Nondenominational Church in Summers Corner, SC

Matt Whitfield grew up in the Ashborough East neighborhood on the southwestern edge of Summerville, which back then felt a long way from the bulk of the town's growth toward Interstate 26. Driving down Bacons Bridge Road and turning west on S.C. Highway 61 would have pointed him toward—Jellico's Tackle Box? Givhans Ferry? Cottageville? Safe to say, there wasn't much in what were mainly vast swaths of the East Edisto timber tract managed by paper producer MeadWestvaco.

That changed somewhat in the early 1990s when the Legends Oak golf course community opened near the intersection of S.C. Highways 61 and 165. But it's really changing now, thanks to the continued development of a Summers Corner neighborhood that could one day boast as many as 7,000 homes and is transforming this once-quiet corner of Dorchester County in the process.

"That area is really expanding," said Whitfield, now an agent in the Summerville Main Street office of Carolina One Real Estate. "And what's really great about that area is that Summers Corner may be zoned for a lot of houses, but since they're part of the East Edisto Conservancy, they're very specific on requirements for green spaces and not having houses elbow-to-elbow. They do a great job of keeping that spacing and keeping that natural feeling and not just having that urban sprawl you see.”

Summers Corner is set off from U.S. Highway 17-A by Buffalo Lake, and protected wetlands border each of the development's communities—the Village, Sweetgrass, Azalea Ridge and Horizons, the latter being an age-restricted community for those 55 and older. Lakes, ponds, parks, walking trails and gathering areas are found throughout the development, all of it combining to give Summers Corner a different feel from the other master-planned communities on the I-26 side of Summerville.

"Buyers are wanting that Lowcountry feel," said Roni Haskell, an agent in the Summerville East 2nd North Street office of Keller Williams Key. "They want sidewalk-lined streets; they want a place where they can meet their neighbors. They have crafted their own community in that in that area, and it's just on the outskirts of Summerville, and so there's not that hustle-and-bustle feel. It's a more relaxed atmosphere in Summers Corner, and that's attractive to a lot of people who are migrating here. Maybe they're used to hustle-and-bustle, and they just want simplicity. And Summers Corner is that."

Schools, parks and pools

"Summers Corner is a newer built community, and with that comes ease of maintenance. And the amenities that have been built are very family-focused," she added. "The schools alone are a strong pull for many families that want that ease of commute. And now that it has a 55-plus community integrated into it as well, it creates a nice crossover for families who want their parents nearby. So you have families that are living in Summers Corner that now have their parents living adjacent to them in the same community."

The Village, the section of Summers Corner just off S.C. Highway 61, is comprised primarily of traditional Charleston-style homes with double-side porches. In the Sweetgrass and Azalea Ridge sections, Lennar is building the Carolina series, which is aimed mainly at first-time buyers; the Arbor series, intended for move-ups and occasional first-time buyers; and the Coastal series, larger homes for move-up buyers such as those with growing families.

"They have such a wide range of options," Whitfield said. "I think they have maybe about 30 different floor plans available, with houses that start at around 1,400 square feet and go up to 3,500 square feet. And they have very competitive pricing—I think they now start around $350,000 and go up to about $500,000. I have some clients that I put into Summers Corner just a couple of years ago, but as lives change and needs change, they're thinking about purchasing a different house in Summers Corner. They like the community so much, and it offers so many options that they can shift into something else."

Added Haskell: "Lennar builds a good product, they build it at a very competitive purchase price, and they give strong incentives," she said. "So, when you couple a nice community with good, quality builds, good price points and strong incentives, it's a win for a lot of people. And that's what's driving the continued success of that neighborhood."

Summers Corner was recently honored as Masterplanned Community of the Year by the Charleston Home Builders Association at the organization's 2023 Prism Awards. And add to that the presence of Horizons. This gated 55-plus community currently features home plans that range from $332,000 to $397,00, with future releases going up to $449,000. Lennar began selling homes in Horizons in 2023 and had seen 215 closings in the development by early December.

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"We have a lot of a lot of seniors who are relocating to the area, and they want to be near their family and grandkids," Whitfield said. "And honestly, the pricing that they have in Horizons at Summers Corner, nobody right now can even come close to that for that type of community."

Record-breaking year in sales

While the Summerville area has become the Lowcountry's hub of master-planned communities, not all of those developments are alike in the minds of potential buyers. "When people start looking, it's not just that they want to live in a master-planned community," Haskell said. "People start by focusing on the location, what is surrounding it, and how it makes them feel."

This means buyers who may consider the Berkeley County master-planned communities just over I-26 are not necessarily the same ones who will consider Summers Corner, tucked into the quieter Dorchester County side of town. Indeed, area natives can easily recall a time then a drive down S.C. Highway 61 past the plantations meant only trees on either side of the road. But now, Summers Corner's location has become a strength.

"Even though Summers Corner is a big community, it's much more serene and quiet," Whitfield said. "It's like being in a small town. It really has that feel. And yet, it's right on Highway 61, so you can still get downtown easily. It's typically people who are looking for something that's just a little bit quieter, but still someplace where you can get out and meet a lot of people and enjoy yourself within your community, and not worry about all the traffic on the other side of town."

Haskell agreed. "There's not really a crossover," she said. "Very quickly, it becomes the buyer either wants the Berkeley County side or the Dorchester County side, and a lot of that has to do somewhat with proximity to work. And I would say that families buying into Summers Corner are coming there for the Dorchester District 2 school system."

There is a commercial area planned for Summers Corner, which, according to the community map, will be located across S.C. Highway 61 from the residential developments. The commercial area will be anchored by a Publix grocery store, which, according to Post and Courier reports, paid $3.05 million for a 10-acre parcel in 2017 and could begin construction on the 51,000-square-foot supermarket in March of 2025. Other retailers will fill in around the Publix.

"The commercial is always a piece, too," Haskell said. "It's a big piece to the lifestyle and convenience aspect for a community. You have to have enough residents to support it. They're at that brink of really needing it."

Summers Corner is planning a future extension to S.C. Highway 165, giving the development a secondary entrance and exit point. And "once the Berlin Myers Parkway extension is complete, it's going to make it a lot easier to get over to that area. It won't be just two-lane roads to get there," Whitfield said. "And I think that will bring a lot more people and definitely have a positive impact."

It can be hard to believe that just a few years ago, this burgeoning community, which now features parks, schools, amenities, and thousands of residents, was a dense forest managed by a packaging company. Summers Corner, though, has clearly discovered a winning formula and has a decade of development still in front of it. And as for this once-sleepy corner of Dorchester County? From a residential development standpoint, it turned out to be a sleeping giant.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - People living in the Summers Corner development are reaching out to representatives and federal post office officials for help with persistent mail delivery issues.

Packages delivered a few days late or a letter arriving a few houses down aren’t the only problems plaguing those who live in the Summers Corner development.

Christy Hurley has lived in Summers Corner since 2022. She says she understands a few weeks of understaffing and a misplaced item occasionally, but her service has been inconsistent for a year.

“We started noticing certain things missing such as debit cards, credit cards, we would have to call those companies and say can you just send a new one? That’s when I started to get nervous because that’s personal information,” Hurley says.

Talking with neighbors, a few people thought it seemed like a community-wide issue. Damone Walsh is one of the residents who helped create a tracking system to get a sense of what is going on.

Over a 90-day period, people living in Summers Corner contributed to a neighborhood-wide spreadsheet tracking mail mishaps. They range from missing tax documents and cards with money, to empty packages left in mailboxes. Their recordings found about 100 issues.

“Frankly, we were surprised. I mean over just during that 90 days, 78 days of actual mail service, at least one to two people were having mail problems every day, every single day and just in our community,” Walsh says.

The spreadsheet creators believe their numbers may be underreported as well. The neighbors sent letters to South Carolina representatives Graham, Scott, Mace and Clyburn, as well as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Inspector General.

“It just makes us think that there’s something systemic as opposed to individual problems. I mean, it may be both, but ultimately, I mean, let’s, let’s get it fixed,” Walsh says.

Walsh and Hurley say the postal service will often respond to an individual complaint, citing they are understaffed, or contractors are doing the deliveries.

“Everybody expected and was willing to accept if it’s a couple days off, well, that just makes sense. There’s a lag between whenever they scan it and whenever they deliver it, but then it went on for days, weeks and then just never just never delivered,” Walsh says.

Hurley says she’s gotten to the point that she doesn’t trust the service when it comes to important deliveries.

“We just sent out notices for my college daughter’s graduation and I had to inform all of our family. I said, Look, we’re having so many issues, I would prefer you not send money, gift cards, anything like that in the mail,” she says. “We got a graduation announcement for my sister and the back was torn open. And I said this is getting a little crazy.”

Walsh says the group decided to reach out to their representatives because USPS is a federal service, they need help getting answers from.

“We have a right to expect mail service. It’s embodied in our in our laws. And several people have reached out to the Postal Inspector and the postmaster and complained repeatedly and got nothing, just no result,” Walsh says.

Representative Nancy Mace’s office provided the following response to the community letter:

We’ve gotten a few inquires about this post office and have talked with our postal contact in Columbia. Their response has been that a lot of post offices, including this one, are experiencing staffing shortages and significant slowdowns. They are looking into it though so I’ll add in your inquiry to the others we’ve sent – will help us build the investigative case against them so the PS will have evidence to help find solutions to the issues.

Senator Lindsay Graham’s office also responded asking for more information from Walsh, who submitted the letter.

“We all recognize and believe that most of the Postal Service employees, they just want to do a good job, but it just makes us think that there’s something systemic as opposed to individual problems. I mean, it may be both, but ultimately, let’s get it fixed,” Walsh says. “I think consistent delivery, and I think a component would also be responsiveness from the leadership from within the Postal Service is what we’re looking for.”

The United States Postal Service provided the following statement:

The Postal Service strives is working hard to provide the best possible service to our valued customers. We apologize for any mail services issues that may have been experienced by customers living in the Summer’s Corner community. Some of the proactive steps we’ve taken in Summerville, SC include hiring additional personnel, as well as making staffing adjustments. Local management at the Oakbrook Post Office will continue to work with customers in Summer’s Corner to ensure every effort is being made to meet or exceed their expectations. We urge any customers with concerns or questions about their mail delivery service to contact the Postal Service immediately so that we can look into and resolve those concerns promptly. Customers have a variety of options for contacting the Postal Service, including contacting their local Post Office, calling 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777), or visiting our website.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - As schools across the Lowcountry recess for the summer, Dorchester School District Two is looking at how to plan out its anticipated future growth.

Superintendent Dr. Shane Robbins said they are projecting an additional 16,000 new students to enroll in the district in the next 10 years. That’s a growth of anywhere between 1,000 to 1,500 students each year.

“When Ashley Ridge High School opened, I think it opened with about 800 students,” Robbins said. “Today, they have about 27, 28-hundred students, with that number growing every single day. That’s why we look at the rezoning options for us to make sure that we’re filling all of our buildings before we try to come to the community for tax dollars to build a new facility.”

He said most of the growth is centered around the Beech Hill and Summers Corner areas, with 17,000 homes set to be built across the entire county.

“We don’t know what the build out timeline is on those,” Robbins said. “That can be over the course of 10 years, but what we do know is these homes are being built in about 120 days, and they’re being occupied by families that have school-age children.”

The district’s latest projections show if no schools were built in that time, over 3,000 students would be zoned for Sand Hill Elementary School alone.

Robbins estimates the district may need as many as six new elementary schools, one or two new middle schools and a new high school to cover demand.

He also expressed interest in holding a long-range planning session regarding their future with the county this summer.

“We’d love to engage with them on that,” Dorchester County Director of Planning and Zoning Kiera Reinertsen said. “We’re actively working on our comprehensive plan right now, we’re seeking feedback from the community and school district as well on growth issues, concerns and needs.”

In the meantime, Robbins said they will have to bring in mobile classrooms and are looking at shifting attendance lines for some schools to address current overcrowding issues.

Robbins said the attendance lines won’t be changed for the upcoming school year, but they will have discussions about potential changes for the 2024-2025 school year.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

SUMMERS CORNER, SC (WCIV) — Imagine a real Hallmark Movie.

That's what a Summers Corner home looks like this holiday season. It's the type of decked-out holiday display to immediately catch the eyes of everyone driving by. It's hard to look left or right without seeing lights or decorations.

The most unique part is that each item has a story. Some of them traveled by car for nearly 17 hours in order to make it to the Lowcountry, and others would only fit in a rental car. Even the Grinch himself, can't steal this Christmas spirit.

"I think it’s wonderful what they are doing and if this was a decoration competition. I would say they win," neighbor Stella Taber said.

Reindeers, snowmen, and even Santa Claus are seasonal neighbors.

"Santa actually writes back to the kids, and the hot cocoa, and all of the treats they are so lovely to put together for everyone in the neighborhood," Neighbor Karina Aymerich said.

It's a holiday tradition for the O'Hea family. Brandy O'Hea said, "It started with one decoration and led to another."

Though, O'Hea said a new HOA wants to tone down the merry and bright.

"We got a letter that was dated 16th of November stating it was our second letter, we were in violation because we had decorations on the adjoining property. At that time of the letter, there was nothing out there," she said.

The letter asked the O'Hea family to have a "reasonable number of holiday and religious lights." It also said a fine of $25 dollars has been applied to their account. A third violation is 50 dollars.

"I don’t know what the definition of reasonable is," O'Hea said.

Some neighbors said it's a display of holiday magic.

"My son here Zachary has autism. He doesn't like gifts. A couple of years ago we were walking, and we walked past every single day by that pig that didn’t say Zach’s pig. We came back up a week later and it said Zach’s pig on it. I don’t like to admit this but I started tearing up because it hit me in my heart that these wonderful people are doing it not just for them, they are doing it for other people," neighbor Dino Pustalka said.

It's a gift that keeps on giving.

"This is the last thing that happens this year that we have hope. That we can feel a little bit or normality. We have had a horrible year. This is bringing everything that was normal back," Aymerich added.

Homeowners said they don't plan to take it down.

"I want the HOA to come here and see the joy that these kids have...running through taking pictures. Hugging the unicorns. And then see what it's like if you take it away from them," O'Hea said.

Kids in Summers Corner shared their personal display favorites with hopes of keeping joy alive this holiday season.

"I like the mermaids, and the angel. I think the mermaid is guidance and the angel is hope," Taber said.

There is a petition online that asks the HOA to change its mind about the Summers Corner holiday display.

ABC News 4 called the homeowners association and left a voicemail. An email was also sent to the office for a response to the neighborhood complaints. As of Wednesday evening, there has been no response. The story will be updated as soon as there is.

Managing growth was an essential and recurring topic during the Dorchester School District Two State of the District address Friday, Feb. 2, at the Summer Corner Performing Arts Center.

DD2 Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Ashley Wimberly told the crowd that growth is good but has presented some challenges.

“The definition of growth is the process of increasing in size or development. Some synonyms are advancement, expansion, gain and improvement, all words that bring a positive connotation,” she said. “And yet the issue of growth for us is certainly a difficult one. It is creating some challenges and anxiety about how we will manage the consequences.”

Wimberly said there is some fear surrounding the funding for the changes needed to accommodate the growth DD2 is experiencing. Still, she urged people to also look at the good that comes with growth and the idea that physical growth, just as personal growth, can lead to remarkable things.

“Research shows we often judge normal human experiences that come with growth, like nervousness, stress and discomfort, too harshly,” she said. “While our inclination might be to avoid them, we can become better people and live a richer life if we embrace them. The physical growth we’re facing comes with challenges, just as any other type of growth does. Navigating it will require effort, determination and the willingness to step out of our comfort zones. It may also involve facing setbacks, making mistakes and experiencing temporary failures. But it is through these challenges that we grow the most; as the saying goes, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

DD2 Superintendent Dr. Shane Robbins said managing the district’s growth has been, is and will be difficult. He said Sand Hill Elementary and Beech Hill Elementary are at 125% capacity because of the new housing construction in those areas.

“In Dorchester County alone, over a 10-year forecast, over 10,000 (housing) units are on the books to be built,” Robbins said. “Now, lots of things can happen that could change that forecast. But what I’m seeing from the state level is that South Carolina is the No. 1 fastest-growing state in the United States right now, and the Lowcountry is the fastest-growing area in South Carolina.”

Robbins discussed four ways to address enrollment growth, from the fastest and least expensive to the longest and most costly: rezoning, learning cottages, brick-and-mortar classroom additions and new construction.

“The first three options, we need to do most of that internally with our own budget to some degree,” Robbins said. “The fourth option must be voter-approved as a referendum.”

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The rezoning option involves moving areas where children go to a school that is at or over capacity to a school that is not at or over capacity.

“This may increase drive times for some people,” Robbins said. “Because of the way Dorchester County is developed, it could actually mean shorter drive times for some people. But rezoning is our first option, and it has no costs.”

The second option is installing learning cottages.

“I say learning cottages, and that’s just a fancy word for trailers,” Robbins said. That option takes about 12 to 18 months because the cottages have to be ADA-compliant, and we have to run utilities to them.

The third option, brick-and-mortar additions onto existing buildings, could take up to 24 months and is more expensive than adding the learning cottages. The fourth option, new construction, could take up to 36 months, depending on the design and permitting processes and whether land is available.

“New construction is something we cannot do as a district. We cannot afford that, and we do not have the revenue for that,” Robbins said. “This one requires a referendum by the voters. There is no state funding for school districts in South Carolina other than for those that are consolidating.”

The option for DD2 is the district’s 8% tax rate authority, meaning the tax rate of 8% can be raised at any time without approval request to maintain buildings. Robbins said the money can also be used for technology or infrastructure upgrades.

“We maintain more than 30 buildings in the district,” Robbins said, including 25 school buildings, the district office, the transportation depot, the community learning center, and the alternative school.

Robbins said the district has access to a couple of small tax-increment financing (TIF) funds, but a referendum may be the best way to get funding.

“We haven’t had a major referendum in Dorchester District Two for 12 years,” Robbins said. “That is why we are in a very good position to possibly ask the voters for that and to help us with our growth issues.”