Auto MechanicNear Mount Pleasant, SC

A local developer recently won a lawsuit against the town of Mount Pleasant and is looking forward to building the Shem Creek Boutique Hotel.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - A local developer recently won a lawsuit against the town of Mount Pleasant and is looking forward to building the Shem Creek Boutique Hotel.

The local family-owned development company, CKC Properties wants to start construction on the Shem Creek Boutique Hotel as soon as possible. But even after a lawsuit win, their right to build is still on hold because the town is appealing.

The Shem Creek Boutique Hotel has been in the works in Mount Pleasant for years but was stopped in its tracks by what the CKC’s lawsuit says was “behind-the-scenes political interference.”

RELATED: Proposed Shem Creek hotel project moves forward; builder sues Mt. Pleasant

The court has ruled twice that the town’s zoning commission wrongly denied approval to the company. The original lawsuit says CKC Properties went through the process the right way and met all the requirements for approval, but the town slowed down their progress and created new rules and regulations behind the scenes to stop the Shem Creek Boutique Hotel.

“It’s a shame and it’s very uncomfortable for us. You know, we’ve never sued anyone. We aren’t litigious people,” Colin Colbert says.

Colbert is a partner in CKC Properties with his father. Their office is downtown, and they have been managing properties in the Lowcountry for nearly a decade. Colbert says their goal as a smaller firm, is to go into the area and build out things that enhance the community.

“When the master in equities made his ruling about a month ago, we thought we were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. He ordered that we were allowed to move forward through DRV (Design Review Board) and hopefully be able to start building this project has been delayed for two years. We recently found out that it was being appealed and the town has taken a position that they aren’t going to let us move through,” Colbert says.

CKC Properties is still suing for damages, asking the town to pay their legal fees of more than $100,000, and is asking a judge to give them the go-ahead to build even as they wait for the appeal to play out. The court will hear these requests in early November.

“I’m still very excited about this project. I think it’s going to be a beautiful development, successful development and I think it’s the right development for that location in Shem Creek. I can’t think of a better use for that property that would not only benefit the businesses around it, but also not impact the residents because there are no residents at that location,” Colbert says.

The town of Mount Pleasant did not wish to comment when asked about the rulings so far in this lawsuit and CKC’s request to move forward. In past reporting, the town also declined to comment on pending litigation.

“We’re still very excited but, if isn’t a change in the mindset of Mount Pleasant, I don’t see us doing business there ever again,” Colbert says.

Colbert says their company has a history of working closely with neighbors and the town staff of where they build. He did speak highly of the Mount Pleasant staff that helped them through their proposal process. He expressed frustration at the commission and council members who proclaimed their anti-development stance at all costs.

“To get to this position and have the political figures take a position that they’re going to just continue to push the appeal and spend taxpayer dollars on legal expenses, and now you know, it’s forcing us to file suit for damages and claims for all the costs that we’ve incurred throughout this process,” Colbert says.

A comment Mayor Will Haynie made to Live 5 News in 2021 about the project was cited in the original lawsuit. The lawsuit says Haynie’s quote and continues: “‘I have a history of not supporting this type of development.’ The mayor’s comments on a by-right development like the Project are irrelevant and irresponsible.”

Colbert says it’s disappointing to see officials put their weight behind something that so far has come up in favor of his company. He says he wishes neither party was ladened with the legal fees this process has brought.

“In the meantime, the town is going to suffer from taxpayer dollars being spent on legal costs and probably an inevitable damages judgment against the town. It’s a shame for the taxpayers and the citizens of Mount Pleasant. And obviously us as developers, it’s no fun and it’s a very uncomfortable position to be in,” Colbert says.

He fears the efforts against this development are rooted in the anti-development mindset more than the real legal rights and processes, shown by the results so far of his lawsuit win.

“They wait until the last second of the approval process and try to knee-cap the project from unethical and illegal means and it results in huge settlements and the project inevitably going through. So I think there’s got to be a new regime that’s honest and if they want to be anti-development that goes about I the right way and stops wasting taxpayer dollars, they can,” Colbert says.

Colbert says the CKC team is looking forward to their next steps and hearing from a judge soon about their ability to keep working. A judge will hear CKC’s lawsuit request for legal fee payment from the town and their right to proceed on November 8th.

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Loyal Mount Pleasant patrons of Big Bad Breakfast in Downtown Charleston now have reason to rejoice, as the popular eatery has officially cut the ribbon on its Brickyard Plantation site at 2664 N. Highway 17.

Mayor Will Haynie and Town Council members joined forces with the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 17 to celebrate the recent opening of Big Bad Breakfast’s 18th Southeast location and second Lowcountry venue.

Since opening its doors to the Mount Pleasant community on Aug. 29, reported franchise co-owner Julie Bumgardner, the public reception has been wonderful, with droves of locals filing in to the breakfast, brunch and lunch staple from Park West, Dunes West, Hamlin Plantation and Oyster Point, among other town communities.

The look and menu of the Mount Pleasant restaurant aren’t all that different from what’s found in the Charleston location — and that’s good news, according to Bumgardner and staff members.

“We tried to stay very similar as far as our décor, so that we could establish what our brand looks like,” added Bumgardner, who operates the privately-owned business with her husband, Wayne, along with Big Bad Breakfast founder John Currence.

The Oxford, Mississippi-based Currence laid the groundwork for Big Bad Breakfast in 2008, as he was determined to turn his love affair with breakfast into a reality.

But unlike other breakfast restaurants that serve a preponderance of frozen menu items, Big Bad Breakfast cooks with freshly grown local and flavorful produce that has been instrumental in the franchise’s rapid growth, continued Bumgardner.

The Mount Pleasant outpost receives its vegetables and farm-fresh goods from Limehouse Produce in North Charleston.

“The food is delicious,” attests the Mount Pleasant site’s front-of-house manager Natalia Rojas, who singled out the restaurant’s homemade biscuits as one of its more popular food items baked with “layers and layers of love.”

Go-to beverages, such as the in-house Bloody Mary and Irish Coffee, are also a big hit with Big Bad Breakfast’s considerable legion of devotees.

Big Bad Breakfast is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information on the breakfast, brunch and lunch provider, visit www.bigbadbreakfast.com.

When Mark Mitchell retired in 2006 from almost 30 years with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, he intended to play golf, relax and travel. Now, Mitchell has reached 17 years in a second career of real estate, where he often partners with his wife Lisa, a fellow Dunes Properties realtor. And together, they and their team have become some of the most sought-after agents in the Charleston area.

“Our specialties are resort communities, suburban communities and relocations,” said Mitchell, broker-in-charge for Dunes Properties offices in Mount Pleasant, Folly Beach, Seabrook, Kiawah, and the Charleston Peninsula since 2020. “And whether our clients are buying or selling, our focus is to solve their problems for a seamless transaction.”

Mitchell added that while trust is the most vital factor between clients and realtors, listening is nearly just as important.

“Too many agents try to project their taste on a client instead of listening to what they want,” Mitchell said. “So with me and all 60 of our agents, the attitude is to let the client do the talking.”

That talking often includes many questions, such as:

“I look at it as providing a service or solving a problem for a client,” Mitchell said. “My biggest reward comes when I get repeat business from a client I’ve helped in the past.”

This approach has led to much recognition: the Dunes Properties team realized more than $300 million in sales for 2022; and the Mitchells have been acknowledged by the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors as realtors of distinction on multiple occasions.

“And our region comprises more than 7,000 real estate agents,” Mitchell said.

It’s a far cry from 2006, when Mitchell’s retirement ended after only two months. Knowing something about real estate, he got a real estate license and that same year he got on with Dunes Properties selling beach houses.

A few years later, Mitchell got a call from a friend, “who needed someone to find some relocation information for people who represented Volvo.”

“So when the company located a plant here about 10 years ago, we got the contracts to find houses for more than 100 of their representatives,” Mitchell said.

Now, after 17 years in a second career, Mitchell doesn’t plan to make any second attempts at retirement anytime soon.

“I like learning about different types of homes and communities and meeting people from all over the world looking to either buy or rent,” Mitchell said. “And if you solve your client’s problems and concerns, then success takes care of itself.”

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Graze Craze, a new charcuterie concept known for crafting grazing boards and boxes, has opened its first South Carolina location at 3373 South Morgans Point Road in Mount Pleasant.

The new storefront is located in the National Crossing shopping center at the main entrance of the Charleston National neighborhood, according to a news release. Graze Craze is a part of Big Flavor Brands, the food service division of Starpoint Brands, a family of companies affiliated with United Franchise Group.

At Graze Craze, charcuterie experts, known as grazologists, design arrangements that feature an array of ingredients that are ideal for grazing, like fresh fruits and vegetables, premium meats and cheeses, artisanal sweets, nuts and more, the release stated.

The Mount Pleasant Graze Craze is the only one of its kind in the Charleston area, and the franchise owners behind the new store Keith and Kendra Lovas are thrilled to share something completely new with the community they call home, the release stated.

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“The wonderful people of Mount Pleasant love to gather and celebrate,” said Keith Lovas in the release. “There is no better centerpiece for a special occasion than a Graze Craze charcuterie board — it’s unmatched in quality, beauty and functionality.”

The Lovas enjoy playing a role in their community with Kendra working at a local elementary school and Keith coaching youth sports teams through the Mount Pleasant Recreation Department, according to the release. In addition to serving exceptional grazing boards, the Lovas plan to use their Graze Craze to expand their local involvement and sponsor sports teams, further supporting kids in being active and chasing their dreams. The Lovas are also interested in bolstering regional business development through their involvement with the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce.

Graze Craze charcuterie arrangements incorporate an assortment of flavors, like the popular Gone Grazey board, balanced to provide a bit of everything – a mix of cured meats, premium cheeses, crackers, fresh produce, nuts and more. The Vegegrazian is designed with a medley of fresh fruits and vegetables for anyone embracing a plant-based lifestyle.

The artisan-inspired charcuterie offerings at Graze Craze are available in different size options, from Char-Cutie-Cups and Picnic Boxes for nibbling to sharing-size boards with enough fresh food to feed a large party, the release stated.

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A new entertainment site and sports bar opens next week in Mount Pleasant.

Mix at 730 Coleman Blvd., which originally was set to open earlier in the summer but encountered material and staffing delays, will open Oct. 16, according to owner David Breen.

The opening comes after the recent launch of another indoor sports entertainment site in the town’s northern sector.

Crush Yard opened in late September at 3365 S. Morgans Point Road in the former Palmetto State Armory location. It offers pickleball and a restaurant.

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Also, new townhomes starting at $2 million are coming to the Lowcountry.

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8,000: Number of permitted houses coming to large development on the edge of Charleston where a new supermarket is in the works.

11: Number of new upscale townhomes coming to a mixed-use development in the Lowcountry.

5.44: Millions of dollars paid for a multifamily community in North Charleston that sold for $3.5 million 18 months ago.

Real Estate

+ Slower sales: Charleston-area home sales slipped again in September for the 25th consecutive month.

+ Food line: A new supermarket with international flare joins the lineup of several grocery chains serving the Charleston area.

+ New lease: Another new restaurant recently signed on to join several others coming to an expanding shopping center in the Charleston region.

Longtime Charleston inn tied to Netflex series to be rebranded after $5M purchase, upgrade

Jack Davis, a principal owner of the rebranded Charleston Creekside Inn in West Ashley, talks about the changes made to the lodging over the past year, including a new cabana and floating dock as well as new furnishings, paint and other alterations to the 31-year-old motel previously known as Creekside Lands Inn.

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