The Medical University of South Carolina health system will seek to borrow up to $705 million to finally build new hospitals in fast-growing areas of Berkeley and Lancaster counties.

The Medical University Hospital Authority Board of Trustees voted to seek up to $395 million for a 70-bed hospital and a 30,000-square-foot medical office building in Nexton. The board also approved up to $310 million for a 50-bed hospital and 60,000-square-foot medical office building in Indian Land, just south of the North Carolina border.

The hospital authority now needs to get approval from the State Fiscal Accountability Authority to go out on the market for the loans.

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Both are projects that the health system has pursued for years but ran into delays, said Dr. Patrick Cawley, CEO of MUSC Health. The required state licenses for those hospitals, known as a Certificate of Need, were fought by competitors. And the pandemic didn't help, Cawley said.

"We’re finally past the Certificate of Need challenges, we’re finally past where COVID slowed everything down, and now we’re ready to really proceed," he said.

General contractors and architects have already been hired and have started work.

"Now we're ready to start building," Cawley said.

He anticipated breaking ground within a year.

The medical office buildings will go up first, which aids in the recruitment of new doctors to the area, followed by the hospitals. The offices should open in 2026, the hospitals in 2027.

It is no secret why the health system is targeting both areas around Summerville and in what is essentially now the suburbs of Charlotte, Cawley said.

"Both of these areas are some of the fastest-growing ZIP codes in the state of South Carolina," he said.

But it is not just those areas — health care has grown from 4.9 percent of the state's economy to now 6.8 percent, said MUSC President David J. Cole.

"It's only going to continue to increase," he said. Part of it is just population growth from an "influx of people coming from all over the nation" to South Carolina, Cole said. But it is also the aging of the population in general, he said.

The indirect route paid off this time.

A long-planned shipment of medical supplies and equipment to Grenada from a Charleston nonprofit collected from Roper St. Francis Healthcare System wound up in a nearby port and thus missed the fury of Hurricane Beryl as it devastated two of three larger islands that make up the country.

Instead, the shipment arrived last week in time to be unloaded by members of Partners 4 Global Health Inc., which included two Roper employees, Andy Lyons and Ali Swanson.

"It’s incredible timing," said Lyons, director of corporate communications for Roper.

"I consider it a blessing," said Swanson, an orthopedic physician assistant at Roper and leader of the nonprofit.

For Lyons, it is a continuation of a mission to give back to a country that showed his family kindness during a traumatic event, as well as a chance to broaden friendships and relationships that grew from that.

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Grenada is a Caribbean country northeast of South America and is the southernmost of the Grenadine islands, which include Petit Martinique and Carriacou. It refers to itself as "The Spice of the Caribbean" because of the nutmeg, chocolate and other spices produced and used there.

The Lyons family was vacationing in Grenada in February 2023 when Andy's wife Renee stepped on loose gravel and broke her ankle — badly, according to a blog post he later wrote.

A taxi driver helped pick her up and whisked them to Grenada General Hospital, where they began to feel what the country's health care system was lacking but also how generous people were. They struggled to find a wheelchair for Renee to use, but staff and even strangers helped the family with food, water and aspirin when they needed it.

Before they left the hospital, a surgeon who had heard about Andy's connection to Roper asked him for help because their orthopedic drill was no longer working.

When they got back to Roper for Renee's surgery, Andy met Swanson outside her hospital room and told her about the drill request, which he really wanted to fulfill.

Swanson replied, "Why send them a drill when we can send a 40-foot container" full of supplies?

The nonprofit Partners had already shipped similar containers of medical equipment and supplies to hospitals in Nicaragua and is working to help rebuild a hospital that burned down in Honduras. Grenada became the next country on its list.

But the storm nearly disrupted those plans. Beryl slammed into Carriacou and Petite Martinique on July 1 as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane with 140-mph winds and a storm surge of 6 to 9 feet, according to the National Hurricane Center. The impact was horrific.

"Those two islands were, as the Prime Minister (Dickon A.T. Mitchell) said, flattened, devastated, Armageddon-like," Lyons said.

The main island of Grenada to the south was less damaged, and its health care system and hotels are now back up and running.

If their shipment had taken a direct route, it would have been coming through a week earlier and potentially faced the storm.

"As that storm barreled through, it sat safely in the port of Trinidad and Tobago," Swanson said. "It looks like a blessing in disguise that it sat there safely."

Now those supplies have added importance.

"The equipment that was already needed is now more needed than ever," Lyons said.

For instance, it contains 20 wheelchairs refurbished by another charity and orthopedic supplies like splints that “will come in handy right now,” Swanson said.

With the nonprofit volunteers and new friends, the container was unloaded July 10 and then hauled up the steep hill from the port to the main hospital in St. George's. But that is just the beginning, Lyons and Swanson said.

"In the process of everything while we are here, we are trying to build relationships for an ongoing, sustainable medical project here," Swanson said. "So we felt it was best to jump in and show them we are committed to helping them in the long-haul recovery from the storm."

It is more than just physical damage, and one of the ways Swanson is considering is through mental health and helping residents with the trauma from the storm.

"We’re hearing right now that the people in Carriacou are in shock," she said. "They’ve lost everything, and there is nowhere to go."

Those ongoing relationships should also include exchanges between clinicians, not only bringing people down to Grenada but inviting their doctors and officials to Charleston, Lyons said.

"We saw this as an opportunity of peers helping peers and learning from one another," Lyons said. "For us, it’s not a one-off."

He had already returned last September to deliver three of the cordless orthopedic drills and a charging station, and meet with the minister of health as well as the doctors who treated his wife. Their taxi driver, Flow Kembasha, who returned to check on them after delivering them to the hospital, has become a friend.

"My family was so touched by the compassion and the excellent care we received," Lyons said. "The people of Grenada were so kind to help us through a really traumatic and difficult period."

Now it's their turn to help.

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SUMMERVILLE, S.C. – Nexton, the most innovative and walkable community in South Carolina, announced today it was awarded a 2023 Best in American Living Awards (BALA) by The National Association of Home Builders Design Committee in the category of Single-Family Community For Rent for its built-for-rent neighborhood, The Villas at Nexton. BALA is the building industry’s premier residential design awards program that spotlights the most creative and talented industry professionals who redefine design excellence for homes and communities nationally and internationally.

“Built-for-rent communities are rapidly gaining popularity as they offer a unique blend of convenience, flexibility and community living,” says Cassie Cataline, marketing director at Nexton. “This award underscores Nexton’s commitment to providing innovative housing solutions that prioritize modern lifestyles and foster vibrant communities and we are honored to be recognized.”

The Villas at Nexton earned the gold award in the category Single-Family Community for Rent. The Villas at Nexton spans nearly 27 acres and offers 282 single-family and duplex rental homes that cater to young professionals, empty nesters and those transitioning to the Charleston area looking to rent instead of buy. The community features a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom cottages, each with its own private, fenced yard, as well as one-bedroom lofts and carriage units. The homes range from 650 to 1,350 square feet and rental rates start at $1,535 per month.

To create a true neighborhood feel for its residents, the community features open green spaces to host community events, courtyards with pavilions and barbeque stations, a central clubhouse and resort-style pool, state-of-the-art fitness center, dog park and electric car charging stations. The homes offer nine- to 12-foot ceilings, quartz countertops, wood-grain flooring, in-unit washers and dryers, a smart home technology package and have 24/7 on-call maintenance and optional enclosed garage parking.

Nexton is a lifestyle-driven destination that artfully blends the best of live, work and play by offering conveniences such as state-of-the-art schools, modern infrastructure, 20 miles of trails and 2,000 acres of green space. The community’s four residential neighborhoods include apartments, built-for-rent homes, townhomes and a variety of for-sale single-family homes that cater to first-time buyers, executives and 55+ retirees. Nexton has currently sold over 3,000 homes.

For more information on The Villas at Nexton, visit: https://thevillasatnexton.com/. To learn more about Nexton, visit: www.nexton.com.

The cult classic gas station Buc-ee’s owns land in Anderson County but don’t expect to see the Texas icon anytime soon.

Major improvements — as in a whole new configuration of the access ramps — must be completed before there’s any thought of the gas station being built.

Steve Newton, Anderson County’s governmental affairs director, said traffic is already bad at the Interstate 85 interchange with Liberty Highway and improvements are needed whether Buc-ee’s was coming or not.

Buc-ee’s opened in Florence in May 2022, South Carolina’s first. It was such a big deal Gov. Henry McMaster showed up for the grand opening.

Buc-ee’s founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin told The State the company received 6,000 applications for 300 jobs in Florence, where the minimum pay is $18 an hour and nearly $30 for managers.

Alpin told WYFF recently construction in Anderson wasn’t planned to start for more than a year with a 2026 opening.

Spokesperson Rachel Austin said Alpin confirmed the Anderson store is being designed to be 74,000 square feet, among the largest in the chain. The largest now is in Sevierville, Tennessee, at 74,000 square feet.

“This spring Buc-ee’s will be opening a travel center in Luling, Texas, that will reclaim the title, sitting at 75,000 square feet.,” she said.

Newton said vehicles back up on the ramps now, especially during rush hour and on the southbound ramp which comes from Greenville. The backup sometimes extends onto the highway.

South Carolina Department of Transportation engineers say the current standard ramp design is outdated. Some 22,000 cars flow through there daily.

Newton said a two-lane double diamond configuration is needed to spread the traffic out.

It will cost $60 million to $70 million. The county had hoped to receive funds from the state Infrastructure Bank to bear most of that cost, but herd Thursday they won’t be able to assist in the upcoming funding round.

The funding this year will only be for rural areas and that exit doesn’t qualify.

“We are actively pursuing other funding sources and are confident we can secure the funding we need in a timely manner,” Newton said..

Newton said the interchange includes two manufacturing plants, residences and an under development business park. The land Buc-ees owns is undeveloped.

Alpin started Buc-ee’s in 1982 as a typical small convenience store in his hometown of Lake Jackson an hour south of Houstin. The name comes from his childhood nickname and his dog Buck. Alpin is known as Beaver.

In Texas, where Buc-ee’s has 34 stores, its economic impact is $641 million with 5,000 employees. The company now has 47 stores in the Southeast and Missouri.

Bon Appétit magazine deemed it “the best rest stop in America,”

In 1985, Aplin and Don Wasek joined forces. In 2006, the big stores — 17,000 square feet or so — began and a key advertising slogan was clean restrooms — “cleanest restrooms in America!”

Their motto remains “clean, friendly, and in stock.”

This story was originally published January 25, 2024, 8:45 AM.

While Charleston's population is booming with new transplants, the Summerville and Goose Creek areas are developing just as quickly to accommodate the area's growth.

Summerville is located roughly 45 minutes from Downtown Charleston, serving as the ideal location for folks who want to move close to the city without being directly in the middle of the excitement.

Goose Creek is only 35 minutes from Downtown Charleston and is seeing a demographic of young families who hope to live near the city while finding affordable housing and nearby employment.

In recent years, both Summerville and Goose Creek have expanded with the development of several master-planned communities that offer housing, lifestyle, retail, dining, outdoor recreation and so much more. These areas have also developed several new businesses, restaurants, workspaces and corporate offices.

As Goose Creek's economy grows and thrives, many new projects and ventures are on the horizon in this Charleston community, specifically in Carnes Crossroads.

According to Post & Courier writer Barry Waldman's piece about new development in Carnes Crossroads, Carnes is now co-owned by Lennar Builders and Boston-based Freehold Communities, with approval to build about 4,500 homes.

This community is technically only a quarter built, with new projects on the way, such as the concept of "agrihood," a working farm and community gardens. Professional farmers will grow and supply produce, herbs and flowers to the community.

In September 2022, the city of Goose Creek announced a plan for growth in the community, including a walkable space for restaurants, offices and a green lawn for town events. Soon, this multi-planned community that is currently primarily residential with some outdoor amenities will expand to be more similar to larger communities like Cane Bay and Nexton.

While there are currently a few dining options available, like East Bay Deli, Steel City Pizza Co., and Mi Fiesta, plenty more options will be coming soon as well.

As for business development in Summerville's large Nexton community, according to Warren L. Wise for the Post & Courier, Atelier Downtown Nexton is a new project coming soon to Nexton, planned by an affiliate of New Jersey-based Sharbell Development on 7.5 acres on Brighton Park Boulevard off of U.S. Highway 17A.

Located in the Nexton community, the project will include multiple two-story buildings up to 18,000 square feet. Office, service and commercial space will be for sale or lease.

In addition, The Hub in Nexton is expanding. This project is a collection of office and commercial buildings under development on Nexton Parkway and Brighton Park Boulevard, and new expansions will include commercial tenants Lombardi's Pizza Kitchen, The Co-op Frosé & Eatery, The Backyard Biergarten, Lowcountry Yoga and children's gym KidStrong.

Big things are also happening over at Cane Bay Plantation in Summerville. Buck Investments, led by Eddie Buck, recently paid $13 million for nearly 45 acres on the northwest corner of the future Fair Winds Boulevard intersection at U.S. Highway 176. The buildout of this section will happen over the next four years.

Cane Bay has also been selling multiple large parcels of land for new housing developments as it expands, and the community is now roughly the size of Spartanburg, South Carolina.

More growth and business developments are coming quickly for these three large, multi-planned communities that are shaping up to be more like cities in their own right.