North Charleston Community "New American City" Master Plan

Location	North Charleston , SC United States 32° 51' 16.632" N, 79° 58' 29.316" W See map: Google Maps South Carolina US
Size	3,000 acres
Completion Date	2019
Project Type	Residential, Government, Community Development Planning & Design Development Guidance, Neighborhood & District Planning, Urban Design & Historic Preservation
Services	Landscape Architecture, Planning

Main Content

Description

This massive redevelopment plan, with a three-quarter-mile waterfront site as its catalyst, covers 3,000 acres, including 350 acres that the City of North Charleston, South Carolina, acquired from the Charleston Naval Complex Redevelopment Authority. The major objective for North Charleston is to offer an alternative to urban sprawl by setting the benchmark for smart growth, reclaiming the waterfront for public use while integrating the former Navy base into the city. In short, the plan transforms the ways in which the community functions, interacts and lives. As a public-private sector collaboration, funding will be provided by both tax increment financed (TIF) bonds and by equity provided by The Noisette Company, LLC.

BNIM is working in collaboration with the Washington D.C. office of Burt Hill Architects and a diverse group of specialty consultants including Steven Apfelbaum, ecologist and site designer.

The master plan includes sustainable development guidelines for parks, zoning, density, movement systems circulation (vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian), parking, energy-efficient utilities, ecological restoration, landscaping and watershed management. The Plan also calls for the reestablishment of Noisette Creek as a healthy, functioning ecosystem and watershed.

There are many areas encompassed by the redevelopment: the Riverfront Park at the old decommissioned Navy Complex joins a 200-acre park surrounding Noisette Creek; up to 10,000 new and rehabilitated housing units; six to eight million square feet of commercial space and revitalization of the City's Old Village; improvements to 13 public schools; and the creation of cultural venues, such as museums and other recreational areas, tourist and shopping destinations.

Quotes

"Great package... Process, Product, and Detail." "Very readable and comprehensive." "Superb attention to detail." "Graphics very understandable." "The vision of 'a balance among people, planet and prosperity' was well communicated." - 2005 ASLA Upstate NY Awards Jury comments "Great example at every scale of investigation... love the hand renderings... addressed the re-use of military bases and brownfields, important issues for our time... form-driven, responds to the character of the place that it is unclichéd... compelling presentation..." - 2005 Professional Awards Jury Comments, ASLA National “The ASLA Award of Excellence serves as a testament to the citizens of North Charleston and the Noisette Project design team in implementing a sustainable vision for the City’s future. At its core, Noisette is about people. Thousands of citizens worked closely with our development team, local government and the design team over a period of three years in developing the master plan, which reflects the collective wisdom of the community and the expertise of the design team. In practical terms, the master plan addresses a range of initiatives which address community needs, including social justice, economic development, environmental restoration, the arts, and human health in building. Noisette represents a new benchmark for sustainable thinking, a prototype for the future of community revitalization.” - John Knott, CEO/President, The Noisette Company “The Noisette Community Master Plan outlines new standards for creating a vibrant, healthy city, embracing its heritage and celebrating its role as a community, ecosystem, and marketplace. It’s gratifying to see this unique collaboration between a developer, a renowned team of planners and the local community selected for the ASLA’s highest honor.” - Bob Berkebile, FAIA, Principal/Founder, BNIM On Noisette, by noted Architectural Advocate Michael Sorkin, in response to the question: What recent architecture, landscape architecture, and/or urban design projects or kinds of projects do you consider best and/or most important, and why? “Anything that makes life better is supportable. This includes contributions to density and the fight against sprawl via growth boundaries and urban infill, innovations in environmental design from green roofing to sustainable modes of energy generation and conservation, housing diversity, the elaboration of the physical realm of public activity, and the making of beautiful buildings. Here are a dozen good examples: The green and communal urbanism at Noisette in North Charleston, South Carolina, where a genuine "public-private" partnership is raising the quality of the social and physical environments for both the poor and the middle class." - Michael Sorkin, Nine Questions About the Present and Future of Design, Stocktaking 2004, Harvard Design Review

Awards

Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES)

International Illuminations Design Awards - Capital Section Award - Riverfront Park Lighting

2006

Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES)

International Illuminations Design Awards - Capital Section Award - Point Pavilion at Riverfront

2006

ASLA Prairie Gateway

Award

2005

Amerian Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)

Award of Excellence

2005

https://www.bnim.com/sites/default/files/project_pdfs/north-charleston-community-new-american-city-master-plan_0.pdf