Town of Summerville Planning Area - BCD Council of Governments

Existing Lodging and AccommodationsOwing to its location along Interstate 26 at the northwestern edge of the metro Charleston region, there areat least one dozen hotels and motels located within the Planning Area. Most of these are located in thevicinity of the intersection of Interstate 26 and Alt. US 17 (Exit 199). Additionally, there are numerous bedand breakfasts located throughout the Planning Area, but particularly in close proximity to the DowntownDistrict. Unlike other communities of similar size and regional stature, however, Summerville also is home toone of only three properties in South Carolina that has been awarded a five diamond (top) rating by theAutomobile Association of America (AAA), the Woodlands Inn, situated on a historic estate in the Old Townsection of Summerville.Existing Industrial FacilitiesTable ED9: Retail Market Opportunities in SummervilleType of RetailNotesFurniture and Home FurnishingsGrocery Stores and Specialty FoodsClothing and Clothing Accessory storesGift Shops, Book Stores, and SpecialtyRetailFull Service Specialty RestaurantsFocus on small scale home furnishings retailers, artdealers, and related businesses, preferably in thedowntown area.Higher end general grocer (Whole Foods/Earth Fare/FreshMarket) in I‐26/Alt. US 17 area and smaller scale specialtyshops (wine shop, cheese shop, greengrocer, butcher, etc)in the downtown area .Some of this may be done byexpansion of Farmers Market vendors into permanentstorefronts.Concentrate on cultivating independently ownedmerchants, tie into the downtown area.Expansion of existing specialty retail district in downtowndistrict area. Could also expand on existing needleworkstores in downtown district area to create a home craftcluster.While there are some in the downtown district, there is aniche for locally owned restaurants with a "Summerville"feel near Interstate 26 that could complement the existingchain restaurants located here.Source: “A Retail Market Study and Marketing Strategy for Dorchester County SC: Including Strategies for St.George and Summerville.”, Arnett Muldrow and Associates, 2010According to the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, there is slightly more than 7 million square feetof industrial space in the Summerville sub‐area (Table ED10). According to the Dorchester County EconomicDevelopment website, there are a number of larger industrial sites available for development in Dorchesterand Berkeley counties are located within the Summerville Planning Area, but outside of the Town limits. Asof September 2010, there were a limited number of small industrial sites (existing buildings of less than10,000 square feet in size) and industrial properties available in the Town, according to the CharlestonRegional Development Alliance. The existing industrial facilities, as well as several potential industriallocations, are within areas that are defined as Employment Centers or Employment Growth Districts in theEconomic Development Element Page 14