Lighting Store Showroom Near Sullivans Island, SC

Jimmy Dye, founding partner and broker-in-charge of The Cassina Group, successfully represented the owners on the sale of 1702 Ion Avenue, a significant transaction for Sullivan's Island. The property, a stunning 5-bedroom, 3.5-bath, 7,344 square foot home, was sold for $9,000,000, marking a notable milestone for the island's real estate market.

, successfully represented the owners on the sale of 1702 Ion Avenue, a significant transaction for Sullivan's Island. The property, a stunning 5-bedroom, 3.5-bath, 7,344 square foot home, was sold for $9,000,000, marking a notable milestone for the island's real estate market.

Originally constructed as the Base Commandant's Quarters, this exquisitely preserved historic home holds a unique place in history as the largest and most elaborate surviving structure of offices at Fort Moultrie. Its significance was further accentuated during World War II when it became the residence of the chief of staff, George C. Marshall.

"I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to represent the sellers on this extraordinary property," said Jimmy Dye. "Its rich history and timeless elegance make it a truly one-of-a-kind home, and I am proud to have been involved in the sale."

The property's distinctive features include expansive wraparound porches, tin printed ceilings, multiple fireplaces, gracious rooms, 9-foot ceilings throughout, a renovated kitchen, and a private pool, among others. Its charm and historical significance were a draw for buyers, leading to the property going under contract a mere 7 days after being listed with Dye.

This sale not only underscores the enduring appeal of Sullivan's Island but also highlights Jimmy Dye's exceptional ability to navigate high-value transactions in the luxury real estate market. The Cassina Group has a dominant presence on Sullivan's Island, closing 2023 as the #1 firm for sales on the island.

For more information on The Cassina Group, please visit TheCassinaGroup.com.

About The Cassina Group

The Cassina Group is a boutique real estate brokerage with offices in Mount Pleasant, SC and Charleston, SC. The firm is managed by founding partners and brokers-in-charge, Jimmy Dye and Robertson Allen, and Owen Tyler, partner and managing broker. Recent awards include top honors from Charleston Magazine, Inc. 5000, T3 Sixty and SC Biz News. For more information, visit TheCassinaGroup.com or call 843-628-0008.

Media Contact

Simon Ashton, SIMS Agency, 1 8433219292, simon@simsagency.com

SOURCE The Cassina Group

Named after Captain Florence O’Sullivan, O’Sullivan’s Island was founded in the late 17th century after colonists settled in Charles Town. Ever since, what became Sullivan’s Island has drawn buyers far and wide to this seaside sanctuary.

Sullivan’s Island is a largely untouched Lowcountry paradise that has managed to escape the rush of the vacation rental industry due to the limited space and stringent regulations instated on the island.

Those rules have not stopped a handful of wonderful restaurants from opening near the beach. Here are nine of them, each located on Middle Street.

Dunleavy's Pub

2213 Middle St.

Bill and Patti Dunleavy opened Dunleavy’s Pub on Sullivan’s Island 32 years ago.

It all started when, in the spring of 1992, Bill Dunleavy heard from the people who owned a restaurant that occupied about 4,000 square feet of prime real estate at the corner of Station 22½ Street and Middle Street. They told him they were selling. He said he wasn’t interested in all 4,000 square feet, but he was interested in the bar and the side along Station 22½.

Taking just a slice of the property meant they had to build a new kitchen, new bathrooms and a wall to separate off their piece. But within a month, Bill and Patti opened the doors of Dunleavy’s Pub.

In the 32 years that have passed, restaurants have come and gone on Middle Street, and there is something like twice as many now as when Dunleavy’s first opened.

A renowned Mount Pleasant Gullah Geechee restaurant is back in business as a small, private catering and culinary instruction company.

Mother and daughter team Charlotte Jenkins and Kesha Jenkins have brought Gullah Cuisine a decade after the physical restaurant closed. The catering service for groups of 50 or less is available for bookings through GullahCuisine.org.

Kesha Jenkins, 56, said she and her mother have never stopped cooking after the business closed in 2014 and her mother entered a kind of soft retirement five years ago.

Jenkins said this version of the business involves a mix of catering and teaching the culinary history of Gullah Geechee and Southern foods. The business is also promoting her mother's cookbook that published more than a decade ago and selling the former restaurant's seasonings under the Gullah Tings brand at gullahtings.com.

Jenkins said bringing the business back in this new form began in 2022 and they never stopped doing occasional caterings for friends and family events. She said they play to produce a series of instructional videos as well.

Both her and her mother are coming fresh off an appearance at this year's Charleston Wine + Food festival where they worked with Amethyst Ganaway, a writer and prominent young Gullah Geechee chef from North Charleston. The event was part history lesson and part culinary class where they cooked conch stew for two dozen attendees.

Bookings can be scheduled at their website or via email at charlotte@gullahcuisine.org or kesha@gullahcuisine.org.

Middle Street on Sullivan’s Island could look sparse in the new year. Sixteen miles of streets and roadways on the barrier island are part of Dominion Energy's routine tree-trimming project at the start of 2024.

Dominion Energy has contracted with Xylem Tree Experts to trim limbs that are within unsafe proximity to power lines, beginning Jan. 2. Work will begin near Fort Moultrie, and crews will make their way toward Breach Inlet over an eight- to 10-week period.

The 16-mile collection of streets and roads on Sullivan’s Island is part of a larger trimming effort that spans 87 miles and includes portions of Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms and Goat Island.

Each time a trimming project is announced, feedback and concern from residents is expected — particularly when the removal of palmetto trees is a possibility.

Sullivan’s Island is no stranger to this: the power utility had plans to remove over 200 palmetto trees on the island in 2020, but paused the effort following a meeting with the town’s mayor, Patrick O’Neil.

“We certainly understand the passion surrounding trees in the Lowcountry; we work and live here, too," said Dominion Energy spokesman Paul Fischer. "These are our communities, as well, and we understand that, but safeguarding overhead electric lines is critical to keeping the lights on for all the customers we serve.”

About 100 palmetto trees were not cut down as a result of that meeting and continued to grow, O'Neil said. This time around, Sullivan's Island may not get so lucky.

"We got a stay of execution for about 100 or so of them that were not definitely intruding on the required space that power lines have around them," O'Neil said. "I'm assuming a large number of them will have to go this time, unfortunately. But you know, we've made it clear to them that we hope they won't do anything more than is absolutely necessary."

Fischer said there are currently no palmetto trees specifically targeted for removal, but the trees that pose a risk to overhead lines soon will be identified. Trees needing removal will be marked with spray paint at the base, Mark Branham, Dominion Energy forester, said during a presentation to Sullivan’s Island Town Council on Dec. 19.

SULLIVAN’S ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) — The town of Sullivan’s Island could have its water supply cut off this summer, amid a dispute with the Charleston Water System.

According to a letter sent to the town from Charleston Water System (CWS) in October 2023, when Sullivan’s Island purchased 750,000 gallons per day of capacity from the Charleston Water System in 1994, it was a 30-year term which expires on July 19, 2024.

The water system tells Sullivan’s Island leaders that if there is not a new contract by then, service will be disconnected for the town’s 2,000 residents on July 20.

In addition, in the letter, the water system said the town has been paying $0.88 per thousand gallons of water since 2017, and calls that rate “arbitrary and unsupported by facts.”

Charleston Water System says the rate in 2017 was $0.96, and each year, there is a new projected rate for the town. For example, the rate last year was $1.53 per thousand gallons. At the end of the year, an adjusted rate was given which amounted to $1.11.

CWS also said in the letter to Sullivan’s Island that they are willing to provide water service to the town as long as it pays all outstanding amounts owed to the water system. As of February, that amount totaled $1.08 million.

In previous letters responding to Charleston Water System, Sullivan’s Island Mayor, Patrick O’Neil, said they have been paying the correct rate and that a memorandum of understanding on a rate formula was never approved.

“SI (Sullivan’s Island) has been paying the undisputed portion of the volumetric rate since 2017. SI does not owe capital charges unless SI purchases additional capacity which SI has not done.” a letter dated June 30 to CWS reads.

Sullivan’s Island leaders claim that the contract with the water system is clear that capital charges should not be charged on top of the initial capacity the town purchased in 1994. The town also adds that “because SI has not given written notice to CWS not to renew the contract, the contract will be automatically renewed for 15 years or until July 19, 2039, as set forth in the contract.”

In its October letter responding to the town, CWS CEO, Mark Cline, said CWS cannot agree to a rate formula that does not include capital charges or a perpetual term.

As of now, Sullivan’s Island and Charleston Water System are in legal remediation for the issue.

On Friday, Sullivan’s Island leaders released a statement to News 2:

“It’s disappointing that the leadership at Charleston Water System has apparently decided to ignore the confidentiality agreement put in place during the mediation of our long-standing dispute.

Years ago, CWS decided to raise our rates as if our signed contract with them did not exist.

As CWS knows, we’ve simply been continuing to pay the undisputed amount set in our long-standing, signed agreement.

We hope everyone will understand we’re standing firm on the principle that signed contracts are signed contracts. It’s the right thing to do for our citizens.

We will continue our good faith efforts to reach an appropriate agreement through mediation, or if need be, in the court.”

– Sullivan’s Island town leaders

Giant swaths of sand were washed away on Charleston-area beaches as a result of this week's nor'easter, officials reported. Folly Beach, the Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island and Kiawah Island — sites expected to be filled with tourists this summer — were especially hard hit.

Folly Beach’s sand dunes were pushed back as much as 20 feet. Kiawah Island reported up to 50 feet of erosion, with the highest erosion rates occurring around delicate Captain Sam’s Spit.

The Isle of Palms recorded beach erosion without providing specific measurements.

“We had a little bit of a buffer going into this thing that there's really not much buffer left anywhere,” said Eric Lutz, director of public works on Folly Beach in discussing the tons of sand lost there.

He added that without the sand dunes that were there, damage on the island would have been worse.

Dunes offer protection from flooding and are meant to be “sacrificial," he said.

"They’re doing what they’re supposed to do, but it is pretty catastrophic to the naked eye when you walk on the beach and see it,” Lutz added.

'Greater than anticipated'

On Sullivan’s Island, a nearly 10-foot tide and churning waves battered the dunes and covered Thompson Park, the historic site of a Revolutionary War battle, washing away sand. Officials closed access to the park as a result.

“The dunes were beat up pretty bad by the high tide and the wave action, so we saw a loss of the dune in many areas on the beach,” Sullivan’s Island Town Administrator Andy Benke said.

As of the afternoon on Dec. 19, several roads on Sullivan’s Island remained flooded with standing water. The town’s stormwater infrastructure was overwhelmed by the heavy rainfall, Benke said, and it could take up to three days for the water in the streets to completely drain away.

The City of Charleston cut its Rainproof Mini-Grant Program on March 20, citing the program’s use of “public funds for private gain” as one of the reasons.

Advocates of the program say it’s a mistake to restrict stormwater management efforts to property lines.

“The intent of this program is admirable, but using public funds for private gain is something governments should try to avoid if possible,” city spokesperson Logan McVey said in a written statement. “Making improvements to private properties with little oversight is not a good use of the city’s finite resources.”

The program funded construction of rain gardens — small, sunken areas planted with native flowers and grasses. While rain gardens can add color and texture to the homeowner’s private property, their main purpose is to collect rainwater coming from a roof or driveway and help its absorption. This prevents excess stormwater from running off into a neighbor’s yard, onto the road or into a storm drain system that can be easily overwhelmed during heavy rainfall, community hydrologist Rebecca Fanning said.

“The Dutch Dialogues were pretty clear ... that it’s going to take both public and private action to address flooding adequately,” Charleston Climate Coalition director Belvin Olasov said. “Rain gardens and people’s yards are a key part of that puzzle.”

The Dutch Dialogues was a year-long effort that took place in 2019 to reassess Charleston’s flooding issues. The Rainproof program was one of many recommendations from the Dutch flooding experts and was inspired by the motto of “Every Drop Counts,” the city’s program website stated at the time of publication.

“The benefit of one rain garden is felt everywhere downhill of that rain garden,” Fanning said.

The 37 rain gardens funded by the program and installed in 2020 and 2022 divert more than 750,000 gallons of water every year from the stormwater system, the city’s program website estimated at the time of publication.