Mixson Avenue

Location: North Charleston, SC, USA. North Charleston, SC

This infill development is a transit-oriented, environmentally conscious neighborhood, poised to help rejuvenate the city and community in which it is located. North Charleston has experienced social and economic distress after the closure of the Naval Base in 1996, and this project will be a new model for sustainable, inclusive development.

The project's unique design draws from urban forms prevalent in some of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is a dense (22 buildings/acre), mixed-use, walkable neighborhood. The project models affordable urbanism with varied housing forms and sizes that will attract a varied group of residents. In addition, the project will be a leader in green building as it is considered the second largest LEED for Homes project in the country.

Key features of this project include its focused growth around transportation spines in its plan to push for streetcar or light rail within the region. Its green building standards and proximity to historic district will attract those with values essential to a strong neighborhood. Narrow Streets, courtyards, pocket gardens, and plazas comprise the public realm, providing great opportunity for meeting neighbors while maintaining a charming intimacy. Every home is Energy Star certified.

Lessons learned: The project's density design created challenges with the cable company, electric company, HVAC units, post office and garbage collection. The developers dealt with use of space issues by working to educate the utility companies and municipalities on how some of the less conventional design methods, such as narrow streets, have worked in other projects. A second major issue in the planning stages was the site, which contained low-income, WWII industrial housing. Relocation is always a sensitive matter, and in order to approach the matter in a respectful way the company partnered with a housing non-profit, to hold a housing fair that offered the residents of the industrial homes assistance in both finding and paying for new homes. Second, before demolition the homes were turned into canvasses for local artists and school children. This approach was highly successful in strengthening relations between the project and the community in which it is being built.

Transect Zone(s): T5 center.
Status: 1-25% Built
Guiding Charter Principle(s): Principles 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18
Project or Plan's Scale: Neighborhood
Features: Affordable/subsidized housing, Transit oriented development.
Land area (in acres): 44
Total built area (in sq. ft.):
Total project cost (in local currency):
Retail area (in sq. ft.): 50000
Office area (in sq. ft.): 50000
Industrial area (in sq. ft.): 50000
Number of hotel units:
Number of residential units (include live/work): 950
Civic uses (type and size): church, school, community center
Parks & green space (in acres):
Residential types: Townhouse/rowhouse/maisonette, Small lot detached, Large lot detached.
Project team designers: Anne Maguire and Clay Shackelford, Tim Keane and Jacob Lindsey, George Holt, Andrew Gould, and Peter Musty
Project team developers: I'Ion Group

Previous site status: Redevelopment

Starting/Ending date of construction/implementation: - 2017