Today’s Master Planned Community Trends, What You Need to Know

 

Carnes Crossroads

Across the Lowcountry, homebuyers are finding fresh options associated with master planned communities. Traditionally, these developments include pools, walking and biking trails, and playgrounds. Today’s buyers want more. Buyers are looking for communities that enhance their lives and provide modern conveniences.

Developers are studying and addressing the desire of homeowners to live in places where others who share similar lifestyles and values live. This is an example the “birds of a feather” concept in development.  Developers are responding by creating communities which have a sense of place.  They are creating places that people want to live, work, play.
 

Carnes Crossroads

Live, Work, Play

Convenience, healthy lifestyle and a sense of community are driving todays development.  Providing easy access to employment, retail, medical and shared amenities, like community centers, schools, pools nature trails, open areas and pocket parks help foster a sense of community. Employment opportunities within master-planned live-work communities are replacing long commutes and offer opportunities for residents to engage more fully in their communities.
  Summers Corner

 

Master-Planned Communities

Berkeley County features several fast-growing master planned communities. Summerville’s Nexton is an example of a master planned community which has been purposefully designed to provide live / work opportunities and a strong sense of community and lifestyle. Over the coming decade, the community will be built out and could contain up to 13,000 residential units.

Nexton’s Front Street District, a walkable district of restaurants, shops, offices, services and gathering spaces began with the construction of Nexton Square.  Nexton Square is an outdoor plaza surrounded by a mix of dining, shopping and services where residents and locals have access to everyday conveniences right around the corner.  Nexton also includes the Parkway District, featuring a mix of office and retail, ideal for corporate headquarters and large-format office tenants.

Knitting these business districts and residential neighborhoods together is Nexton’s extensive miles upon miles trail system for easy walking and biking, people working with these enterprises can certainly walk, bike or jog to work. 

Carnes Crossroads is located in in Berkeley County.  Developed by the same company that developed Daniel Island, quality of life and homes are a part of an outstanding community that is home to a thriving medical community, anchored by the brand-new Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital which opened October 2019.  Carnes Crossroads also offers a growing business district with shops and restaurants located in the heart of the community. 

Dunes West and Carolina Park are located in Charleston County’s Mount Pleasant. Both large master planned communities clustered near thriving retail and office space in Park West Community’s commercial areas.

 

Recreation

Summers Corner in Summerville has  designed their all ages community around a fully active life. Their extensive natural amenities include a kayak and paddleboard launch where residents can meet up to enjoy time together.


Summers Corner

With the increasing awareness of the need to live a healthier life, people are interested in a full array of activities to promote wellness. Communities such as Kolter’s Cresswind Charleston are designed around their core concepts of fitness, nutrition and relationships. To that end, the Club as Cresswind features an expansive fitness center, yoga room and demonstration kitchen — where guest chefs tutor residents in healthy cooking. A lifestyle director plans, organizes and manages a full array of activities for their 55+ residents.  

Poplar Grove is located in West Ashley.   A truly unique master planned community that incorporates its natural plantation district setting with stunning architecture.  Poplar Grove, itself does not have retail stores within the community, however it does boast more natural setting and man-made amenities than any area development and provides some of the largest homesites in the entire Greater Charleston area, up to 100-acre tracts.  Poplar Grove is currently sold out of new homes though resale homes may be available. A new phase is expected late 2023.

Small onsite community fitness rooms have often now been replaced with partnerships with full-service wellness centers that offer a broader array of options.

In April 2019 the YMCA of Greater Charleston opened a new location in Cane Bay.  This location is a 54,000-square-foot facility built on 68-acres donated by Cane Bay’s developer.  It includes a state-of-the-art “wellness center, gym, indoor jogging track, pickleball courts, meeting spaces and a 25-yard indoor pool. It is also surrounded by multi-purpose fields, courts and trails,” providing activities, sports and fitness for all ages.

 

Lifestyle

New residents can find many opportunities for community engagement with their new neighbors. Today’s communities often feature active social calendars and coordinated community events.  

Carnes Crossroads is centered around their Green Barn where a weekly, seasonal Farmers’ Market allows residents to source farm-grown produce, locally crafted cheeses, organic meats and eggs. Regular social activities take place at the barn as well.



Summers Corner

At Summers Corner, residents can gather at the Corner House, which shelters a cafe and coffee shop and gathering area. Residents working from home who want to meet clients or neighbors wanting a quick pickup lunch or dinner are all easily accommodated with Wi-Fi and tasty options.

 

Find your community

Home is more than the house they live in for most buyers. It’s community: front and center. With increasing numbers of new master planned communities arising to fill the demand for home within a community with a sense of place, buyers have a multitude of choices. Explore your options and find the perfect neighborhood for your new life.


 

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