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At home in the Woods
Grove at Fenwick Plantation gives working class buyers cozy rental sites
BY JIM PARKER
Of The Post and Courier Staff
The owners of one of the few new apartment complexes on Johns Island spend most of their time designing chic neighborhoods and sprawling houses for wealthy homebuyers from the Stono River to the Atlantic Ocean.
But they targeted another clientele in constructing The Grove at Fenwick Plantation, a rental community set back in the woods 1,000 feet from River Road. It's designed for "the average working guy to have a place to live," said Mitch Laplante, partner with Eugene Zurlo in The Grove at Fenwick Plantation LLC.
The 80-apartment conclave offers 950- to 1,000-square-foot rentals with starting lease rates of $850 a month, 25 percent below market prices. Occupants pay premiums for units with views or located on the second floor. The upstairs floor plan, called The Wadmalaw, is slightly larger than the downstairs floor plan named The Stono.
Standard attractions are private outside entrances, a spacious family room; two bedrooms; two private bathrooms with showers and a designer kitchen with full-length cabinets, a countertop "island," refrigerator, stove and microwave. Other features include air conditioning, ceiling fans and washer and dryer connections.
Pets are permitted subject to a $150 deposit and one-time $150 fee, said Amy M. Norton, owner of Mount Pleasant-based Magnolia Management Group Inc., which is managing the property.
Other than a laundry building and central mailboxes, the chief community amenity at The Grove at Fenwick Plantation is the natural setting.
The vinyl composite-sided apartments have views of woodlands and marsh. Rather than grass, natural foliage such as sweetgrass are planted around the units.
"Johns Island is going to grow. The key is how to do it responsibly," said Laplante, who moved to the Charleston area from Rhode Island in 1991. "We are committed to what we've done," he said.
"The interest has really been there," said Norton, who has been in the property management business more than 20 years. "I've had a great response," added Julie Levin, property manager.
Laplante said the apartment community provides advantages to renters. It's conveniently located, within the Charleston city limits and just 11 minutes from downtown, he said. The rental complex is also a rarity on Johns Island, which is still primarily made up of large rural plantations, new residential neighborhoods and small homes owned or leased by longtime poorer and middle class residents. "There's so little rental available," he said. Yet there's demand, with 3,000 people working in hospitality-related jobs at Kiawah Island.
Contractors have completed work on a few of the planned 14 buildings including a dwelling with the model apartment. Levin said 12 units have been rented and the first group of tenants are about to move in.
Among the first tenants are New Orleans area residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Their first six months rent will be paid under an assistance agreement that also includes the United Way and Salvation Army. "Hopefully, this will be a calming effect," Laplante said.
The owner partner is also involved in a new neighborhood a couple of miles away on Maybank Highway. That community, called The Preserve, will have million-dollar homes looking over the Stono River.
The Grove at Fenwick Plantation, meanwhile, will be a prime locale for the medical student, hotel employee, young professional.
"We want the average Joe who's working to get ahead a little," Laplante said.
To reach The Grove at Fenwick Plantation from downtown Charleston, cross the Ashley River bridge and angle left onto Folly Road. Cross the Wappoo bridge and turn right onto Maybank Highway. Follow Maybank to River Road. Turn right on River Road and travel about 1/4 of a mile. Make a left at the Grove sign.
Portrait Homes frames classic up-and-down designs at The Commons at Fenwick Hall
BY JIM PARKER
The Post and Courier
Even as Johns Island gradually attracts real estate start-ups, the area remains predominantly rural.
New neighborhoods, therefore, are a hot commodity, something that agents at The Commons at Fenwick Hall, under construction off River Road, are finding out.
Sales counselor Stefanie Miller said interest in the 177 two- to three-bedroom townhomes has been "very strong. There's not a lot of new house development going on on John's Island."
Home shoppers, she said, "see us as exclusive."
The builder is Portrait Homes, which has townhome communities across the Charleston area but is targeting Johns Island for the first time. Thus far, the neighborhood has drawn a range of buyers. "There's lots of people who don't want to do lawns," Miller said.
Location is also a plus. "We are 12 minutes to downtown," said Melissa Guggisberg, fellow sales counselor. The neighborhood is about 20 minutes from the beaches on Folly, Kiawah and Seabrook islands, Miller said. The property is fringed by woods and skirts Penny Creek, which flows into the Stono River. The Commons at Fenwick Hall has its own amenities, too: a swimming pool and changing rooms.
The townhomes, which typically are paired, come with large, fully sodded front and back yards maintained by the neighborhood homeowners association. Interior features include at least 9-foot-high smooth ceilings and gas heat.
Portrait Homes, which is following a prior builder in the community, offers a variety of styles and floor plans. Sales and construction are under way on the Regency Series, which has both two-story and ranch styles and are brick accented. The builder is marketing the Ashley Series, which has a classic vertical look mixing brick and vinyl siding.
There are five designs on the two-level Ashley plans; the Berkshire, Devonshire, Chesterfield, Edinborough and Franklin (the latter two plans have master bedrooms downstairs). Sizes run from 1,506 to 1,898 square feet. The townhomes, all of which have one-car garages, are priced at $238,990 to $266,990. The Regency homes, meanwhile, have eight floor plans spanning 1,453 to 2,762 square feet. They all have extra-large single-car garages.
Standard accoutrements include washer and dryer hookups, separate garden tub and shower, walk-in closets, larger-than-normal 36-inch kitchen cabinets, and a microwave, stove and dishwasher. Floor plans have individual features such as plant ledges, lofts and vaulted ceilings. Meanwhile, buyers can make choices on options such as countertop materials, stainless-steel appliances and screened porches or sun rooms in the on-site design center. Many porches are built covered but without screens, which can be added for $1,700.
The regime fee, which covers building and road maintenance, an irrigation system and other expenses, is $200 a month. Half of the price is for hazard and flood insurance.
About 40 percent of the townhomes are under contract. "There's still an opportunity to purchase," Miller said.
To reach The Commons at Fenwick Hall from downtown Charleston, cross the Ashley River Bridge and bend left to Folly Road. Continue on Folly across the Wappoo Bridge and turn right onto Maybank Highway. Take Maybank across the new Stono River bridge. Turn right on River Road. Continue about 1/4 mile and The Commons at Fenwick Hall is on the right off Santa Elena Way.
Neighborhood
The Commons at Fenwick Hall
County
Charleston County
Developer, marketing
Portrait Homes
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