West Ashley Site Plans Offer Sense of ‘Place Making’
Mez Joseph
PROVIDED/CITY OF CHARLESTON
A design rendering by Liollio Architecture of a proposed plan for the former Piggly Wiggly site at the intersection of Sumar Street, Sam Rittenberg Boulevard and Old Towne Road in West Ashley. This rendering has buildings facing Sam Rittenberg.
BY MIKAELA PORTER
mporter@postandcourier.com
One of West Ashley’s corridors could see some new retail, restaurant and civic space. On Wednesday night, plans were presented for the old Piggly Wiggly triangle-shaped parcel formed by Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, Old Towne Road and Sumar Street.
The city owns the old grocery store’s property — now a 2.2-acre slab of pavement. The city purchased the site for $3 million in 2017 and demolished the store in 2018. Piggly Wiggly had been closed for nearly five years before the building was torn down.
Three designs were presented Wednesday night. All included plans for up to six buildings on the site, but the placements differed. Buildings either fronted Sumar Street, Old Towne Road or Sam Rittenberg Boulevard. All include parking and a public access tower for visitors to view the Ashley River.
In total, the buildings would account for between 50,000 and 60,000 square feet. One third would be for municipal use with an assembly area. Half of the site would be office space and another 10,000-square feet would be for retail and restaurants.
Mayor John Tecklenburg described the designs as ones that would create a sense of “place making” for West Ashley.
“This is going to create a space that will draw people in and will also serve as a real gateway, kind of an entrance to West Ashley that will be deserving of the site and deserving of West Ashley,” Tecklenburg said.
As for the publicly-owned building, Tecklenburg said he’s working with different partners to share space with the city.
Councilman Peter Shahid, who chairs the commission group tasked with West Ashley’s revitalization, favored the plans for buildings fronting Sam Rittenberg Boulevard because he feels it would be consistent with the height and density already along that corridor.
He’d like some of the municipal space used for city staff like the West Ashley manager, a police substation as well as an area for City Council to meet occasionally. Additionally, as the coronavirus pandemic has ushered in a different way to meet virtually, Shahid said the gathering space would be useful for West Ashley residents to meet and provide comment while Council meets downtown.
The plan with buildings fronting Sam Rittenberg Boulevard were favored Wednesday night. The tower and a water feature were noted as important design elements for members Charlie Smith and Kenneth Marolda, too.
City Planner Jacob Lindsey said Wednesday the plans align with the concerns residents shared at a widely attended meeting in 2018.
In October, the city sought proposals from design firms before selecting Liollio Architecture and Mount Pleasantbased Landmark Enterprises.
Liollio Architecture, based on James Island, also designed the new fire station on Savannah Highway, next to the memorial for the firefighters who died during the Sofa Super Store fire. Liollio is known for its history of civic architecture in West Ashley, Lindsey said. Landmark Enterprises purchased the Old City Jail from the city in the last six years and have a number of properties in the city and region.
“This will transform the Sam Rittenberg side of the site as well as the main entryway of West Ashley if it is built according to this plan,” Lindsey said.
Lindsey said it isn’t clear how the commercial spaces will be sold or leased. City Council will review and approve the plans before construction begins.
Warren Wise contributed to this report.