Neighborhood retreat
Limited access via Charleston National gives upscale townhome community quiet surroundings
BY JIM PARKER
Builders of a new townhome complex in Mount Pleasant’s northeastern corner were enamored with the property’s natural setting.
But they faced a challenge: how to entice well-heeled retirees and older professionals who were willing to give up their sprawling homes, but who didn’t want to abandon their comfortable lifestyles.
Then they had a brainstorm: Offer flexible floor plans with wide-open, “as-you-like-it” rooms. Buyers can turn the room - drawn as a blank slate on floor plans - into a den, study, living room, entertainment area or formal dining room.
The addition of flex-space has motivated sales for The Retreat at Charleston National Country Club, a 130-townhome complex located along the fifth and sixth fairways of the Charleston National neighborhood’s Rees Jones-designed golf course. The new community is also near marsh, walking trails and a 5.5-acre lake stocked with bass.
“We allow people to custom design,” said John M. Parker, who heads the community’s development partnership, Whitney-Reynolds & Co. LP.
Buyers can select such things as stainless-steel kitchen appliances, sunrooms, glass-enclosed cabinets, tray ceilings, gas fireplaces with mantels, structural wiring and three-stop elevators. Standard or common attractions are crown molding, soaking tubs and showers and ground-level two-car garages with enough extra space to hold a small boat.
“So far, no two units have been the same,” said Barbara Parker, who recently joined her father to help market the properties.
Whitney-Reynolds & Co. clustered the 1,600- to 2,120-square-foot townhomes within a 67-acre parcel on the eastern tip of the Charleston National neighborhood. The partnership employed local contractors, including Seamon, Whiteside & Associates land planners. The primary builder is C.R. Campbell Construction, which among its innovations is framing with a special type of siding that’s much thicker than typical vinyl. Liollio Architecture envisioned the complex with huge front porches to resemble mansion-size houses. “It’s a real interesting Cape Cod-inspired look,” John Parker said.
The two- and three-bedroom townhomes are priced from $337,950 to $450,000. Homeowner association dues are $120 a month, and owners can join Charleston National Country Club as a social member for $38.50 a month.
“An underserved market are baby boomers,” Parker said, in particular active people who are gradually easing their pace. While many buyers are local, one-third of purchasers are from out of state, he said.
The Retreat is just a few miles from U.S. Highway 17. An expected traffic change will make the complex less dependent on the busy highway yet still convenient to shops and stores. Plans call for National Drive, the main drag through Charleston National, to link up with Porcher’s Bluff Road and then to Rifle Range Road, both sizable arteries east of the Cooper, Parker said.
While close to main roads, the community is secluded. Likewise, individual townhomes come with 190-square-foot “gathering porches” that combine privacy and scenic views. “You can look from the back porch and not see another house,” Parker said.
To get to The Retreat at Charleston National Country Club from downtown Charleston, travel across the Ravenel Bridge on Highway 17 to Mount Pleasant. Stay on Highway 17 for about 13 miles to the entrance to Charleston National at National Drive. Turn right on National Drive and follow it for about a mile. The townhome complex is on the right.
Neighborhood
The Retreat at Charleston National Country Club
Location
Charleston County
Developers, marketing
Whitney-Reynolds & Co. LP
More info
phone: 200-2100, 514-7270
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-noon; Saturday and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.
Total townhomes
130
Townhome sizes
1,600 to 2,120 square feet
Townhome prices
$337,950 to $450,000
Typical features
–Self-cleaning kitchen range, microwave, dishwasher
–Master bath with garden tub and shower
–9-foot smooth ceilings
–Tongue-and-groove wooden porch floor
–Energy-efficient heat pump
Property taxes
$2,448 on a $400,000 townhome
Area attractions
Mount Pleasant Regional Airport, Towne Centre shopping complex, Copahee and Hamlin sounds, area golf courses, Wando River, Old Village of Mount Pleasant, Palmetto Islands County Park, Interstate 526.
Distance to downtown Charleston
14 miles
Schools
Laurel Hill Primary
Grades K-2; phone, 849-2200; enrollment, 810; certified staff, 63.
Pinckney Elementary
Grades 3-5; phone, 856-4585; enrollment, 757; certified staff, 55; PACT results, 67.7 percent of fifth-graders scored proficient or advanced on English/Language Arts, 61.9 percent on math, 52.3 percent on science and 54.9 percent on social studies.
Cario Middle
Grade 6-8; phone, 856-4595; enrollment, 1,199; certified staff, 79; PACT results, 46.3 percent of eighth-graders scored proficient or advanced on English/Language Arts, 38 percent on math, 44 percent on science and 40.7 percent on social studies.
Wando High
Grades 9-12; phone, 849-2830; enrollment, 3,049; certified staff, 214; SAT results, 519 verbal and 531 math. The 1050 combined score is higher than the state average (985) and the national average (1021).
Housing trends
East Cooper north of S.C. Highway 41:
Number of sales in the third quarter of 2006: 160 (down from 254 in the third quarter of 2005).
Average sales price: $411,100 (up from $384,400).
Median sales price: $329,100 (down from $340,000).
Visit www.DustinRyan.com to view all available homes, condos and vacant lant in Charleston South Carolina.
