The developers of a mixed-use project on Charleston's upper peninsula are looking to make a Morrison Drive lot a potential hotel site.
Origin Development Partners made its case to the city Planning Commission last week that a property catering to business travelers would be the best complement to their Morrison Yard development, where an office building and apartments are already under construction.
The commission agreed. Members voted unanimously to add 860 Morrison Drive to the city's hotel overlay.
Since the property wasn't already zoned for hotel use, that's a crucial step for Origin, but it's still pretty far from the point of hotel approval.
The Planning Commission's vote still needs to go to City Council, and, if the lot is added to the overlay, developers will have to go through the Board of Zoning Appeals to win approval for an actual hotel plan.
Though all commission members had agreed on their decision, their vote went against city staff's recommendation. Citing recent changes in the zoning code to curb hotel development and the blow that the lodging industry has taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, staff recommended rejecting the request.
A representative from the Preservation Society sided with city staff. City Council member Carol Jackson also advised the commission to reject it.
But Origin's request had garnered neighborhood support. Zach Bearden, a principal with the Charleston-based firm, said they reached out to East Side community groups, residents of the nearby apartments run by the Charleston Housing Authority and other local organizations ahead of last week's meeting.
Multiple notes of support were submitted to the commission, including a letter signed by people representing nearby businesses like Taco Boy, Royal American and the Charleston Tech Center.
Bearden said a hotel at the Morrison Drive site could capture business — and tax revenue — that's currently driving over the Cooper River to Mount Pleasant. It would also serve visitors "unwilling to pay the high cost" to stay at lodgings at the southern end of the peninsula, he said.
The $71 million, 12-story Morrison Yard office building recently started rising at the adjacent property. Its design has been described as being unlike anything that's on the peninsula now. The building itself will resemble offset shipping containers — a nod to the property's previous ties to the maritime industry — and sit 50 feet up on V-shaped pillars over an open-air plaza.
The complex will also include a parking deck and retail buildings.
Airbnb rentals on Fripp Island are among the most-searched rentals for spring and summer getaways. Airbnb/Provided.
Short-term thinking
Increasing optimism about COVID-19 vaccines and lower infection numbers has travelers researching vacation getaways, and, according to the leading short-term rental site, a Lowcountry destination is near the top of the list.
Fripp Island in Beaufort County ranked fifth among the top hot spots for the spring and summer, based on Airbnb search data.
It was tied with another coastal getaway, Cape San Blas on Florida's Gulf Coast and joined on the list by other destinations near beaches, national parks or other outdoor attractions, like Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.
Short-term rentals have been an outlier for South Carolina lodging during the pandemic. While hotels saw their occupancy rates suffer, rentals actually had some gains last year.
State tourism director Duane Parrish told Post and Courier subscribers during an Inside Business Live event last week that short-term rentals would have eventually hit the point where they are now, but he thought it would take several more years. It appears the pandemic accelerated demand, he said.
One factor is location — short-term rentals are more likely to be near beaches, mountains or other outdoor recreation. Also, the living space they offer likely made them more appealing than traditional hotel rooms during the health crisis.
The top Fripp rentals that Airbnb users saved to their wish lists included a house sitting atop a tidal creek that advertises great sunrise and sunset views and a rental that's walkable to the beach, with a golf cart included.
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March 22, 2021 at 01:00AM
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Developers eye upper Charleston lot near Morrison Yard project for hotel - Charleston Post Courier
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