout Boats’ growing success.”

Robert Pratt of Re/Max Pro Realty represented the seller, Jurisprudence LLC, in the sale of 7,022 square feet of office space at 112 W. 4th North St. in Summerville to Ellie Holdings LLC for $1.5 million. Zach Hines of Spencer Hines Properties represented the buyer.

Other commercial real estate deals in recent days in the Lowcountry include the lease of a retail space on Camp Road. Trey Lucy and Kevin Shields of Belk Lucy represented the landlord in the lease of 4,255 square feet in Suite B at 1234-1238 Camp Road on James Island to Tidewater Carts. Christi Copenhaver of Palmetto Commercial Properties represented the tenant.

Hot Properties highlights recently sold or leased commercial properties in the Charleston region. Send in your transactions using our online form.

Robert Pratt of Re/Max Pro Realty represented the buyer, RLP LLC, in the purchase of 1.16 acres of triple-net ground lease space at 3878 Ladson Road in Ladson from 3878 Ladson Road LLC for $1,472,125. Britt Raymond of SRS Real Estate Partners represented the seller.

Jenna Philipp of Palmetto Commercial Properties represented the landlord, RCB Development, in the lease of 2,704 square feet square of warehouse space at 1750 Signal Point Road.

Jenna Philipp of Palmetto Commercial Properties represented the tenant, Sanders Inc., in the lease of 10,103 square feet of industrial space at 7635 Sandlapper Pkwy, Suite 200, from Sandlapper One Associates LLC. Robert Pratt of Re/Max Pro Realty represented the landlord.

Jing “Julia” Donovan of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic represented the tenant, James Pugh, in the lease of 900 square feet of retail space at 1286 Yeamans Hall Road in Hanahan. The landlord, 1268 Yeamans Hall LLC, was represented by Brent Case of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic. The retail business will be a liquor store.

Christi Copenhaver of Palmetto Commercial Properties LLC represented the tenant, Tidewater Carts, in the lease of 4255 square feet of retail space in Suite B at 1238 Camp Road in Charleston from Christi Copenhaver. Kevin Shields and Trey Lucy of Belk Lucy represented the landlord.

David Newman of Harbor Commercial Partners represented the tenant, Formula Automatic Door Co. Inc., in the lease of 2,755 square feet of office space at 2671 Spruill Ave., Unit C, in North Charleston from 2681 Spruill LLC. Clarke Attaway of Lee & Associates represented the landlord.

Jing “Julia” Donovan of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic represented the tenant Vape FX LLC in the lease of 900 square feet of retail space at 1288 Yeamans Hall Road in Hanahan. The landlord, 1268 Yeamans Hall LLC, was represented by Brent Case of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic. The retail business will be a vape shop.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Former President Donald Trump took the stage at a campaign event in Summerville Monday predicting a record-breaking win in the South Carolina Primary as he campaigned for a second term as commander-in-chief.

Trump is speaking Monday afternoon at Sportsman Boats in his first visit to South Carolina since the Silver Elephant Gala last month.

He told the crowd that his last two years in office were the best two years South Carolina boat builders and South Carolina businesses have ever had, saying that boat builders couldn’t make the boats fast enough.

“When I left the office business was roaring like a 400 horsepower Mercury outboard motor,” Trump said. “But then the economy slammed into a pile of rocks known as crooked Joe Biden.”

He promised to end Biden’s “war on American energy” and reclaim energy independence.

“In other words, we will drill, baby, drill,” he said.

Trump said he won South Carolina twice by record numbers and pledged to do it again.

“We did phenomenally here. We’ve always done well here and we’re going to do it at a level that nobody’s ever seen,” he said. “So we broke the record twice. We’re going to break it a third time. We’re going to break our own record.”

He said he intends to “take back our country and we’re going to make America great again.”

Before Trump’s speech, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster told the crowd he went into the State House about a month after Trump went into the White House.

“And South Carolina has been booming ever since,” he said. “But then in January 2021, everything changed.”

McMaster said his administration has had to fight the Biden Administration “every day.” He cited the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates for military personnel, and accused it of destroying the nation’s borders and the nation’s energy independence.

“From 2016 until now, [the Biden Administration] has been doing anything and everything they could, legal, illegal, ethical, unethical, unheard of, unprecedented, to do one thing: That includes two bogus impeachments and full-of-baloney indictments to do what? To stop one man, to stop our man from being president of the United States,” McMaster said.

Dorchester County deputies said earlier on Monday that Trump’s visit to Summerville would cause delays on Highway 78 from Summerville east of Berlin G. Myers Parkway to Jedburg Road at Mallard Road. Drivers in the area are asked to search for alternate routes if they don’t live or work along Highway 78 and are encouraged to use other entrances to neighborhoods in the area.

Traffic delays are expected to last through about 5 p.m. Monday but the delays could be extended.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Newly obtained documents show dozens of complaints have been filed in recent years against a Summerville youth treatment facility, alleging there are bugs, abuse, dangerously low staffing levels, violent fights and blood and vomit smeared throughout the building.

Mary Wilcox’s grandson spent time in that facility, Palmetto Summerville Behavioral Health, earlier this year.

“Terror” is how she describes her feelings about the residential facility, which is for children and teens ages 7-18 with emotional and behavioral issues.

Her 13-year-old grandson was admitted to the youth residential treatment facility earlier this year.

For weeks, he stayed locked behind the doors of the facility; for weeks he recounted the horror and violence to his grandmother; and for weeks, Wilcox said she fought to get him out.

“[He] was abused in ways that most parents would say would be the worst thing to happen to their child,” Wilcox says.

During phone calls with his grandmother and an in-person visit, he detailed vicious fights, sexual assaults and abuse.

“He was struggling to deal with what was going on, and he attempted to escape,” Wilcox said. “He was handled by a staff member who slammed his head into a chain link fence causing a gash, causing blood to drop down his face.”

Her grandson’s story is not the first troubling one that has been shared. Nearly 200 pages of documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request for complaints against the facility in the past few years detail allegations of what some say erupts in the hallways and common areas and what hides, tucked away in patients’ rooms.

The dozens of complaints filed describe alleged bug infestations, inadequate staffing, filthy conditions, overmedicating and a prison-like environment.

One complaint says a staff member attacked a patient.

“On the video, it was observed that a staff member placing [redacted] into a choke hold and then it is observed on camera that same staff member punching [redacted] six times once [redacted] is taken down to the ground,” the complaint states.

Another states a patient was so heavily medicated they fainted. In a different complaint, an employee is accused of grabbing a patient by the shirt, pulling them down and kneeing them in the face.

“It does not surprise me at all,” Wilcox says. “My grandson communicated similar conditions to me. It is very alarming that this happened to my grandson; it’s alarming that children are in the facility still.”

One complaint alleges the facility frequently only has one nurse on duty with 60 patients and was so short-staffed they couldn’t provide proper treatment.

Another states there have been “numerous human rights violations” and claims patients are refused medical treatment and prescriptions.

“Supervisors explicitly tell staff to ‘treat them like prisoners because they are here for punishment’ rather than treating the patients with compassion as they go through treatment,” the complaint states.

Another complaint describes cockroaches and ants crawling around and blood and vomit smeared inside.

“[Palmetto Summerville] should be investigated,” Wilcox says. “They need to be checked out. They need to be monitored, and they need to be held accountable.”

The State Department of Health and Environmental Control is the agency responsible for investigating complaints against health facilities like Palmetto Summerville. It can also penalize them.

“When there is noncompliance with the licensing standards, the facility must submit an acceptable written plan of correction to DHEC that must be signed by the administrator and returned by the date specified on the report of inspection/investigation,” an email from DHEC states. “When DHEC determines that a facility is in violation of any statutory provision, rule, or regulation relating to the operation or maintenance of such facility, DHEC, upon proper notice to the licensee, may impose a monetary penalty, and deny, suspend, or revoke licenses.”

Last month, DHEC investigated two complaints against Palmetto Summerville, but no violations were cited, according to officials. In August, however, the facility was fined $19,000 for nine violations.

“DHEC executed a consent order with the facility in August after it was determined that it was appropriate to impose a civil monetary penalty for violations of Regulation 61-103,” the email from DHEC states.

Some of those violations, documents show, include failing to have a registered nurse immediately accessible by phone and available within 30 minutes, failing to notify DHEC of a serious accident or incident within 24 hours, failing to make sure residents were free from harm and failing to make sure medications were available for administration.

“[Patients] are further traumatized,” Wilcox says. “They are further placed into a downward spiral by being in these facilities.”

That downward spiral and that trauma, she says, prevent any effective treatment for the children who spend time at Palmetto Summerville and similar facilities.

Some studies show that could be right.

One study shows there’s not enough research to know if the interventions — therapy, activities and treatments — inside these facilities are effective or an effective use of money.

“We also don’t know a lot about what the, what treatments they’re actually getting because we don’t necessarily see the day-to-day life of these kids in these facilities,” Roderick Rose, an associate professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore and researcher in the study, says.

A common trend in the facilities: Medication. One study shows about 90 percent of stays at facilities analyzed included an antipsychotic medication, even though only 3 percent of patients were diagnosed with a psychotic disorder.

“You also see just a lot of medicating children,” Rose says.

For her grandson, Wilcox believes the best treatment has been being back home. He’s in school and playing basketball and is doing better. The trauma from the facility still lingers, however, and Wilcox says she prays other children can get the help they need outside of the gates of Palmetto Summerville.

“I am so very grateful that he is one child that escaped being in the situation he was in long,” she says. “Other children, as well, to be rescued, which is a most appropriate word. They need to be rescued from these facilities.”

Norman Bradley, the director of risk management and performance improvement for Palmetto Summerville Behavioral Health released this statement:

Due to HIPAA patient privacy laws, we cannot offer comment on specific patients or their care.

Palmetto Summerville Behavioral Health takes all allegations of abuse seriously and completes full investigations as warranted. Any and all allegations required to be reported to the Department of Health and Environmental Control have been done, and necessary action plans have been implemented to address the issues raised. Recent site visits by DHEC have been positive and have resulted in no findings.

Palmetto Summerville Behavioral Health is a residential treatment facility for girls and boys ages 7 to 18, in need of a highly structured, therapeutic environment. Our patient satisfaction scores reflect the care that is delivered by our compassionate and dedicated team.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.