Roof Repair in Summers Corner, SC

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Last week, a fire devastated the Apel family's home in the Summers Corner community.

AGoFundMe was quickly started to support the Apel family and in just a few hours, the $5,000 goal had already been reached.

Yet people continued to donate and in 24 hours? The fund had reached about $11,000.

Read More: Flames envelop home in Summers Corner community of Dorchester County

As of Monday morning, donations were just over $12,530, with people still actively donating.

The GoFundMe states the money will help the family replace all that was lost in the house fire and support them until they reestablish a new home.

The photo used on the page shows two adults and four children.

Read More: Dozens give back in North Charleston on Easter Sunday

Flames could be seen shooting out of the kitchen of the home on Gnarly Oak lane at around 5 p.m. Friday.

The homeowner said the fire started on the porch of the home and quickly spread. Fire officials said the cause was an apparent electrical issue.

Everyone home at the time was able to escape without injury.

As the Charleston area continues to grow and attract more residents, so does the need for food and the vendors who provide it.

No fewer than 12 new grocery stores are in the works across the Lowcountry, including plans to tear down and replace one store on site and relocate two others.

Around Charleston, the population boom — now expanding at an average net daily rate of 36 residents, according to the latest update — keeps fueling competition among supermarket chains that are angling to be as close as possible to the proliferating housing enclaves that keep their cash registers ringing.

That's about 13,300 new residents each year spread across Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties, with many of the newcomers settling on the fringes of the growing region, especially in large-scale developments in Goose Creek, Moncks Corner and Summerville.

The three counties saw a 20 percent population surge over the past decade to a combined 830,000 residents, according to the Charleston Regional Development Alliance.

Competing grocery chains closely analyze the numbers to decide where to set up shop.

By one measure, a general rule for a full-service supermarket of 40,000 square feet or more to be viable is to have 10,000 residents, or about 4,000 rooftops, within a 20-mile radius. If there's competition in the market, the required number of residents is higher and vice versa for an area with no rivals.

Berkeley bound

Near Summerville, North Carolina-based Harris Teeter and competitor Publix of Florida are building stores on Nexton Parkway, across the street from one another, to serve the developing 5,000-acre Nexton community, eventually home to nearly 19,000 residents.

Both are set to be completed this year in the Berkeley County development, with Harris Teeter set to open in the spring and Publix likely welcoming customers by mid-year, according to Nexton spokeswoman Cassie Cataline.

On the opposite side of Nexton, Lowes Foods of North Carolina plans to build a new supermarket on North Creek Drive, across the street from the Cane Bay development.

It will anchor a retail center on the corner near fast-food restaurant McDonald's. Look for an opening possibly in 2025, according to property owner and Charleston businessman Eddie Buck.

A little farther to the east, Publix also plans to anchor a corner shopping center at U.S. Highways 176 and 17A in Carnes Crossroads, a 2,300-acre mixed-use housing development that could accommodate about 11,000 residents at full buildout. Like Lowes Foods, it is expected to open in 2025, according to a Publix spokesman.

Cartload of competition

Southwest of Summerville, another Publix could begin construction in 2025, based on bidding documents last fall that show a 51,454-square-foot store slated for a 10-acre site on Beech Hill Road, across from the planned 8,000-home Summers Corner community.

The 7,200-acre mixed-use community with schools and shops has about 1,200 homes sold and another 250 under construction, according to Jason Byham, division president at Lennar, the homebuilder that bought the tract for more than $26 million in 2018.

Real Estate

In Mount Pleasant, three new grocery stores are in the works.

The Fresh Market of North Carolina plans to take over the 26,000-square-foot site discount grocer Lidl abandoned before moving in at Bowman Place Shopping Center at Bowman Road and Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.

The Greensboro-based grocer took over the remainder of the 15-year tenant agreement Lidl signed three years ago with the option for 15 additional years, according to a document filed in the Charleston County land records office.

Fresh Market has not announced an opening timeframe.

Business

On the northern end of the East Cooper town of nearly 100,000 people, discount grocer Aldi leased several acres at U.S. Highway 17 and KOA Campgrounds Road for a second Mount Pleasant location.

Aldi plans to build a 23,000-square-foot store on the land next to South Morgans Point Road after signing a lease last spring for 20 years with the option to renew up to 25 years. Construction has not begun, and the no-frills grocer has not announced a projected opening timeframe.

Also in the works is a new Trader Joe's. The California-based, German-owned chain recently confirmed its plans to open a second store in Mount Pleasant. The site was not announced, but the grocer is looking at part of the former Bi-Lo supermarket site in Sweetgrass Corner Shopping Center near Highway 17 and the Isle of Palms connector.

On James Island, German-owned Aldi recently leased 22,000 square feet in the former Bi-Lo supermarket on Folly Road.

Retail

The company's seventh Lowcountry store will sit next to Planet Fitness and likely open in 2025 "if not earlier," according to Mark Hoffman, director of development for New Jersey-based Garden Communities, which has owned the 4.5-acre retail center since 1994.

Building bigger

Three existing supermarkets are set to be replaced.

On Daniel Island, Publix wants to demolish its longtime store on Seven Farms Drive and build a 50,472-square-foot store and pocket park it in its place in the same location, according to plans presented to the city.

The new construction will replace the existing 29,618-square-foot supermarket that was built in 2002 as the only grocery store allowed on Daniel Island under an agreement with the developer of the master-planned community.

Construction likely won't start until 2025, and it will take 12-18 months to build the new store, according to Publix spokesman Jared Glover.

The grocer hasn't announced interim plans for shoppers while the replacement is being built. The nearest option for shoppers is across the Wando River — a Harris Teeter five miles away on Long Point Road in Mount Pleasant. Publix has another store about 7 miles north in the Point Hope development off Clements Ferry Road.

In West Ashley, plans are making their way through the city review process to relocate Publix from a free-standing building at Ashley Landing Shopping Center to a newly constructed site on the eastern side of the main retail center where Big Lots and Dollar Tree currently operate.

The property owner has not projected a relocation timeframe, and the future of the current Publix site has not been determined.

Finally, plans are in the works to build a new Harris Teeter supermarket up to 65,000 square feet on part of a 50-acre parcel adjacent to Freshfields Village Shopping Center between Kiawah and Seabrook islands.

The larger grocery store will replace the existing site in Freshfields. It's part of a planned 160,000-square-foot retail center that will connect to Freshfields off Kiawah Island Parkway.

The new supermarket probably won't materialize until 2027 as plans are still to be finalized, according to Chris Corrada, a principal with the development firm Riverstone Properties of Richmond, Va., which owns the parcel to be developed.

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SUMMERS CORNER, SC (WCIV) — Imagine a real Hallmark Movie.

That's what a Summers Corner home looks like this holiday season. It's the type of decked-out holiday display to immediately catch the eyes of everyone driving by. It's hard to look left or right without seeing lights or decorations.

The most unique part is that each item has a story. Some of them traveled by car for nearly 17 hours in order to make it to the Lowcountry, and others would only fit in a rental car. Even the Grinch himself, can't steal this Christmas spirit.

"I think it’s wonderful what they are doing and if this was a decoration competition. I would say they win," neighbor Stella Taber said.

Reindeers, snowmen, and even Santa Claus are seasonal neighbors.

"Santa actually writes back to the kids, and the hot cocoa, and all of the treats they are so lovely to put together for everyone in the neighborhood," Neighbor Karina Aymerich said.

It's a holiday tradition for the O'Hea family. Brandy O'Hea said, "It started with one decoration and led to another."

Though, O'Hea said a new HOA wants to tone down the merry and bright.

"We got a letter that was dated 16th of November stating it was our second letter, we were in violation because we had decorations on the adjoining property. At that time of the letter, there was nothing out there," she said.

The letter asked the O'Hea family to have a "reasonable number of holiday and religious lights." It also said a fine of $25 dollars has been applied to their account. A third violation is 50 dollars.

"I don’t know what the definition of reasonable is," O'Hea said.

Some neighbors said it's a display of holiday magic.

"My son here Zachary has autism. He doesn't like gifts. A couple of years ago we were walking, and we walked past every single day by that pig that didn’t say Zach’s pig. We came back up a week later and it said Zach’s pig on it. I don’t like to admit this but I started tearing up because it hit me in my heart that these wonderful people are doing it not just for them, they are doing it for other people," neighbor Dino Pustalka said.

It's a gift that keeps on giving.

"This is the last thing that happens this year that we have hope. That we can feel a little bit or normality. We have had a horrible year. This is bringing everything that was normal back," Aymerich added.

Homeowners said they don't plan to take it down.

"I want the HOA to come here and see the joy that these kids have...running through taking pictures. Hugging the unicorns. And then see what it's like if you take it away from them," O'Hea said.

Kids in Summers Corner shared their personal display favorites with hopes of keeping joy alive this holiday season.

"I like the mermaids, and the angel. I think the mermaid is guidance and the angel is hope," Taber said.

There is a petition online that asks the HOA to change its mind about the Summers Corner holiday display.

ABC News 4 called the homeowners association and left a voicemail. An email was also sent to the office for a response to the neighborhood complaints. As of Wednesday evening, there has been no response. The story will be updated as soon as there is.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) — A Summerville family says their $535,000 dream house has turned into a nightmare.

“This is what we wanted. We fell in love with the outside, the exterior, everything,” said Michael O’Hea, who moved into the house in the Summers Corner neighborhood in June of 2017. He says immediately after moving in, he and his wife noticed defects cropping up throughout the house.

“You see the cracks in the wall you see the cabinets coming off the wall,” Brandy O’Hea told ABC News 4.

Floors are also uneven in several parts of the home, and two cracks have formed on the both sides of the home’s exterior.

The O’Heas also described mold issues with the home and drainage problems that required the installation of a French drain.

Dan Ryan Builders constructed the home, which the O’Hea’s say is a "Keenleand II" plan.

ABC News 4 called and emailed Dan Ryan builders requesting an interview and asking if the home was being examined for structural issues. Dan Ryan’s regional president emailed the following:

“We are aware of the O’Hea’s concerns with respect to their house. We are in the process of scheduling an engineer to inspect the house and will take appropriate action thereafter.”

The O’Hea’s say Dan Ryan Building sent two structural engineers in the spring who performed a visual inspection of the home, but those engineers were no-shows at the next scheduled appointment.

“We’ve had no shows. Contractors showing up with no materials, no paint,” Michael O’Hea said. “We had seven different personnel but it’s past that now.”

The O’Heas said several of their neighbors are experiencing similar issues with the Keeneland II model. Representatives from Dan Ryan have not yet commented on that.

As it stands, the O’Heas simply want their little slice of suburbia back in one piece.

“I want my home,” Brandy O’Hea said. “I want the home we paid for. We put everything in this home.”

The Better Business Bureau’s website shows 57 complaints filed against Dan Ryan Builders in the last three years, but it also rates the company an A+.

The BBB’s website lists some of the criteria for that score as pertaining to how quickly and appropriately the company has handled complaints.

Dan Ryan told us the building company scheduled its structural engineer to inspect their home less than two days after we contacted them for this story, but that engineer is scheduled for October.

The O’Heas say they’re considering a class action lawsuit.

While council may have passed second reading for an improvement plan for as much as $100 million for a new mixed-use community inside the county, some of the governing body’s members still have lingering questions.

Dorchester County Council approved second reading during its meeting March 20 in Summerville. First reading passed in January.

The ordinance pertains to Summers Corner, a segment of the East Edisto property which spans Dorchester and Charleston counties. Summers Corner is specifically located between Beech Hill Road and Summers Drive—also along U.S. 17-A—and encompasses nearly 7,000 acres in Dorchester County.

WestRock Land and Development plans—at no cost to the county—to fund the Summers Corner Improvement Plan through a property assessment on homes and commercial businesses.

But Councilman Larry Hargett told fellow committee members during a meeting Monday in Summerville that he isn’t on board with certain language included in the improvement plan’s language and will not vote in favor of the ordinance’s third reading unless changes to it are made.

“I’m in favor of what we’re trying to do,” Hargett said, “(but) I have great concern over some of the words.”

Hargett is particularly worried about the plan stating “county council requested” it.

“We did not request it; it was requested by WestRock,” he said—though the state requires the county to be a partner of the plan.

“We have to be a partner with them and be one of the ‘requesters,’ but we didn’t make this (initiative) happen.”

Because a public hearing for the ordinance isn’t required, Hargett said his concerns are vital and need immediate addressing.

“If council doesn’t bring up concerns then they won’t get brought up,” he said.

Finally Hargett wants future buyers in Summers Corner to know exactly what they’re getting into when they sign a contract—that the area’s a special tax district and has an additional HOA fee.

“I’m in favor of full disclosure,” he said.

Hargett said he plans to hand his questions over to County Attorney John Frampton to review and bring before council at the third and final reading.

And Hargett’s not alone in his concerns about the improvement plan.

Councilman Willie Davis said he hopes the assessment doesn’t later spread beyond Summers Corner or become competitive with adjacent neighborhoods.

“I’ve seen it happen too many times,” he said of other developments across the state. “(They) come in with good intentions and can’t pay for it. I think we’re smarter than that.”

According to Councilman David Chinnis—committee chairman—parts of the plan once concerned him, too—especially with regard to the county’s ultimate liability—but he said he’s now “satisfied” with the effort, even if it’s an unconventional development method.

“I’m satisfied at this point,” he said. “(The plan) is a way to ensure (development) gets done and residents maintain it in the future.”

According to the plan, an assessment of $30-$70 per unit per month—not a property tax but a rate—will be reflected on real property tax bills for property owners in the district. The assessments, which affect more than 9,000 residential and commercial properties, will fund $65 million of the $100 million in possible improvements and over the next 20 to 30 years, will annually increase by a rate of no more than 2 percent, depending on the speed of development.

The developer will determine which improvements, other than parks and trails, to build, but Council is in charge of approving any extra recreational facilities. Summers Corner residents will pay for their operation and maintenance, the plan states.

WestRock officials said since Summers Corner is located in an unincorporated part of the county where no city property tax exists, the assessment is a “smart, sustainable approach to fund parks, trails and roads."

Recommended improvements include public facilities: park, trails, connector roads and transportation improvements, water and sewer service, drainage and detention assets, and street improvements, among others.

Overall, a large portion of the East Edisto property will remain protected through deed restrictions, WestRock officials have said.

A date for the ordinance’s third and final reading has yet to be determined.