kitchen countertopsNear Mount Pleasant, SC

MOUNT PLEASANT — A new 9,000-square-foot dining venue soon will replace a seafood restaurant that started in 1979 in an old fish shed with 35 seats.

Sunsets plans to open in about three weeks at 97 Mill St. in the former R.B.’s on Shem Creek, which closed after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The seafood-centric offering between Red’s Ice House and Saltwater Cowboys comes from a partnership between Bottle Cap Group and Southern Entertainment, both based in Charlotte.

The two-story restaurant is designed “to focus on the views and accentuate waterfront dining,” according to Bob Durkin of Southern Entertainment. “Every seat will have an amazing view.”

The lower level features a larger deck that allows more outdoor seating while the second story includes garage door-like features to give it an open-air atmosphere.

“We really wanted to open it up outside,” Durkin said.

The project has been in the works for a couple of years since the business partners homed in on the site after longtime R.B.’s owner Ronnie Boals decided to retire and sell the property.

In 2020, an affiliate of Geyer Morris Co., a privately held Dallas-based commercial real estate development firm, bought the nearly 1-acre property from Boals for $7 million.

The existing two-story structure, built in 2003 after a fire destroyed the restaurant a year earlier, will feature seating for 284 diners on the first floor, according to site plans. Another 218 seats will be available on the second level.

“It’s the ideal location, but everything has taken longer than expected,” said Britton McCorkle with Bottle Cap Group. “We also had to install a sprinkler system, which held us up a bit.”

In addition to seafood, chef Kevin Spencer will offer entrees such as steaks, chicken and pork. Appetizers, sushi and veggie-centric dishes also will be on the menu. Brunch will include mainstays as well as some favorite items from lunch and dinner, Spencer said.

Lighter-fare salads, sandwiches and burgers also will be available.

“We will have something for everyone,” said Andrew Izrael, general manager.

A full bar with local beers, cocktails and wine also is part of the new dining spot.

“The bar includes a playful reimagining of classic items that work with the seafood-forward menu and being on the water,” Izrael said. “They will have touches of flair.”

The restaurant will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. weekdays, with later hours on weekends.

The restaurant’s partners also have other business interests in the Charleston area.

Bottle Cap Group includes Snapper Jack’s Seafood & Raw Bar on Folly Beach. Southern Entertainment is involved in developing Farm Haus Butcher & Beer Garden in Moultrie Plaza Shopping Center in Mount Pleasant. Durkin said Farm Haus is several weeks away from opening.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – With temperatures warming up as the Lowcountry approaches summer, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) is reminding people who live near bodies of water along the coast, like marshes, ponds, or rivers, to be cautious of your surroundings.

Kristan Leader, who is a stay-at-home mom, learned about an uninvited visitor in the driveway of her home in the Brickyard Plantation of Mount Pleasant when her neighbor called to alert her.

An alligator was underneath her SUV.

“My first thought was what could have happened if they had run out there because their tiny little legs would have been right there,” said Leader, who was concerned about her children’s safety.

The family, who was watching from an upstairs window, waited as Mt. Pleasant’s Animal Control attempted to catch and release the gator.

Leader said Officer Heather Cumbee “came on her day off and came with another girl and they wrangled it within 15 minutes.” One of several calls Officer Cumbee has taken regarding alligators so far this season.

“It’s a great feeling to go out and be able to educate and help the animals get to a safe place as well as keep the public safe, and hopefully the animal doesn’t end up back in that situation,” said Officer Cumbee.

Experts say relocating gators from places like driveways or garages can come with difficulties.

“Adult alligators have a strong homing instinct. They want to establish a home range and they will return to that home range even if relocated and they’ll walk over land to do that,” said Morgan Hart, who is the Alligator Project Leader for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Hart explains more alligators are moving around as people move into spaces where those alligators are already living.

“Alligators are often moving from pond to pond or from river to pond. They tend to try to move over land in a straight line and sometimes that means they end up in places they shouldn’t be like garages or under cars,” said Hart.

A place where Leader said she will now check underneath from now on.

Sunsafe and sweatproof permanent makeup services are now available at Physician's Plan in Mount Pleasant, SC with artist Tracy Gonzalez

Physician’s Plan is proud to announce Permanent Makeup Services with artist Tracey Gonzalez at the Mount Pleasant, SC location.

With this new service, Mount Pleasant residents and visitors have access to a professional and reliable makeup solution that will help them enhance their own features and feel good in their own skin.

Ms. Gonzalez says “I have a passion for keeping up to date with the most advanced techniques. Gaining knowledge & using the highest quality products. Dedication to perfection in my work.”

These new permanent makeup services are designed with your safety in mind, and they’re sun-safe and sweat-proof.

Permanent makeup services now available include lip blush, powder brows, nano brows, shaded liner, and lash enhancement liner.

Lip Blush will enhance the natural beauty of the lips by improving the lip size, definition, color and by correcting and enlarging the shape.

Powder Brows is a special eyebrow shading technique that emphasizes the natural contours of the eyebrows. Unlike Microblading treatment where hairs are drawn, the technique creates a soft, natural look. It is suitable for all skin types.

Nano brows are created using a digital machine that creates hair-like strokes similar to microblading. Nano service is superior to Microblading in that it allows you to have fully saturated hair strokes with better retention, less trauma to the skin, and provides you with a smoother healing process.

Shaded liner will give you a subtle shaded pencil look that will accentuate and correct the natural shape of the eyes, and give the appearance of uplifted eyes.

The lash enhancement liner is used to add color to the lash line, either upper or lower, which makes the eyelashes look darker and fuller. This results in eyes that appear more awake and open, with a defined, brightened, and accentuated look. Anyone using mascara or eyeliner would like this treatment.

Ms. Gonzalez says “I work closely with you to create what will enhance your natural beauty and boost your confidence.”

Physician’s Plan in Mount Pleasant is located at 1705 Beaucastle Rd #101.

For appointments and more information call 843-606-3333 or visit PhysiciansPlan.com.

About Physician’s Plan

Physician’s Plan is a leading medical spa, aesthetics, and weight loss practice with locations throughout North and South Carolina. Our team of board-certified physicians.master injectors, and certified wellness coaches provide a range of services including medical weight loss, anti-aging, skin care, health and wellness solutions. We offer customized treatment plans that are tailored to the unique needs of each individual patient, with a focus on safe and effective results. At Physician’s Plan, our mission is to empower our patients to look and feel their best, through a combination of innovative treatments, expert guidance, and compassionate care. To learn more about our services or to schedule an appointment, visit our website at www.physiciansplan.com

MOUNT PLEASANT — A 20-year-old home overlooking Charleston Harbor at the mouth of Shem Creek has set a new residential sales record for South Carolina’s fourth-largest municipality.

The 7,015-square-foot, Southern-style mansion at 100 Haddrell St. in Mount Pleasant was sold April 17 for $14.95 million, far above the previous record of $8.65 million set two years ago for another home in the town’s pricey Old Village area.

The new owner is 100 Beach LLC, according to Charleston County land records.

The sale appeared to be an all-cash deal, as no mortgage has been recorded with the Register of Deeds. It was an off-market transaction, meaning the home wasn’t publicly marketed or listed.

The 1.32-acre property last changed hands in 2010, when the previous owners bought the five-bedroom, 5½-bathroom house for $7.5 million, setting a new record residential sale price at the time for Mount Pleasant.

Built in 2003, the waterfront house includes a dock, elevator, three-car garage and a saltwater pool.

Nancy Hoy with Carolina One Real Estate represented the sellers. Alex Brener, who was with William Means Real Estate at the time of the sale but has since joined Carolina One, represented the buyer.

The transaction suggests that the upper stratosphere of the residential market is largely unaffected by rising interest rates and other economic challenges.

Last month, a few blocks southeast of Shem Creek, a home at 205 Ferry St, was sold for $8.4 million.

Last week, in downtown Charleston, a pre-Revolutionary War-era house at 13-15 Meeting St. changed hands for $12.6 million.

On Sullivan’s Island, three homes have fetched prices ranging from nearly $8 million to more than $10 million this year.

“As Charleston continues to grow and gets more and more exposure, we are definitely attracting more serious high-dollar buyers to our community,” said Michael Scarafile, president of Carolina One, the largest-volume residential real estate agency in the Lowcountry.

The uptick in interest by deep-pocketed buyers for luxury housing started with COVID-19 as people began to work remotely and sought a better quality of life, Scarafile said.

“That hasn’t stopped,” he added.

Lyles Geer, president of William Means Real Estate, said the recent flurry of big-ticket purchases is being driven in part by low inventory levels for top-tier homes.

“There is a lack of supply in the ultra-luxury market,” Geer said. “When those homes do become available, they fetch a much higher price.”

MOUNT PLEASANT — Town Council has approved borrowing $50 million for a park and recreation initiative that voters narrowly approved in a November referendum, setting those plans in motion ahead of a coming property tax increase.

Most of the money, about $40 million, will be used to create a new park complex on more than 120 acres the town bought in 2010 for that purpose on Rifle Range Road just north of Six Mile Road.

The rest will improve existing facilities and expand a town bike/pedestrian trail network.

The first project the money will fund is renovations of the Park West swimming pool setup.

“That’s fully designed and we are going through permitting,” Director of Recreation Steve Gergick said.

The pool space doesn’t have air conditioning, heat, lockers or family changing rooms. All that will change, Gergick said, and the town will begin the process of choosing a construction company for the work in February.

The Rifle Range Road park plan is expected to relieve pressure on the town’s overwhelmed playing fields and courts while providing new amenities in a central location.

The only hint of the park’s existence now is a small parking lot and a trailhead leading into the woods and wetlands. Plans call for soccer fields, pickleball and tennis courts, a gymnasium, a network of trails, performance pavilion, fishing piers and more.

Becky Williamson, who coached tennis at Wando High School for 12 years before retirement, said it’s been hard to find available courts in recent years.

“People are moving here in droves and many of them play tennis,” she said.

Al Bradshaw-Whittemore, local ambassador for the United States Pickleball Association, is looking forward to the eight pickleball courts planned at the new park.

“It’s exploded, pickleball,” he told Town Council at a Jan. 10 meeting. “Every time I teach I have more and more people.”

Following council’s approval for borrowing $50 million, the town expects to issue bonds Jan. 27. Proposals to the town from architectural and design firms hoping to work on the new park are due the same day.

“We’ll have to go through a full design process and permitting,” Gergick said. “I would expect construction to begin in 2024.”

“It’s going to be a jewel for the town, it really is,” he said.

The town’s park site is adjacent to a Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission property that has not been improved. The combined 245 acres were purchased together in 2010 for $20 million, mostly using county greenbelt money.

Mount Pleasant is an affluent suburb with low property taxes, and the November referendum to raise the tax rate to pay for the park and recreation projects barely passed by a vote of 20,925 to 20,254.

Charleston County dropped plans for a tax-raising referendum to fund affordable housing in 2022, partly because the town’s referendum would be on the ballot in the same election. A majority of Mount Pleasant voters had previously rejected referendums on countywide housing and town parks.

Property owners can expect the town’s portion of their annual tax bill to rise by 10 percent starting with the bills that go out in October. The tax increase is expected to remain in place for 15 years to pay off the debt, which will be more than $50 million with interest.

The impact on tax bills will vary depending on the value of a property and whether it’s residential or commercial. A person with a home valued at $500,000 for tax purposes would pay another $80 yearly, for example.

Two members of the nine-person Town Council had opposed holding the referendum: Mayor Will Haynie and Councilwoman Brenda Corley. On Jan. 10 they joined a unanimous vote to do as voters asked and borrow the $50 million.