Charleston’s Huger Street housing development plan gets long-awaited approval
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – A major affordable housing development on Huger Street got its final approval this week after years of revisions and controversy.
“This is a significant milestone for Charleston and for the many residents who deserve safe, affordable homes within our city limits,” Peter Sherman, director of development for the Charleston Housing Authority, said.
“While the process of getting approval for construction can be lengthy and complex, we appreciate the Board of Architectural Review for their thoughtful consideration and collaboration throughout this process,” Sherman said. “This project demonstrates how thoughtful design and affordability can coexist to strengthen our neighborhoods.”
See a photo of the approved rendering below:
The plan is to replace 12 existing apartments at 275 Huger Street with 77 new affordable units if the city’s Board of Architectural Review signs off on the design.
The project is priced at more than $31 million. The City of Charleston is contributing $5 million and Charleston County is adding $1.75 million in American Rescue Plan funding. The remainder will be covered largely through bonds.
The Charleston Housing Authority first proposed the project in 2020, saying the two-acre property could better serve residents if it were redeveloped.
Mayor William Cogswell said earlier this year that affordable housing remains one of Charleston’s most critical needs. He said the Huger Street location is ideal because of its access to public transportation and job centers, making it easier for residents to commute and access daily resources.
Construction was initially expected to begin in early 2025, but the timeline shifted after a setback in May when Cogswell said the developer submitted a “totally different plan” than the one originally approved for funding.
At that time, Cogswell said he made it clear to developers that the agreement was to fund the previous plan. He said he wanted to make sure that whatever is built there is ultimately something everyone can be proud of.
The board denied that version. Updated designs were presented Wednesday for review.
Matthew Davis, president of Davis Architecture, said he’s worked closely with city officials to ensure that all parties’ needs are met.
“The housing authority for the city of Charleston, they have been great to work with,” Davis said. “We started working with them to make sure that we’re satisfying the needs of the families who would be living in the space. But we also needed to meet their administrative requirements because they’re going to have some management offices, leasing offices and a pretty nice resident community space that I think the residents will enjoy using.”
He said the collaboration over the last several years has helped refine the design into one that better serves both city requirements and future residents.
“It’s a lot of steps. Each step informs the next one. The building we presented at our first conceptual review compared to what we have now has not only responded to the board’s feedback, but also enabled us to improve the spaces, the layouts and the flow of the building to make it something that’ll be a great place for residents to call home.”
The Huger Street Project is part of Charleston’s broader goal to build 3,500 affordable housing units by 2030 to keep pace with growth and mounting housing costs.
Following the approval, developers said they plan on beginning construction in early 2026, should permits be approved.
“This project reflects our mission to create housing opportunities that are both beautiful and accessible,” Art Milligan Jr., CEO of the housing authority, said. “It’s a win for the city, for our residents and for the future of Charleston.”
Units are expected to be available as early as 2027.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — The Charleston Housing Authority announced Thursday an exciting development in bringing new and high quality affordable housing to the Charleston peninsula.
According to the organization, the City of Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review has granted full approval for the redevelopment of 275 Huger Street. The project will include the replacement of an aging 12-unit structure with a new and more modern 77-unit affordable housing community.
“This is a significant milestone for Charleston and for the many residents who deserve safe, affordable homes within our city limits,” said Peter Sherman, director of development for CHA. “While the process of getting approval for construction can be lengthy and complex, we appreciate the Board of Architectural Review for their thoughtful consideration and collaboration throughout this process. This project demonstrates how thoughtful design and affordability can coexist to strengthen our neighborhoods.”
This effort at 275 Huger street is set to compliment previous projects at Gadsden Green, Cooper River Courts, and Meeting Street Manor.
Redevelopment will be led by Ray Nix in partnership with Ward Mungo Construction, with architectural design by Davis Architecture.
Construction is anticipated to begin following the completion of permitting, with units expected to be complete and available by 2027.
“This project reflects our mission to create housing opportunities that are both beautiful and accessible,” added Art Milligan Jr, CHA’s CEO. “It’s a win for the city, for our residents, and for the future of Charleston.”
The Charleston Housing Authority plans to demolish this 12-apartment low-income housing complex at 275 Huger St. and replace it with an 77-unit mixed-income building.
CHARLESTON — The city housing authority’s plan to redevelop one of its smallest apartment complexes has been fraught with delays, but before the end of this year demolition work is expected to start at 275 Huger St.
The two-story buildings with a total of 12 apartments are slated to be replaced by a taller, 77-apartment complex in the same peninsula location for people with a range of incomes.
Plans call for just as many low-income apartments as before, with the rest being for those with incomes closer to the mid-point for the area.
Approval of the building design from Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review was the last review that required a vote. The developers immediately applied for a building permit.
“It’s definitely a huge milestone for 275 Huger,” said Ward Mungo, whose construction company is co-developing the site with Ray Nix Development.
A rendering of the planned 77-apartment complex that’s expected to replace existing buildings with 12 apartments, at 275 Huger St. on the Charleston peninsula. The city housing authority owns the property.Provided/Davis Architecture
Redevelopment plans were announced more than four years ago but ran into problems with financing due to changes made by the state and with the original design. Few hurdles now remain.
“We’re in fifth gear, we’re rockin’ and rolling,” Mungo said. “Barring any surprises, we will be starting on the demolition of the existing units before Christmas.”
The Mungo and Nix companies worked together before, with the housing authority, on the Esau Jenkins Village housing for low-income seniors on Johns Island.
The apartments at 275 Huger are vacant; the tenants having been relocated in advance of the redevelopment, Mungo said. The site is between Meeting Street and Interstate 26, and the authority’s property is bracketed on three sides by large apartment complexes built in recent years.
Art Milligan Jr., CEO of the housing authority, called the redevelopment plan and the design approval from the BAR “a win for the city, for our residents, and for the future of Charleston.”
The new apartments are expected to be ready for tenants by 2027.
The Huger Street complex is a small one for the housing authority, but it will be part of a very big plan. The authority has set out to demolish and redevelop most of the low-income apartments it owns on the Charleston peninsula, which together occupy about 40 acres of land.
The public housing projects Cooper River Courts and Meeting Street Manor on Charleston’s upper peninsula are pictured in 2020. The Charleston Housing Authority plans to demolish and redevelop the properties as mixed-income communities.
File/Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
As with Huger Street, the authority has pledged that the new buildings will have just as many low-income apartments as currently exist. They would be joined by a much larger number of apartments — potentially 2,000 or so — priced as workforce housing, or at full market rates.
The blend of incomes and rents is expected to make the plans work financially, and would also end the current arrangement where low-income tenants are clustered together in low-slung housing projects that cover many city blocks.
An Atlanta company, Integral, has been hired for the largest redevelopment plans, involving the Cooper River Courts, Meeting Street Manor, and Gadsden Green complexes.
Charleston’s population has grown 50% since 2000, outpacing housing
Average rent is $2,771, exceeding 56% of the average monthly salary
Nonprofits like Metanoia push for solutions but demand far outstrips supply
Charleston’s reputation for hospitality and tourism draws visitors and also high-dollar real estate ventures from across the globe.
But as space dwindles and square footage prices rise, locals and lower-income residents are left at risk of being priced out of the Lowcountry economy.
Monitoring the Charleston region’s housing situation are three housing authorities: the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston, the Charleston County Housing and Redevelopment Authority and the North Charleston Housing Authority.
What does housing look like in Charleston County?
Since 2000, Charleston’s population has grown 50%, a number that really hasn’t been met with corresponding infrastructure upgrades. When so many people are moving into the area in a relatively short period of time, the demand for necessities like new roads, housing and jobs rise quicker than they can be produced, experts say.
Money managers often suggest renters spend about 30% of their monthly income on housing, which is $1,991 at fair market average in Charleston County, according to an infographic by the Charleston housing authorities. But the average rent in Charleston is $2,771, roughly 56.9% of the average monthly salary.
The population and average rent are not the only factors pushing more people into affordable housing qualification.
“The increased cost of ownership and property taxes are placing financial pressure on current and potential landlords. Many of whom are responding by increasing rents,” Quiana Abney, North Charleston Housing Authority executive director, said in an email. “This, combined with the growing gap between household incomes and the overall cost of living, makes it difficult for working families to secure and maintain stable housing.”
Through the three Charleston housing authorities, there are about 4,200 affordable housing properties for a population of 424,367 . According to the infographic, the county has almost 2,000 people on awaiting list to receive housing aid.
Nonprofits and government agencies can’t keep up with demand and pricing
Metanoia, a nonprofit housing developer in North Charleston, has spent the past 20 years building, renovating and repairing homes for affordable rates. Most homes the nonprofit develops are single-family detached homes, as well as one apartment complex with eight units.
Bill Stanfield, founder and CEO of Metanoia, said Metanoia struggles with constraints on density combined with the influx of people moving into Charleston.
“Groups like us can do some things to help a little bit,” Stanfield said. “We are building more than we have built before, but we are not even scratching the surface of what’s needed in the region, which is units in the thousands rather than the tens.”
Stanfield said if you go back 30 years , affordable housing was for people living on a much lower economic spectrum. As prices rise, more people find themselves in the affordable housing bracket.
“There was more of a perception of affordable housing or attainable housing being for folks who were vulnerable,” Stanfield said. “But I think that’s going away because when the median house price in Charleston County is over a half million dollars, a lot of people are recognizing, ‘Oh, I never thought of myself as an affordable or attainable home buyer, but I guess I am.’”
In addition to Metanoia, close to 30 nonprofits in Charleston County are dedicated to supporting affordable housing.
The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, recently implemented the Small Area Fair Market Rents program intended to help housing authorities in metropolitan and rural areas better assist their communities, Abney said in an email.
While Lowcountry areas like Summerville and downtown Charleston benefitted from the program, Abney said North Charleston, which has 40% of the county’s affordable housing stock, saw a decrease in the payment standards it can offer for each applicant.
From local government, Charleston County has four options of housing aid: the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the Rental Assistance Demonstration, Public Housing, and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, according to the infographic.
Charleston has also announced upcoming renovation projects to include affordable and attainable housing options over the next few years such as Union Pierin downtown Charleston and Navy Yard in North Charleston.
For Arthur Milligan, president and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston, the diversity and economic variety of people in a neighborhood are part of the key to its success.
“What we’re seeing is that successful neighborhoods tend to have people that are doing different things, different incomes, different jobs, and so forth. It makes a community,” Milligan said. “When you have everybody doing the same thing and living the same way in one place, that sometimes becomes a problem.”
CHARLESTON — The city’s housing authority has purchased a 209-unit apartment complex in West Ashley, describing the $39.75 million deal as an opportunity to preserve “naturally-occurring” affordable rental housing.
“The thought was that if we didn’t buy it, another investor might and could price people out of there,” said housing authority Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Erling.
In the past decade investors have been buying up apartments in West Ashley — just the sort of thing that prompted the housing authority’s concerns. The authority’s purchase of the 1800 Ashley West complex won’t turn those apartments into public housing or lower the rents, but with no tax bills or profit motive the authority could keep the rents from rising as they might have with a private owner.
“We’re trying to make some moves where people could look back 20 years from now and say, ‘that was a really great acquisition’,” said Erling.
This year the previous owners of the complex paid $23,520 in property taxes, according to county records, and that’s an expense the housing authority won’t face.
However, rents are expected to rise at 1800 Ashley West by about five percent, after the housing authority spends money to renovate the apartments, Erling said. That would take the average rents up to $1,449 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,714 for a two bedroom, which fits the city’s guidelines for workforce housing rent.
Workforce housing is a term used to describe homes people with moderate incomes can afford by spending no more than 30 percent of their income. For rentals, the standard is based on earning up to 80 percent of an area’s median income, which works out to $62,100 this year for a single person in Charleston County.
The 1800 Ashley West complex is located off William Kennerty Drive, next to the C.E. Williams Middle School North Campus, and has one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. It’s adjacent to Ashley Oaks, an apartment complex roughly twice as large that the authority previously bought.
“Anytime we can increase the inventory of affordable housing, I’m for it,” said city Councilman Keith Waring, who represents the area in West Ashley where the apartment complex is located. “If we can increase the stock and bring down market rate housing it’s a benefit to our community.”
The authority owns low-income housing, mostly on the Charleston peninsula, but also about 1,100 apartments that are not government-subsidized and are meant to rent at slightly below-market rates. More than half of those apartments are near S.C. Highway 61, in Ashley Oaks and 1800 Ashley West.
Charleston Police Department leader to help advance education and community programs.
Charleston, S.C. (Aug. 11, 2025)—The Charleston Housing Authority (CHA) is proud to share that Capt. Tonatte Mitchell of the Charleston Police Department has been appointed to the board of directors of the Septima P. Clark Foundation, a nonprofit affiliated with CHA and dedicated to advancing education and community programs across the Charleston area.
Capt. Mitchell serves as division commander of the Office of Community-Oriented Policing and is the first Black woman to be promoted to captain within the department. Her distinguished career has been marked by a commitment to mentorship, relationship-building and equity in law enforcement. Her leadership and dedication to community engagement make her a meaningful addition to the Foundation’s board.
“Capt. Mitchell’s appointment reflects our shared commitment with the Charleston Police Department to build strong, resilient neighborhoods,” said Art Milligan Jr., CEO of CHA. “Her voice and perspective will help further the Foundation’s mission and continue Ms. Clark’s legacy.”
In accordance with the Septima P. Clark Foundation’s bylaws, three of the board’s five directors are appointed by the CHA Board of Commissioners. In June, the Board reappointed directors Kathy Nelson, CHA’s resident commissioner, and Aris Ferguson, CHA’s legal counsel, who has served on the board since 2021. Together with Director Sharon Wigfall, who currently serves as president, the three reappointed members selected and invited Capt. Mitchell to join the board.
Founded by CHA in 1996, the foundation honors the values and vision of civil rights leader and educator Septima P. Clark by supporting community-focused initiatives. This includes managing applications and selections for the Cynthia Graham Hurd Memorial Scholarship. This CHA-funded award uplifts local students through access to educational resources and recognition of civic leadership. Hurd was a former CHA commissioner and a victim of the Mother Emanuel shooting. The scholarship was established to honor her service and legacy.
“The Septima P. Clark Foundation is a very special organization, honoring the lives of two incredible women, Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Hurd,” shares Ferguson. “To be a part of carrying forward their legacy is humbling and something that all board members cherish.”
“Having Capt. Mitchell joining us is wonderful and will only help to strengthen our connections between public safety and public housing efforts while advancing inclusive programs that empower Charleston residents of all ages.”
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About Housing Authority of the City of Charleston
Established on May 5, 1935, the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston (CHA) is celebrating 90 years of providing decent, safe, sanitary and affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents in Charleston. Governed by seven commissioners appointed by the Mayor and City Council. CHA manages daily operations, supporting nearly 1,400 public housing households across the city and more than 1,500 participants in the Housing Choice Voucher Program who live in privately owned residences. CHA is committed to strengthening the Charleston community through reliable housing solutions and supportive services. For more information, visit https://www.chacity.org/.
CHARLESTON — A transformative plan to replace most low-income public housing on the peninsula with thousands of mixed-income apartments has grown to include the Gadsden Green complex.
It’s the largest Charleston Housing Authority site on the peninsula. Along with two other complexes, the buildings slated for demolition cover 39.9 downtown acres.
That’s nearly two-thirds the size of the Union Pier site on the Charleston Harbor, a property the State Ports Authority is selling for $250 million to launch as a private redevelopment.
The value of CHA’s land and the demand for rental housing are key aspects of the plan. A single acre of land on the peninsula can sell for millions of dollars, so the authority’s ownership of nearly 40 acres helps make the finances work.
The goal is to replace about 500 low-income apartments — some built nearly a century ago — with much more rental housing for people of all incomes. There would be at least as many low-income apartments, and possibly 2,000 additional rentals at “workforce” or market-rate rents, along with retail space.
The housing authority has been assuring tenants they will not be displaced but will become residents of far superior housing in the same location when it’s all done.
