34 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com harbor, marinas and the Battery along with parks and an interactive fountain resembling the pineapple at downtown Charleston’s Waterfront Park will lend a family dynamic to the property. Additionally, high-end boutiques and restaurants will give Seafair Village a vibe like that of Kiawah’s Freshfields Village, Wild Dunes or Nexton. And as Duncan said, due to its convenient location, Seafair is geared to become the heart of Mount Pleasant where residents and visitors can bike or drive. With convenient perimeter parking, a vacation or day trip to Seafair will offer something for everyone, whether hiking a waterside trail connecting to Hog Island, kayaking, playing a round at the Patriots Point Links course, relaxing during a massage, taking a harbor cruise or spending the day shopping while lingering to enjoy dinner. “It’s so exciting to see the plans coming to fruition,” Duncan said. He added that this fall, before ground can be broken for construction of the hotel and cottages, a land disturbing activity, work on the first phase of the Seafair Village development will require the enormous endeavor of verifying existing conditions, including but not limited to topographic, tree, storm drainage facilities and all exact vertical and horizontal locations of all existing utilities. Duncan estimated that this intricate work, along with building the hotel and cottages, will take approximately 12-18 months to complete Phase One to the Bennett Hospitality Group’s high standards, with the grand opening slated for some time in 2026. The next steps, according to Duncan, will include Bennett Hospitality finalizing landscaping, as well as interior packages with Atlanta-based Design Continuum, Inc.’s lead designer Karen Jenkins, who is in the preliminary phases of conceptualizing the coastal contemporary look that will pull neutral colors from the outdoors to mirror surrounding nature. As Duncan said, this streamlined and timeless style fits beautifully with Mount Pleasant’s vernacular. Future phases include developing hundreds of thousands of additional square feet allocated for upwards of 500 hotel rooms, a conference facility, boutique secondstory office spaces, residential components, as well as a sports and entertainment venue. “This project is already attracting national attention,” Duncan said, adding that market demand will ultimately determine final plans for other long-term phases of Seafair Village. “I’ll still be drawing for several months,” Duncan said with a chuckle. “In fact, I’ll never stop drawing.” our town
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