Cannonborough Elliotborough Neighborhood Association President Ryan Glushkoff,standing and V.P. Tim Mueller, seated

Last nights at the neighborhood association meeting was not dull, where to begin:  The Halloween Parade, neighborhood vice president Tim Mueller is applying for permits to block the streets this year so that we can parade with freedom and safety.  We had an amazing time last year.  Check out the photos of the Halloween Parade and Festival event here.    Next, Don Brown from the City of Charleston droned on and on about the difficulties involved with the Spring Cannon two way street conversion.  It seems that the city although champing at the bit to spend millions on the Gaillard Auditorium renovation, is unwilling to make our streets a city responsibility and instead are willing to allow a total bureaucratic bog down to occur with the state D.O.T.  If you want to find out more about the details of this conundrum then check out the website www.gocebo.com where there is a letter from the neighborhood association president published with details.  The main issue is that in order to work on Hwy 17 at the crosstown (Septima Clark), the city is postponing the two way conversion for two years in order to route traffic from the highway to Spring St. and Cannon St.  This was news to everyone and caused the room to rupture into discourse.  This is a serious issue that the neighborhood has vowed to stop from happening if at all possible.  Most vocal on this issue were Bob Holt, who owns the neighborhood Hostels and Bill Bowick and David Bouffard of Sugar Bakeshop.  Councilman Lewis also spoke up and although he is almost impossible to understand, I think he said he was not informed of this decision and would call the mayor in the morning.  Jason Ryan who lives on Ashe St and is new to the neighborhood and Kevin High who lives on Rutledge both interjected that the city should proceed with the two way conversion prior to the street scape in order to have that accomplished prior to the Septima Clark, Hwy 17 project routes traffic on to our streets.  The next hot topic was brought up by Andrew Gould who heads up the design and development committee.  The much debated Accomodations Overlay is back on the table with a new plan that gives the 50 room boutique hotel zoning only to the outer streets while the heart of the neighborhood will be limited to 25 rooms.  This is a direct result from complaints and fears of residents worried about parking limitations.  This new plan will go before the board of zoning for the City of Charleston on March 18th.  Next on a happier note Sue Griffin spoke up about her contributions as the head of the Beautification Committee.  This Saturday they will meet and invite all residents to tackle trash on Spring and Cannon from Rutledge to King.  Sue is a tireless defendant of the neighborhoods beauty and constantly picks up trash even when it is not a beautification day.  All neighbors that can, should come out Friday and show some local pride, volunteers organized by Keep Charleston Beautiful will also be out and afterwards local pizzeria will show their pride and appreciation by treating neighborhood volunteers to a free pizza party.  Dan Kelly a guest and representative of the Lowcountry Bike Co-op came and told the crowd about his groups efforts to improve the safety of bike riders on Saint Philip St, including painting directional lines and hiring off duty police to keep traffic lawful.  This effort will culminate in an event on March 27th to create awareness in the neighborhood for responsible cycling.  Brett Johnson from the Traffic and Transportation Committee announced that Spring Street between Meeting and King is on the City docket for repaving this year, and everyone clapped for that.  I took the floor to speak about the Cannonborough Elliotborough Business Owners Group and asked everyone to visit www.gocebo.com and email me to get their favorite businesses added if they are not already on there.  Then I spoke briefly about the issue Eye Level Art is having with a disgruntled neighbor who stated that she would rather have a crack dealer next door than an art gallery with live music.  This turned in to a bit of a squabble with this prune faced woman spouting off untruths about the gallery being a bar and staying open late and on and on.  Ryan Glushkoff, the neighborhood association president, had to call for an adjournment and asked that the issue be discussed at the next design and development committee meeting.  Most of the neighbors in attendance clapped Eye Level Art owner Mike Elder on the back offering him support and kudos for the great job he is doing bringing artistic entertainment into the neighborhood.  In closing, you can’t make all the people happy all the time, as they say, but the neighborhood is alive with concerned, and involved citizens eager to chip in and make a difference.  You don’t see that everyday! Currie If you are not involved and would like to be check out the neighborhood website www.cannonboroughelliotborough.bbnow.org and sign up for emails.

Hi Neighbors both residential and commercial come represent your interests and mingle tomorrow Tuesday at 6:30 at the Cannonborough Elliotborough Neighborhood Association Meeting.  Here are the high points:

• It’s on TOMORROW, February 28 at 6:30PM at The Karpeles Museum.
• Remember to bring your $ for annual dues (it’s a voluntary donation of $15 to support the NA’s operational expenses).
• And their will be an update from the City of Charleston on the Spring/Cannon Project

• 

  The Cannonborough Elliotborough Neighborhood Association meeting at the Karpeles Manuscript museum Charleston Sc

About a month ago gallery owner Mike Elder asked that I show up at court to support him against a noise violation complaint.  I went, the lady complained, and the judge explained to her that Eye Level Art was operating a business within the proper rules and laws zoning and civil of the City, County and State, and he was sorry for her inconvenience but she needed to get over it.  Now, despite being told to “go on home” by a judge, this same woman is pounding the pavement against Eye Level Art to try to prevent them from obtaining a beer and wine license.  When you watch the following video, please keep in mind the following: 1.  Eye Level Art is applying for a Beer and Wine License, not a liquor license as she tells the reporter.  2.  Obtaining this license is just a formality to prevent the gallery from applying for event licensing every time they plan to serve beer and wine.  3.  I love the fact that she mentions that she doesn’t mind the crack dealers, because they didn’t keep her from sleeping.  DOES SHE EVEN REALIZE WHAT SHE IS SAYING> She is promoting the drug culture that is destroying our inner city neighborhoods because it is less noisy.  Draw your conclusions, obviously, I have drawn mine! Currie

See the following call to action from Mike Elder owner of Eye Level Art AT 103 SPRING ST.

Eye Level Art is NOT A BAR as one residence is calling us. Were an art gallery that deals in all forms of art- visual art, live music, and film. After operating in the city for over 7 years its time ELA gets it’s permanent BEER and WINE license in order to serve to their patrons and help with monthly expenses. In the past ELA has got their individual ABL Event License per event. After a year and a half in the Cannonborough-Elliotborough Neighborhood ELA is convinced we want the gallery to be in this Neighborhood and with the increase in monthly events it makes most business sense to get our permanent BEER and WINE license. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT SO EMAIL info@eyelevelart.com if your in support of Eye Level Art staying in this area of town and being able to serve BEER and WINE.- There will be a decision in the the next two weeks by the Department of Revenue so the more support we have the better for ELA. THANK YOU!
-Mike Elder Owner of ELA

There is no doubt that modern is IN.  Architecturally speaking, Charleston South Carolina is a tough place to do modern.  We are covered up with ornamentation and classicism, but if a stripped down, horizontal, neutral looking building is what you seek, it is a needle in a haystack.  Todd St. Onge (TEC) and his partners at Blossoms Events made their first home in Charleston in a quaint freedman’s cottage on Cannon St.  They soon outgrew the space, however, and while Barry West of Blossoms returned to Murrells Inlet Sc to build a huge warehouse building for production, TEC, was left, soon to be homeless.  Serendipitously, planets aligned to find the perfect space on upper-upper King St.  A Charleston unicorn, 710 King St, the flat roofed, early twentieth century modern is page perfect for the home of charleston’s technical event company.  When I caught up with Todd last week he was putting away tools from the elaborate interior facelift on building.  With plenty of square footage the low slung building is roomy enough for a nice reception area and plenty of storage in the back for skads of the electrical type trappings necessary in the industry.

Todd St Onge in front of a picture window to King St

TEC offices and reception area on upper King St in Charleston Sc

Conference table at TEC where event planners make party magic happen

To find out about the services offered by TEC visit their website at www.technicaleventcompany.com or ask your favorite event planner, if they know their stuff, they probably use TEC for all their sound, production, lighting needs.  Check out Todd’s other pet project the sensational and uber-famous Charleston Fashion Week at charlestonfashionweek.com

A new neighborhood resident and friend wrote the following observations about Cannoborough Elliotborough:

Houses on Spring St. in the Martin Luther King Commercial Corridor

Since the end of the 1790’s Cannonborough-Elliotborough have been a thriving and close-knit kind of community. Cannonborough-Elliotborough’s boundaries are the Crosstown to the north, King Street to the east, Bee and Morris Streets to the south, and President Street to the west. Many of the neighborhoods main corridors are grouped in pairs; with Spring and Cannon, Ashley and Rutledge, Bogard and Line, each group having a different development character.

The lot sizes in these areas have a wide range throughout the neighborhood. Rutledge and Ashley Avenues, and Spring and Cannon Streets have larger lots. While Rose Lane and Sires Street have very small lots. Corridors with primarily single-style residences have minimal or no front yard setbacks. Whereas corridors with Victorian style houses have larger setbacks. The main home style in the Cannonborough-Elliotborough area is the single house. These homes are on average in the 2,000-3,000 square foot range. The best part about these homes is that they are still a vital part of Charleston’s history and still manage to have the same ornate patterns as the houses do by the Battery. They are mostly wood frame construction, with typical materials and details such as: Gabled standing seam roofs, six or two life sash windows, front porches or double sided piazzas, turned balusters and columns, simple molding profiles and castings, wood panel doors with a transom and hood above.

However, with this close-knit community and beautifully crafted homes, the Borough’s are still missing something…

Investors? Yes, please. Cannonborough-Elliotborough today and in the immediate future have very promising prospects of becoming the next great investment. The area is starting to see a demand for housing and rental properties with the newly built MUSC buildings and hospital system. These key components and the fact that Charleston has seen a 40% growth in the last 20 years alone should give an investor a warm fuzzy feeling. Since the downturn of the economy property prices have drastically been reduced, and houses are literally sitting empty waiting for someone to come along and “revitalize” them. Is that warm fuzzy feeling getting warmer? Get this, in just the last few years residents have formed a neighborhood organization called the “Cannonborough-Elliotborough Neighborhood Association.” They typically meet the third Monday every month, at 6:30 pm, at 68 Spring Street, which is the Karpeles Musuem. So if you still are not sure about the neighborhood, drop in on one of these meetings and be prepared to be blown away! The chances of you having success in this area finding a home and not a house, making new friends, and finding that perfect restaurant to always eat at, well in my opinion are in essence 100%. So next time you are around our area, please don’t hesitate to drop by and say hello to the many neighbors living around here.

Warmest Regards,

Bird