North Charleston sets path for revitalization of former Naval Hospital and Shipwatch Square

The City of North Charleston and Chicora Gardens Holding LLC are set to enter into a purchase agreement, which will transfer approximately 40 acres from the City for $9.2 million.  In October of this year, the City of North Charleston was the high bidder in an online auction conducted by the General Services Administration (GSA) for the former Naval Hospital located at 3600 Rivers Avenue.  After negotiations with GSA, the City purchased the 10-story, 368,000 square foot hospital on 23 acres for $2 million.

The developer will begin a due diligence period and will present a master plan for a Planned Development District to the City of North Charleston’s Planning and Zoning Department.

The project is expected to be a collaborative effort along with private businesses to utilize the best talents, innovation, and ideas to create a destination to bring together the community.  The area’s master plan is focused on attracting commerce and residents to the area with a plan for a sustainable interactive environment. 

An initial plan is to develop a mixed use project that will include a grocery store, office building, bank, restaurants, medical and dental services, pharmacy, library, and a continuing care retirement community with senior apartments, assisted living, and hospice services.  The project will also contain extensive public parks and gardens.

Chicora Gardens Holdings LLC has engaged Davis and Floyd for engineering work to include the initial site plan, structural analysis, and for the parks and gardens landscape architecture and design. Chicora Gardens is represented by Rick Brownyard of Mt Pleasant, SC.

Patriot Award presentation by the ESGR

From the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) presented Belinda Swindler, a long time Recreation Department employee for the City of North Charleston, the Patriot Award on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at North Charleston’s City Council meeting.

The Patriot Award honors individual supervisors for contributing to national security and protecting liberty and freedom by supporting employee participation in America’s National Guard and Reserve force.  Only members of the National Guard and Reserve forces are eligible to nominate their employers for the Patriot Award.

A city employee for 11 years, Ms. Swindler serves as the recreation department’s senior coordinator, planning, organizing, and facilitating all senior programming in North Charleston.  In addition, she supervises operations and staff at the Felix C. Davis Community Center at Park Circle.

Ms. Swindler was nominated by Dominique Johnson who is currently serving with the United States Army Reserves’ 914th Transportation Company of North Charleston, SC in Iraq.  The 914th Transportation Company was ordered into active military service in January 2011.  Prior to deployment, Ms. Johnson was employed by the City of North Charleston in the Recreation Department with Ms. Swindler serving as her supervisor.

ESGR is a Department of Defense organization. It is a staff group within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, which is in itself a part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve component members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment. It is the lead DoD organization for this mission under DoD Directive 1250.1.

Today, ESGR operates through a network of thousands of volunteers throughout the nation and Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.