Hotel options expanding on upper Charleston Peninsula with new development

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A vacant space next to the Ravenel Bridge is positioned to become the site of a future 250-room hotel on the upper Charleston Peninsula.

“I think the Board of Architectural Review has done a really standout job of really making sure it fits with the space, fits with the look and feel of Charleston,” said Stephen Rosenberg, the President of the North Central Neighborhood Association.

The hotel at 860 Morrison Drive will come back to the City of Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review Wednesday for a preliminary review. This is one of the final steps in the approval process before construction on the 10-story building begins.

“A preliminary approval means that they can start their building permit process or continue it if they’ve already initiated at least the initial parts of that. They could then begin site work and construction and begin to move forward with the actual buildout of the hotel,” said Robert Summerfield, the Director of Planning, Preservation, and Sustainability for the City of Charleston.

Plans posted on the BAR agenda said the hotel is Phase Three of the Morrison Yard. Phases One and Two brought a new luxury apartment building and a 12-story office building to Morrison Drive.

The new addition will expand hotel options on the upper peninsula.

“I’m actually really excited about it. There’s a lot more to Charleston than just the lower peninsula. It’s almost positioned perfectly to kind of unlock the rest of the peninsula. There’s so much exciting stuff going on in North Central, on the Eastside. Some of our best restaurants are on this corridor, a lot of great parks,” Rosenberg added.

Summerfield said the height, scale and mass have already been approved so now they are working out the other details such as types of materials that will be used. He said he anticipates the project will get preliminary approval at the meeting which is scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm.