Wedding & Event Venue Near Mt. Pleasant, SC

The town of Mt. Pleasant S.C. is the second coastal town to reject the tourist tax.

On March 6, 2018, the residents of North Myrtle Beach rejected the proposal for a tourist tax, also known as the tourism development fee. Residents cast votes to determine whether they supported the implementation of a new one percent sales tourist tax known as the TDF.

3,050 out of 3,238 total votes casted no votes, while 188 voted in favor, as per the confirmed results.

Tourist Tax rejected in Mt. Pleasant

One week following the announcement of a new 1% sales tourist tax proposition aimed at generating funds for the development of the region surrounding Patriots Point, Mayor Will Haynie publicly admitted his mistake and abandoned the proposal on December 9th.

At a press conference on December 9th at Memorial Waterfront Park, Haynie assumed complete responsibility for the plan’s shortcomings and negative perception, humbly requesting the forgiveness of the residents.

Mt. Pleasant residents expressed their dissatisfaction and confusion due to the proposed increase in taxes and the potential disturbance of protected land, leading to the subsequent retraction.

Haynie stood alone at the Sweetgrass Pavilion, located under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, to declare his decision to retract the proposed local option tourist tax of 1 percent.

The “1% retail sales tax, will NOT be considered and that idea will be dropped — completely… FULL STOP on the retail tax idea,” the mayor said in a statement provided to media.

Mount Pleasant Councilman John Iacofano said the 1 percent retail sales tax should have been put to the voters via ballot referendum, as it was done in North Myrtle Beach in 2018.

Haynie expressed disapproval of implementing the 1 percent retail tax, stating it was a bad idea.

“It won’t see the light of day,” Haynie said.

“I think we have some healing to do, and I don’t think it’s over with an apology. I think that we’ve got some proactive work to do,” said John Iacofano, Mt. Pleasant City Councilman.

“I think that the citizens of Mount Pleasant were clearly taken aback by the whole process, or lack of process, for how this was rolled out,” Mt. Pleasant City Councilwoman Guang Ming Whitley said.

MYRTLE BEACH TOURIST TAX is the only one in S.C.

The Tourist Tax was enacted in 2008 through a city council vote led by then Mayor John Rhodes and the Myrtle Beach City Council. However, it was not subjected to a voter referendum.

The 1% sales option tourist tax contributes $24.5 million annually to the revenue collected by the City of Myrtle Beach.

The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce receives 80% of these funds specifically for out-of-market advertising purposes.

Abbracci Italian Cuisine & Cocktails brings coastal charm to North Mount Pleasant (PROVIDED)

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCIV) — The new restaurant, Abbracci Italian Cusine & Cocktails, is offering coastal charm to a local neighborhood.

Don and Joanne Migliori are set to unveil their latest culinary venture, Abbracci Italian Cuisine & Cocktails, held its soft opening Friday, Nov. 8, in North Mount Pleasant. The restaurant promises an inviting and elevated dining experience, blending Italian recipes with the charm of coastal Carolina hospitality.

Named after the Italian word for "hugs," Abbracci reflects the Migliori family's Italian-American heritage and their commitment to creating welcoming spaces. This marks the couple's third culinary endeavor in the Charleston area, following the success of Migliori’s Pizzeria and their partnership in Legami on King Street.

"Mount Pleasant has been our home for years, and we’re so grateful for the support we’ve received. We’ve poured our hearts into Abbracci," said Joanne Migliori. "Abbracci is our way of continuing that connection, offering a place where people can come together over heartwarming Italian dishes, cocktails, and truly memorable experiences. From the food to the design, our goal is to create a space where people feel like they’re part of our family."

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Guests can expect a variety of dining experiences, including an expansive cocktail bar, a wine program, outdoor patio seating with a fire pit lounge area, a community table for gatherings, and a private dining room for special occasions.

The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Devin Sansone, known for his expertise in Italian cuisine. Chef Sansone has crafted a menu that combines rich Italian tradition with coastal-inspired flair. Signature dishes include house-made sausage arancini, crispy octopus, ricotta gnocchi, rigatoni sugo with braised pork cheek, potato-crusted fish, and a traditional cioppino with fresh local seafood.

"Abbracci’s menu has been really fun to create. We’re honoring the flavors and traditions of familial Italian roots while embracing the fresh, local ingredients of the Lowcountry," said Sansone.

Located at 1146 Muhlenbergia Drive, Abbracci will be open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The restaurant plans to introduce weekend brunch services and host a grand opening in 2025.

Updated: Oct. 31, 2024 at 2:21 AM PDT

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC)- The final site review for a food, entertainment, and public gathering space was approved by Mount Pleasant’s commercial design review board on Wednesday night.

The space is called Gather Mount Pleasant and will be located on Midtown Avenue right across from MUSC Midtown in Mount Pleasant and off of HungryNeck Boulevard.

The co-developer of Gather Mount Pleasant, Mack Cross, said that this project will cost $14 million. He said he wants it to serve as a place for friends and families to come and enjoy time together.

“Spend time, you know, ideally away from screens and have conversation, meet neighbors here, host out of town visitors,” Cross said. “A place that Preston, our other partner and co-developer, are really kind of planning for families like ours and a place where we would like to meet our community and spend time.”

Cross said Gather Mount Pleasant will have a similar atmosphere to the Gather location in Greenville, South Carolina but it will be bigger. Along with a variety of food and beverage options and live music like Gather Greenville, the Mount Pleasant location will have additional features like retail, office and salon space.

However, the site Gather Mount Pleasant will sit on has a residential community right next to it called Midtown Townes and Cross said they have had to modify their designs because of some residents’ concerns.

“We reduced the scale of the project. Originally we had a hotel component, but we have since gotten rid of that. The economy changed through the process, so that was a factor as well, you know, so just navigating all those different factors and really wanting to be thoughtful about the design and making sure that it’s a great fit for this site and this community,” Cross said.

One of the concerns previously expressed was noise, however, Cross said they have addressed this with the setup of the project and wouldn’t be having live music played late at night.

“So the scale of the building and where the stage is located within the project the buildings will provide some natural sound screening for that stage, but yes, we are sensitive that this is a residential area,” Cross said.

Many residents of the townhomes spoke during the public comment session of the meeting. One of their main concerns was about an entrance and exit point for commercial vehicles located on Fortier Drive which many of the residents said this road is essentially a driveway for them. They said with that road already being narrow and having commercial vehicles come through they worried about what congestion it could bring.

Mac Deford, a local politician, is one of those residents. He said that he thinks his community would be overall supportive of this project if they addressed this issue and found an alternative access point for commercial vehicles that doesn’t include Fortier Drive.

“I think as long as they are not using our private road, what is an alleyway, clogging it up with commercial traffic which you know would create a lot of safety concerns and hazards, I think they would have the overwhelming support of our community,” Deford said.

During the meeting, officials assured residents they examined various places to put this access point but that this was the best spot.

Cross said he believes the project they have designed now is the best concept they could be bringing to the area. Now that the commercial design review board has approved, Cross said the next steps would be for them to finish their construction drawings and then submit those to the Town of Mount Pleasant for building permit approval.

He said they hope to break ground in early spring or summer with construction expected to be completed in the middle of 2026.

“It is a place for many occasions, spontaneous occasions. It’s really hard to go out with a big family or multiple families and find a place to eat that’s welcoming and you know not too expensive and you know where you’re not disrupting people,” Cross said. “I can think of numerous occasions of times where you know we will end up here and hopefully others will too.”

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) The Town of Mount Pleasant’s Commercial Design Review Board met Monday night and one of the developments up for review had residents divided.

The developers of the Erckman Pool Club in Old Mount Pleasant want to develop the club to give families living in the neighborhood somewhere they can enjoy the outdoors.

“Its local people, everyone lives in the neighborhood, we all have young kids and we’re looking to create a place where they can gather and be together out in nature and have a good time,” said Alan Biggers, one of the project developers.

Residents that live close to the proposed location came to the design review board meeting tonight to express concerns about noise from the pool club being near their homes. They also have safety concerns with how many people would drive to the club on the streets their children play on.

“You’re looking to build this pool club smack dab almost on top of houses there’s houses to the right to the front if you look at (other pool clubs) they have beautiful pool clubs, tennis clubs but those facilities are built on their own area and not interfering with safety traffic parking noise and that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” said Stephanie Myers, a resident of Mt Pleasant.

The design review board asked the developers about parking for the pool. They were concerned there would not be enough space for events, but ultimately approved the project because it met the city’s requirements for zoning.

Officials told residents their request for speed bumps or a four-way sign to be placed before the pool club, that residents would have to contact the state, because it is a state road.

“I believe its a good idea at the wrong place…There is no 4 way stop at place and coming off the Coleman people speed up as they go in,” said Mike Tinkey, a Mt Pleasant resident.

Not everyone was opposed to the pool club. Several residents at the meeting said they want to join the pool club to give their children a place to go. The developers hope to work with the neighborhood on how the pool club will fit into the neighborhood.

“Part of the beauty of the old village and old mt pleasant that’s why people want to be here and want to live here so they can golf cart to a restaurant or do something else where its not some master-planned community which it’s not so that what we’re trying to achieve,” said Biggers.

The developers hope to break ground by spring of next year.

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MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC)- A new medical building is coming to the Lowcountry that will be located directly across from the East Cooper Medical Center in Mount Pleasant.

The chief strategy officer for the East Cooper Medical Center, Thomas Hayden, said that the 2-story, 40,000-square-foot medical facility will be called the Center for Women’s Health

“It will be a centralized place where women from our community can find the best doctors all under one roof to continue the legacy of East Cooper,” Hayden said. “At its foundation women’s health has always been important to the community and we’re excited to see that into this next phase.”

Novant Health owns the East Cooper Medical Center and Hayden said that they will also own this new women’s medical center.

He said that the new facility will provide a variety of women’s health services.

“Once the building is complete, we will be co-locating a number of services so that the women in our community can expect to see obstetrics and gynecology, maternal fetal medicine for high-risk pregnancies, neonatology, breast surgery, pelvic medicine and of course a mammography will be in the building,” Hayden said.

He said they are expecting preparation of the construction site to begin in the first quarter of next year. Once that starts Hayden said he predicts the facility will open in 18 months.

He said that the opening of this new facility is important, saying that since the beginning East Cooper Medical Center has always strived to take care of the women in the community.

“We affirm our commitment to women’s health which started East Cooper,” Hayden said. “You’d be hard to find a neighbor or a friend or family member whose child wasn’t born either at our old hospital or at our new hospital and we’re continuing that legacy to take care of all of the women at different stages of their life.”

Hayden said for those interested in following along on the process of this new medical building to check out their LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and website for any future announcements.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.