Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Repair in Mount Pleasant, SC

The Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina is under contract, with a transfer of the waterfront property expected to close by the fall.

American Financial Group Inc., the longtime Cincinnati-based operator, announced on March 31 that a deal is in the works for the getaway at state-owned Patriots Point.

The price was not disclosed, but the seller said Monday that it expects to book an after-tax net gain of $100 million from the transaction.

The sale will include the long-term real estate leases to the Mount Pleasant resort's two hotels, the 459-slip marina, a full-service restaurant and other assets.

American Financial Group did not identify the buyer. A representative said the company had no further comment Monday.

The terms include a 60-day review period for the purchaser, which can still terminate the sales agreements. If the deal proceeds, the transaction will be finalized by Sept. 30, American Financial Group said.

The resort is next to Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, one of South Carolina's busiest visitor destinations. It is operated under ground leases with the state. The rent payments are based on a combination of flat fees and a set percentage of revenue from various sales and services at the property.

The original hotel was opened in mid-1997.

The current operator is part of American Financial Group's real estate investment arm and formerly was called Brothers Property Corp. The company acquired the leasing rights from the original local development group for $17.5 million in May 2002 and added the 92-room Beach Club hotel in late 2016.

MOUNT PLEASANT — A popular Old Village restaurant is about to go under new ownership — and a prominent Charleston-based hospitality group has been tapped to take over.

Post House, led by Ben and Kate Towill’s design and hospitality firm Basic Projects, will be sold in a deal expected to close May 1. With the Towills' departure, Indigo Road Hospitality Group, whose portfolio includes Indaco, O-Ku and Oak Steakhouse, will be in charge of daily operations moving forward.

The Post House was revitalized into an adored boutique hotel and restaurant under the Towills' leadership. Since reopening six years ago, the property has earned multiple hospitality awards, including a Michelin Key for its "unique and memorable" setting.

"The property is an institution, and it was an honor to breathe new life into such a storied building," Ben Towill said in a statement. "The community connections and team we built will remain our greatest successes and we look forward to watching the property continue to grow and thrive."

Indigo Road is stepping in about one month after the hospitality group, led by president and founder Steve Palmer, brought Morrison Drive stalwart Edmund's Oast under its umbrella alongside its roster of 30-plus restaurants. Post House will be the hospitality operator's 35th.

Indigo Road will also assume hospitality operations at the Seabird Inn, a forthcoming boutique hotel at the corner of Hibben and Whilden streets in the Old Village. That project is progressing under the leadership of development partner Jeremy Graves.

Palmer dispelled the notion that the businesses are part of a broader move to take over operations at existing eateries. Before Edmund's Oast, Indigo Road had only operated restaurants it opened.

Palmer pledged to keep Edmund's Oast running as it has for more than a decade. The same applies at Post House, he said, and all employees have been offered their current jobs. Palmer was approached about the opportunity about a month ago, and Indigo Road is a minority investor, he said.

"We're honored to be asked," he said. "Kate and Ben have created an incredible place ... Our intention is to leave it the same."

The Towills, who recently sold their stake in Sullivan's Seafood & Bar to a group that includes Graves, the Seabird Inn developer, and Jason Stanhope, now have just one restaurant in Charleston: Basic Kitchen. The couple plans to refocus their efforts there with "some fresh new dishes, exciting updates to the space and a new events room," Ben Towill said.

"Basic Projects will continue building its portfolio of unique hospitality ventures, experiences and home products," he said. "Kate has a number of exciting design projects in the works, including two local commercial spaces, that we can’t wait to share soon."

Post House, 101 Pitt St., will remain open during the transition. For more information, visit theposthouseinn.com.

MOUNT PLEASANT — The price tag of a road widening project that has dragged along for years has ballooned by over $100 million.

The widening of S.C. Highway 41, funded by the 2016 transportation sales tax, has been in the works since 2017. The expansion will add two lanes to the highway from U.S. Highway 17 to Clements Ferry Road, doubling the number of lanes for most of the route.

In a transportation sales tax update at the March 6 Charleston County Council finance committee meeting, public works Director Eric Adams said the road projects the county is working on are on schedule. He said the county submitted right-of-way plans to the Army Corps of Engineers for the widening and expects to start construction in 2026.

The project was initially estimated to cost a little over $129 million in 2016 but has since gone up to $245 million.

Devri Detoma, county deputy public works director, said the dramatic increase in cost is largely due to inflation and impacts from COVID-19 pandemic. The project is still covered by the 2016 sales tax as well as funds from the S.C. Transportation Infrastructure Bank despite the rise in costs, Detoma said.

In addition to the price increasing, the timeline of the widening project has extended, partially due to the permitting process which can take years. Adams said during the March 6 meeting construction is often the shortest component of a road project.

While the permitting process is tedious, progress was also impacted by controversy, Detoma said.

The historic Phillips community sits on both sides of Highway 41. Previous plans called to widen the road two lanes to five, which would have made the road come much closer to homes in the community, which residents opposed.

The county held over 150 public meetings from 2017 to 2020 so residents and elected officials could figure out a compromise. Detoma said the back and forth with the public must have taken a year.

County Council voted unanimously in 2021 to adopt the plan the county is using now which adds two lanes, adds a center turn lane in the Phillips community, and the includes the construction of Laurel Hill Parkway, a two-lane road that will run through the outskirts of Laurel Hill County Park.

Not all residents are happy.

Travis Korson, vice president of the Park West Master Association, said the Park West the community is concerned about the the construction of the Laurel Hill Parkway. Not only would it run through Park West, but it would result in the loss of 12 acres of wetlands. Korson said this would worsen flooding conditions and harm endangered species.

But residents of Phillips community, like Richard Habersham, support the plans. He said the project will both help reduce traffic and make turns into Phillips safer with an added center turn lane.

The county is still meeting with residents who may be affected by the widening as they progress with the project, county public information officer Chloe Field said.

In the meantime, the county has made some interim improvements. Construction project manager Cal Oyer said a signal at the intersection of Joe Rouse Road and Highway 41 was updated to allow southbound traffic to flow freely except when a pedestrian is crossing, and a left turn lane was added from Joe Rouse Road to Highway 41.

Improvements were also made to the intersection of Highway 41 and U.S. Highway 17, by updating the timing of the signal, and restriping and reassigning the lanes to help traffic move more quickly, he said.