Cover Story: The Post and Courier - Saturday, June 1, 2002
Location, trees are selling points in The Villages
By: Bob Lang of The Post and Courier Staff

As popular as neotraditional neighborhoods have become around Charleston, there are only a few that offer homes starting under $200,000.

One is The Villages in St. John's Woods, a new planned community taking shape on a heavily wooded 130-acre tract off Maybank Highway near Bohicket Road on Johns Island.

Under development for more than a year, The Villages feature Lowcountry-inspired home designs. Rather than single houses, these designs have an old country look to them.

More than 30 one- and two-story plans are offered, ranging in size from about 1,400 to 2,600 square feet. Prices for standard homes range from $190,000 to about $290,000, although some of the smaller homes could be built with fewer features starting at about $180,000.

About a dozen homes are under construction. The first residents are expected to move in this summer.

All homes are built on crawl-space foundations. Permitted exterior materials include cement fiberboard, brick, stucco and real wood. Typical interior features include smooth ceilings, solid-surface countertops, extensive hardwood flooring and heavy molding. Most plans have large porches. Garages are set back and can be detached from the house.

HLA Inc. of West Ashley designed the neighborhood. The developer is Pearlstine Properties LLC, led by Edwin Pearlstine of Charleston. Harbourtowne Real Estate is handling the marketing.

Pearlstine, whose family has been doing business in South Carolina since 1865, recently retired from the beverage distribution business. He's still co-owner of the Charleston Stingrays minor league hockey team. This is his first venture into real estate development.

"Our family has always followed through with our commitments, and we're committed to doing this project right," Pearlstine said. "People are going to be proud to live in this community."

About 300 homes are planned, including 71 in the first phase. There will be four neighborhoods within the subdivision, each with its own set of architectural requirements.

The neighborhoods will be connected by a network of walking trails, parks and other green spaces. The centerpiece of the community will be a six-acre park, featuring a swimming pool and deck area, picnic and playground areas, a multi-purpose playing field and a community pavilion.

Buyers can choose a home in inventory or have one built from among one of the available floor plans. Builders must be chosen from among the six currently working in the community: Hudson Construction, The Altman Group, Lone Oak Development, Lone Wolf Construction, RiverTowne Construction and Stono Construction.

Lots may be purchased separately for between $43,500 to $45,000 each. Home sites are relatively large, averaging 9,000 square feet. Buyers are required to start home construction within five years of purchase.

Pearlstine said he was attracted to the property because of its wealth of trees and location.

"This isn't an old tomato field. We've got some big, beautiful trees here and we're trying to save every one we can," he said.

The location is about a 15-minute drive from downtown Charleston. A grocery store and several restaurants are within a mile of the entrance. Charleston Municipal Golf Course is a short distance down Maybank Highway.

John Westendorff, an agent with Harbourtowne Real Estate, said access to the community will be even better in the next couple of years when the new Limehouse and Stono River bridges are completed.

"Johns Island is beginning to come into its own," he said. "This is an opportunity for people to get into a nice community here before real estate values really take off."

To get to The Villages in St. John's Woods from downtown Charleston, take Folly Road to Maybank Highway. Stay on Maybank Highway through the River Road intersection. The entrance to the subdivision will be on your left about 1.5 miles past River Road.

The sales office is inside the office building at 3289 Maybank Highway, near the main entrance. The office is open seven days a week.

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