WestEdge News

Design Approvals

Category: News Author: Dean Foster Date: 05/14/15

Key Design Approvals Move WestEdge Plans Forward

City’s New “Discovery District” A Place to Live, Learn and Earn

Charleston, S.C. – May 13, 2015 – WestEdge development plans moved forward today with key design approvals granted by the City of Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review (BAR).

The BAR gave “height, scale, mass” approvals to the research community’s first two, eight-story anchor buildings, 10 WestEdge (mixed use building) and 22 WestEdge (research, office building), located near the corner of Spring Street and Lockwood Boulevard. BAR members looked forward to seeing additional design refinement for the mixed use residential, retail, grocery building at 10 WestEdge.

Michael Maher, CEO of the community’s planning partners HPF, Inc., said today’s vote of confidence by the BAR is a positive step forward in a thoughtful planning process.

“We will continue moving forward now with a focused view of the buildings’ scope and details,” said Maher. “Certainly were are pleased with the praise and enthusiasm for 22 WestEdge, our first research building, and we are confident that 10 WestEdge will continue to evolve to the right fit for this community and for Charleston.”

Design plans for the two buildings, both approaching 125-feet in height, adapted height and design standards from the nearby medical district in Charleston. Descriptions of the building include:

• 10 WestEdge – a mixed use building to include a grocery store on the ground floor, flanked by retail / restaurant space with outdoor dining at street level, 350 residential units on upper floors and a parking garage enclosed within the structure.
• 22 WestEdge – is the community’s first research and office building with 151,000 square feet. Planners refer to the building’s design of lab, research, office and street-front retail space as a “world class research building.”

“WestEdge presents a unique opportunity to improve the physical and business connections between MUSC and the Charleston community and both the 10 and 22 WestEdge buildings have been designed to accommodate the demand from these collaborative relationships,” said Mack Reese of Gateway Development Services, who is leading the development of the initial buildings and is working with Maher and HPF on the overall master development activities in WestEdge.
About WestEdge

WestEdge is known as Charleston, S.C.’s “Discovery District,” designed as a global hub for research and a driving economic force for the city’s future.

Formerly named the Horizon Project, WestEdge is designed with wide, urbane avenues of residences, offices, research and lab space, storefronts, restaurants, sidewalk cafes and some of the best waterfront views in the city along the historic Ashley River. Pedestrians, shoppers, businesses and collaboration among research colleagues will take center stage in what is defined as a “Live / Learn / Earn” environment. WestEdge is designed to inspire and enrich the minds and bodies of its people so they can, in turn, inspire and enrich others.
The community is the product of a decade of thoughtful planning and neighborhood input. The public / private initiative includes The City of Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), the MUSC Foundation, and HPF, Inc.
Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. said WestEdge launches a bold new era that will help define Charleston’s future.

www.westedgecharleston.com
www.LinkedIn.com/company/WestEdge-Charleston
www.gatewaydevelopmentservices.com
www.wrsrealestate.com
www.southcitypartners.com

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