Coligny Redevelopment Project

In the fall of 2010, the Town began to analyze how to effectively leverage its park redevelopment in the Coligny area. With the success of the project’s first phase, Coligny Beach Park, Town Staff began to explore the opportunities in the Town land to the southwest of Pope Avenue. Two driving points emerged. First, for the project to be a success, it needed to be enough of an incentive for surrounding property owners to redevelop along with the Town, and to a commensurate level. Second, in order for this redeveloped area to become an economically viable destination for residents and tourists, it had to become more accommodating to pedestrians.

Town Staff devised a concept which attempts to address both issues by taking the traffic-splitting function of Coligny Circle, and moving it further up Pope Avenue, thereby doubling the traffic capacity in the area, while diluting the amount of cars that must pass through the area to reach all points on North and South Forest Beach, as well as Coligny and Heritage Plazas, and the Public Beach Parking. Lagoon Road is also extended southward and terminates at Tanglewood drive, essentially creating a fully realized network of streets in the area which spreads cars evenly throughout the district and makes it for pedestrians to move through the district.

This approach would affect both Heritage and Coligny Plazas, as well as some parcels on Lagoon Road. In order to both incentivize that commercial redevelopment, as well as mitigate the effects of the new roads on the private properties, the Town would, in turn, make portions of its holdings, and associated densities, available for not only replacement density, but additional density above and beyond existing. The areas left over (shown outlined in Gold in Plan 1 link below) would then create a central park. This capacity study highlights how the new density and parking fits, and how the size of the new park relates to similar projects in Charleston and Beaufort.

Conceptual Plan 1

When the Private Sector indicated interest in the project, it was then presented to Town Council, who directed staff to move forward in working with the property owners to identify how much density would be required to make the project attractive, and what their respective interpretations of what this public-private partnership would look like.

One conceptual plan (Plan 2 link below), creates a new road that moves traffic around the district towards South Forest Beach, and expands the street network by incorporating the Lagoon Road extension to Tanglewood Drive.

The Redeveloped Commercial density contains a mix of uses, including commercial and residential. There is a new hotel proposed in the area that currently is the Public Beach Parking Lot, as well as more commercial square footage. Coligny Circle in incorporated into the park-space, and a new public park is created in the area that is now Legendary Golf, and extends all the way back through the lagoon to the hotel site on Tanglewood Drive. This park would be a central gathering space for special events and programming for the area.

Parking for the Beach, Shops, Residences, and Hotel would be served with a mixture of on-street parking, destination-specific surface lots, and two Parking Structures.

Conceptual Plan 2

Another alternative was created that, again, splits the traffic volume further up Pope Avenue, with one leg that routes cars around the area to South Forest Beach, and another to Lagoon Road, and ultimately Coligny Plaza and North Forest Beach.

This plan also contemplates a hotel in the area of the Public Beach Parking Lot, along with a structure to accommodate additional hotel and beach parking. Commercial redevelopment is focused on the main street corridor created on Pope Avenue.

Lagoon Road, however, isn’t extended through the district, and doesn’t bisect the public park-space. Furthermore, the concentration of commercial redevelopment along Pope to the North keeps the park open for public space and smaller-scale commercial redevelopment around Coligny Plaza and Coligny Circle, thereby creating a continuous park throughout the district uninterrupted by larger commercial buildings.

Town Council will weigh the opportunities and constraints of both plans at their annual workshop in December in an attempt to finalize a program for the district, and allow both the private landowners in the area, as well as the Town to move forward in our collective effort to redevelop the Coligny District.

Conceptual Plan 3

If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact Mike Roan, Urban Design Administrator at (843) 341-4688.

The Town is interested in soliciting public comments and suggestions regarding this project. Please take a moment and submit your comments and suggestions utilizing our online form.