MOUNT PLEASANT, SC (WCSC) – Final site review for a dining, entertainment and public gathering space was approved by the Mount Pleasant Commercial Design Review Committee Wednesday evening.

The space is called Gather Mount Pleasant and would be located on Midtown Avenue, directly across from MUSC Midtown in Mount Pleasant and off Hungryneck Boulevard.

Gather Mount Pleasant co-developer Mack Cross said this project will cost $14 million. He said he wanted it to be a place where friends and families could come and spend time together.

“Spend time, you know, ideally away from screens and chat, meet neighbors here, welcome visitors from out of town,” Cross said. “A place that Preston, our other partner and co-developer, is really 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 Gather Greenville but will be larger. In addition to a variety of food and beverage options and live music like Gather Greenville, Gather Mount Pleasant will have additional features like retail, office and lounge space.

However, the site where Gather Mount Pleasant would be located is surrounded by townhouses and Cross said they had to modify their designs due to some issues. the concerns of residents.

“We reduced the scale of the project. Originally we had a hotel component, we have since gotten rid of that. The economics have changed during the process, so that’s been a factor as well, you know, so just navigating all these different factors and really wanting to think through the design and making sure it’s a perfect fit for this site and to this community,” Cross said.

One of the concerns expressed by residents was noise, however, Cross said they addressed that issue when the project was put in place and would not have live music playing late at night.

“So because of the scale of the building and the location of the stage in the project, the buildings will provide natural acoustic protection for that stage, but yes, we are sensitive to the fact that this is a residential area,” Cross said.

Many residents of Midtown Townhomes located right next to where Gather Mount Pleasant will be built spoke during the meeting’s public comment session. One of the main concerns was an entry and exit point for commercial vehicles located on Fortier Drive. Several residents said that this road essentially served as their driveway. They said that because this road was already narrow and commercial vehicles passed through it, they were concerned about the traffic jams it could cause.

Mac Deford is one of those residents and he said he thinks his community would overall support this project if they resolve this issue and find another access point for commercial vehicles that doesn’t include Fortier Drive.

“I think until they use our private road, what is an alley, the clutter with commercial traffic, which you know would create a lot of safety issues and dangers, I think they would have the overwhelming support of our community,” Deford said.

However, City of Mount Pleasant Deputy Director of Capital Projects and Transportation James Aton said at the meeting that after looking at various locations to install this access point on other roads, it was the best place.

Cross said he thinks the project they have designed now is the best concept they can bring to the area. If approved at the Commercial Design Review Committee meeting, Cross said the next steps would be to complete their construction drawings and then submit them to the Town of Mount Pleasant for permit approval. build.

He said they hope to begin work in early spring or summer and construction is expected to be completed by mid-2026.

“It’s 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, not too expensive and where you don’t bother people,” Cross said. “I can think of many occasions where you know we will end up here and I hope others do too.”

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