Charlestowne Estates I

1. MEETING INGRAM RD

Public Meeting: West Ashley City Office Building

Please help spread the word about the City of Charleston’s invitation for an important public meeting to discuss the proposed design for the new city offices at 1660 and 1662 Ingram Road in West Ashley. 

Monday, August 25 · 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Founders Hall
1500 Old Towne Road

Click here to RSVP

At this meeting, city staff will share preliminary project designs and gather feedback from residents on design priorities, community needs, and other considerations.

Your input will help shape a project that serves the community for years to come.

What to Expect:
– Brief presentation on the project and proposed site
– Opportunity to ask questions and share feedback
– City staff on hand to listen to your ideas and concerns
– Who Should Attend: Residents, business owners, and anyone interested in the future of West Ashley
– Registration: Admission is free, but RSVP is encouraged to help plan seating.

2. SEWER OVERFLOW ON DONAHUE

• CWS closed on 1127 Donahue in March 2025 and is now managing the property via landscapers to keep it looking good. 

• CWS will store critical sewer overflow response items in the garage to improve response time if a sewer overflow is expected. 

• CWS will improve landscaping near the manhole that historically overflows following very heavy rain to assure that all sewage goes directly into the storm drain, reducing the impact to the surrounding area. 

• CWS purchased new equipment to place near the manhole to aid in this effort – which will only be used during overflow events. 

• During any large rain event that may lead to sewer overflows, CWS will employ our fleet of 3-4 tanker trucks to a manhole on Carterett to pump out the high volume of water to reduce our possibility of stopping an overflow from happening at 1127 Donahue. 

• The electric service at 1127 Donahue may be used to supply pond bubbler devices that would more rapidly attenuate bacteria in the pond after an overflow. This would also benefit the pond by reducing algae year round. 

• Eventually, 1127 Donahue may be offered for rent to first responders, teachers, fire, city employees, police, etc., but only after extensive internal renovations are complete. This is not certain, but will be under consideration after we do all that we can to better position our infrastructure for major rain events. 

•  CWS is making great progress on planning the replacement of pump station 39, and has started construction on the West Ashley Sewer Tunnel Extension, which is one of the main parts of the Donahue overflow situation. 

•  Improving the entire wastewater collection system that impacts overflows on Donahue has been a top priority. CWS spent $2M more than previously budgeted for this work, which greatly expedited the progress – improving the schedule by approx. 2 years.

All the key pieces to the solution have been identified, budgeted for, and put into motion. We just need a few more years to get to the finish line. All in, it’s about $125 million to get it resolved. 

•  It is important to understand that all of the areas that have and cause sewer overflows are former Saint Andrew’s PSD areas that CSW was forced to take over in the mid 1990s by SC DHEC consent decree. All of this was built using substandard techniques and materials, and CSW has been working to replace it or fix it all since then, and will continue to do so for decades.

3. FRONT ENTRANCE MAINTENANCE 

R. Diaz Landscaping $50 (August 7, 2025) 

Diaz will be providing maintenance every other week. 

4. NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE 

If you are interested in serving as neighborhood helper, please respond to this email.  

Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions! 

Jennifer Buddin 

Please cc my personal email jenbuddin@gmail.com

P U B L I C M E E T I N G
August 27, 2024; 6-8 p.m.
Porter Gaud / Washington Hall; 300 Albemarle Road | Charleston, SC 29407
Get project details and timeline, meet our team and your primary point of contact, and ask questions. Communication is a top priority and we want to be as responsive as possible.

U T I L I T Y & A M E N I T Y
We’ve owned the land the Greenway is on since 1985. First and foremost, it’s a utility corridor containing critical water and wastewater infrastructure, and electric too!
We’re glad to provide this amenity in partnership with the City of Charleston who maintains it as a passive park.
It will remain open throughout the majority of the construction work, with a few brief closures as needed in sections near our work.

Sumar Street Community Meeting
Monday, August 26 · 5 – 7pm EDT
Scottish Rite of Charleston
1051 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard Charleston, SC 29407

This meeting will feature a presentation by Mayor Cogswell and the Edens Redevelopment Team (www.edens.com), who will outline a proposal for the Sumar Street site. This proposal has been developed based on extensive feedback from residents over the past few years, and we are eager to share our plans with you and hear your thoughts.

Your input is invaluable to us as we work to ensure that the development aligns with the needs and desires of our community. We encourage all residents to attend, as your feedback will help shape the future of this important site.

Please note that children are welcome to attend, and refreshments will be available throughout the event. We look forward to seeing you there and engaging in a meaningful discussion about the future of the Sumar Street property.

Click here for more information and to register for the event.

Join neighbors this Weds, August 21 at 5:30 pm at Founders Hall at Charlestowne Landing as we meet with Charleston Water System representatives to talk about the Sewer Overflows on Donahue Drive. (see attached)

Use the link below to list specific questions you’d like the Charleston Water System representatives to address at the meeting.

https://forms.gle/STr4zTgNWYbpvWJb7

PLEASE NOTE:
This meeting WILL NOT address stormwater, flooding, or drainage ditches.