Earlier today, the City of North Charleston announced
that a news conference will be held on Friday, February 8, 11 AM, at the
entrance of Oak Terrace Preserve
neighborhood in Park Circle (1500 East
Liberty Park Circle, North Charleston, SC 29405).
Mayor Keith Summey and Councilman Bob King will
speak, marking the beginning of Phase 2 of the City’s award-winning Oak Terrace
Preserve neighborhood, with comments on upcoming redevelopment projects in the
historic district of North Charleston.
The news conference will also address the City’s pending
plans to revitalize sections of Rivers Avenue, and the northern end of the
former naval base, after the December 2012 rails settlement with the State of
South Carolina.
As a follow up for the public, a block party will be held
on Saturday, February 9, as a free event, from 11 AM to 3 PM. The event is
designed to celebrate the neighborhood’s progress over the past six years, and
the construction of Phase 2, featuring food, fun, games, kids’ activities, and
live entertainment.
“Oak Terrace Preserve opened the doors for the
revitalization of Park Circle’s residential neighborhoods,” says Summey. “Until
construction began on Phase 1, there had not been a new housing development in
the Park Circle area for 50 years. Now, young families are coming back to the
neighborhood, and private residential developments, like Mixson and Hunley
Waters, are now gearing up with new construction as the recovery is gaining
momentum after the national housing recession of 2008.”
Summey cited the unique advantages of Oak Terrace Preserve
for families, with the Charleston County School of the Arts and
nationally-ranked Academic Magnet High School within short walking distance of
the neighborhood.
As a city owned, public-private project, Oak Terrace
Preserve has received national recognition over the past five years, including Green
Builder Magazine lists for top ‘green’ neighborhoods in the United States.
Other City honors include the National League of Cities Award for Municipal
Excellence and the Home Depot Foundation Award of Excellence for
Sustainable Community Development.
Over the past two years, publications like This Old House,
Bloomberg Business Week, and Men’s Journal have all
recognized Park Circle as one of the nation’s ‘cool,’ up-and-coming
neighborhoods. The Charleston City Paper readers voted Oak Terrace
Preserve as the Charleston area’s “Best New Development of 2009”. KaBoom! cited
North Charleston as a Playful City USA Community.
“This notoriety is a product of public and private efforts
to redevelop a neighborhood that could have easily been lost without careful
planning and investment,” adds Summey. “We’ve come a long way in six years, but
I truly believe the best is yet to come.”
Oak Terrace Preserve is a 55-acre sustainable community owned
by the City, and developed by private contractors. Homes are EarthCraft® Certified, and feature
neo-traditional designs with a Lowcountry vernacular. Upon build-out, OTP will
feature 374 homes and town homes, which includes a network of pocket parks, and
some hundreds of preserved trees, including many grand oaks. Phase 2 will
encompass the construction of 52 single family housing units and 16 town homes
over the next 18 months.
Recent videos on the neighborhood:
Information and video on Oak Terrace Preserve are in the
media kit, at http://bit.ly/otpmediakit
For questions on the news conference, contact Ryan Johnson
at the above email address and phone number. For inquiries on Oak Terrace
Preserve, call or email Keith West, at the above email and phone number.
Information on Oak Terrace
Preserve can be accessed online at http://www.oakterracepreserve.com.
