It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of George “Ryan” Butler on March 25, 2024. Born on Dec. 19, 1974, Ryan’s early years were spent in Medford, New Jersey. His adventurous spirit and boundless love found its home on Daniel Island with his beloved wife and children, where they lived for the last 19 years, following a move from Atlanta.

Ryan leaves behind his loving wife, Jenny, of 23 years; his whole world, daughter Ella and son Jackson “Banks;” his mother Jean; his siblings, Carole, Jackie, Kathy and JD; and his adoring nieces and nephew. His familial bond, woven with love, laughter, and countless memories, remains unbroken.

Ryan was a proud graduate of Shawnee High School and Bowling Green State University. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity while at Bowling Green and his Beta brothers were a second family. Ryan’s passion for home building was kindled by his father Jack, who was also a home builder. His illustrious career began with John Weiland Homes and Neighborhoods, before founding Shelter Custom-Built Living in 2013.

Under his leadership, Shelter garnered multiple “Prism Awards” and also became the first builder in South Carolina featured on the “Today’s Builder” television show, a testament to Ryan’s vision and dedication.

Ryan’s true legacy lies in both his professional accomplishments and the warmth and love he shared with his family and friends. Ryan was a natural athlete in all sports he tried. He was an avid ice hockey and soccer player growing up and an outdoors enthusiast.

His happiest moments were spent in nature, whether running, surfing, or simply enjoying the company of his loved ones under the open sky.

Ryan’s compassionate spirit, characterized by his easy smile, infectious laugh, and timeless adoration for his family, forged bonds that transcend his passing. His zest for life, evident in his love for music, adventurous tasting of new beers, and the simple pleasure of companionship, will forever echo in the hearts of those he touched.

As we say goodbye to Ryan, let us honor his memory by embracing the beauty in everyday moments, the strength in togetherness, and the joy in love shared. His legacy of kindness, resilience, compassionate spirit, great faith and unwavering affection will continue to inspire and guide us.

In remembrance of Ryan, a celebration of his life was held on April 5 at the Daniel Island Club.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Ryan Butler Memorial Fund at any Synovus Bank.

Farewell Ryan, until we meet again. Your light shines on in the lives you’ve gracefully touched.

- provided by the family

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Construction is underway on a build-to-rent luxury townhome community on 5.5 acres in Nowell Creek Village.

Holder Properties announces a partnership with East West Partners and SilverCap Partners to develop a purpose-built rental townhome community on 5.5 acres in Nowell Creek Village. The marsh-front community will feature premier amenities and three and four-bedroom units with attached garages.

Holder Properties said in a news release that it has partnered with East West Partners to develop the project. SilverCap Partners provided majority equity for the project, with construction financing provided by Georgia Banking Co. Patterson Real Estate Advisory Group led the capital raise and debt placement process, the release stated.

The project is the latest phase of Holder’s broader development plans at Nowell Creek Village on Daniel Island. Holder Properties purchased the 36-acre site between Nowell Creek and Beresford Creek in 2019 and set out to create a mixed-use community surrounded by the natural environment.

The waterfront community is currently home to Marshside, a Class A office building owned and managed by Holder, as well as a 320-unit multifamily project under construction by Middle Street Partners. Boutique retail, as well as a community park and dock, are in the planning and permitting phases, the release stated.

“We’ve owned this land for nearly five years and have been intentional about its purpose and our partners,” Will Menkes, president of Holder Properties, said in the release. “Limited residential inventory, coupled with high demand to live on Daniel Island, has created a strong need for purposefully built rental homes that provide access to the island’s great schools and amenities. The ability to move this project forward in today’s challenging macroeconomic environment speaks volumes about the merits of this project and the team assembled to bring it to life.”

East West Partners is a luxury developer “devoted to supporting high-quality real estate and lifestyle experiences.” On Daniel Island, they also developed The Waterfront, a luxury 22-acre community featuring residences, retail and community amenities.

“This new townhome community within Nowell Creek Village represents an incredible opportunity for East West Partners to expand our portfolio into the build-to-rent market and continue addressing the demand for luxury residences on Daniel Island,” East West Partners Managing Partner Miller Harper said in the release. “With interest in the lifestyle that Daniel Island affords at an all-time high, we are excited to bring to market a project that aligns with our values of offering high-quality real estate with a focus on community.”

The first units are expected to be ready in spring 2025, the release said.

DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Berkeley County Council allocated $100,000 to Daniel Island School and it’s all thanks to a group of students advocating for their classmates.

When eighth-grader Emily Hughes was elected as student council president, she knew she wanted to make a difference at her school. She said in years past, student council members were not able to turn their ideas into a reality, but she wanted to change that.

“This year I think we can actually get something and get it done,” Hughes said.

With the help of sixth-grade vice president Keegan McGivern and fifth-grade members Sara Whitley and Olive Abney, they were able to do just that. The student council got together and jotted down ideas that they wanted to implicate. Hughes said that Abney noticed a classmate who was unable to use the playground equipment at recess due to a physical disability, so he spent his recess reading inside. Hughes said it saddened her that recess was not something he enjoyed in the same way she was able to.

“It was upsetting because we could all use it. I loved playgrounds, like my whole life. And whenever other students can’t enjoy it the same way, we just want them to be included too,” she said.

Together, the student council decided that they wanted to create an inclusive playground. They knew this would be an expensive endeavor, so they first teamed up with their school’s Beta Club members to host a Valentine’s Day-themed fundraiser. Through that, they were able to raise $588, but these students were ambitious. They wanted to take it a step further.

The students got together again to propose a letter to Berkeley County Council. Less than a week after the letter was submitted, the council invited the students to speak at Monday’s council meeting.

“It all happened really fast,” Hughes said.

Hughes took to the podium to share their ideas with the council members. She told them how they didn’t want any students to be left out at recess anymore. District 2 Councilman and Finance Committee Chair Josh Whitley made a motion to allocate $100,000 to the school to get this new, accessible equipment. The motion passed unanimously, and the students received high praise from Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb for their efforts.

“We were all so amazed and excited. It was really exciting and fun,” Hughes said with a grin on her face.

The students’ principals and staff could not have been prouder. The actions of these students hit home for Assistant Principal Jay Burnsworth.

“The biggest thing for me is, and it makes me really emotional in a lot of ways, is that my own son has special needs. And at the end of the day, these kids are doing it for everyone, for the community - not just Daniel Island School, but everyone,” Burnsworth said. “As a father, as an administrator, friend, dad, everybody, I’m just really proud of these kids.”

Once the playground is open, it will be open to the entire community, not just the students of the school.

Burnsworth was not the only one beaming with pride for these four kids. Principal Laura Blanchard shared her praises.

“We just thought it was great that our students recognized that need and wanted all of their friends to be able to play alongside them to the point that they would take action in the way that they did,” she said.

Blanchard and Burnsworth think that the playground will be an incredible physical reminder to the children, for many years to come, that they were able to make a difference.

“It’s really neat to see them empowered in that way. And it’s such a good and positive way,” Blanchard said.

She shared that this was a wonderful learning experience for these kids.

“They learned from the adults in their community that they have a voice. And that we are going to come alongside them and help put feet to their dreams,” Blanchard said.

Blanchard and Burnsworth said that they are already working on initiating the process. They emphasized that they want the students to be fully involved every step of the way. While they are working on the design process, they plan to take the students to different accessible playgrounds in the area so that they can get some ideas. Blanchard said that this is the children’s space, and she wants it to be representative of them, so they should be the ones to decide what is needed.

Hughes expressed some ideas she already had. She said that she would love to have rubber flooring to make wheelchair access easier. She would also love to have wheelchair-accessible swings put in. They also plan to add a sensory garden to the community garden that already exists.

Hughes said she is excited about the next steps.

“We all thought there was space to grow in this area,” she said. “This is something important that needs to happen. So, it was worth it.”

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The actions of no fewer than three arms of state and local governments seem to be jelling nicely to turn prime riverfront real estate on Daniel Island's western edge into an exciting new public space. It's still early, and success is not guaranteed, so all involved, particularly Berkeley County and the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, need to get the details right as they look to create what could be the region's premier riverfront park of the early 21st century.

Last summer, Berkeley County Council voted to buy several parcels commonly known as North Island from the State Ports Authority, which has been looking to rid itself of landholdings that it no longer expects to need for port operations. The state agency acquired substantial tracts on Daniel Island two decades ago in an unsuccessful effort to build a new container terminal there, and it has moved slowly since to sell off that land.

County Council should finish its due diligence period and close on the property soon. The sale was made possible in part by Berkeley voters agreeing to a sales tax referendum that dedicated a small slice of funding for greenbelt projects, such as land conservation and parks. North Island would be the county's first greenbelt purchase using those funds, and it would come before the county actually has established a plan or an advisory board.

Even though the master plan has not been completed — which is not ideal — the purchase still looks like a wise strategic move, one that should help the county show voters that their money is being used effectively and efficiently on meaningful projects.

North Island offers a great location, between the terminus of Seven Farms Drive and the Cooper River, an area nearby residents have been advocating for a park for years. The site has no road access, but it could obtain that through an extension of Seven Farms. And this looks like a very good deal for taxpayers: The $4 million purchase price is about one-tenth of what the property is valued at for tax purposes.

Equally important, the county plans to pay only about half of the purchase price with its greenbelt money. The rest would come from a $1 million S.C. Conservation Bank contribution, and the county hopes to obtain another $1 million through grants, according to reporter David Wren. Such leveraging of the county's dollars is important and sets a solid precedent for future greenbelt deals, which also should attract outside money for conservation work.

The county's land deal is only a piece of what's going on here. Just to the south, the Ports Authority also has leased about 40 acres to the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism for public use. We urge this state and county to cooperate closely in the months to come. South of that potential park site, the Ports Authority also has worked since 2016 to create a saltwater wetlands mitigation bank; last month, it agreed to place 135 acres into a conservation easement with the Lord Berkeley Land Trust. Ultimately, those restored wetlands would complement any new park to the north.

Mark Messersmith, the SPA's environmental manager, told Mr. Wren that the three projects represent "a huge positive for the region," adding, "It's like 2½ miles of shoreline that would, in one form or another, be protected from large-scale development. ... It's almost unheard of to have that much protected land basically in an industrial part of a metropolitan area."

He's right. And while Berkeley looks to make a wise play on Daniel Island, it must ensure that, going forward, its new greenbelt program balances the interests across the county, from those in urbanizing areas such as Daniel Island, Hanahan and Goose Creek to those in rural areas that will need increased attention and protection, too.

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The Beresford Creek Bridge replacement project is proceeding on schedule with an anticipated completed date in April 2024, according to the city website and statements from city officials.

Construction, which began on Aug. 15, 2023, was expected to take nine months to complete.

An April completion date puts it within the nine-month construction timeframe, despite contractors encountering a couple of unexpected utility challenges.

The most recent challenge involved the underground location of pre-existing water lines.

During construction, the contractor discovered the line, which is buried beneath the creek bed, was not installed where the plans showed.

City Councilman Boyd Gregg explained that the project engineer, Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT), Inc., designed the bridge pilings to avoid the water line based on plans from when the line was installed, which he estimated to have been laid some 30 years ago.

Gregg said that despite the discrepancy between planned and actual, the contractor was able to drive the pilings and the project was not delayed.

Rob Williams, the city of Charleston Site Development Manager, confirmed there are no delays on the project.

Another previous utility issue arose in September when the gas main needed to be extended about 421 feet.

“This alteration is in response to a nearby commercial building expressing interest in accessing natural gas,” said Virginia Jones, senior project manager at Dominion Energy.

Neither the waterline nor gas line changes slowed the progress of the bridge replacement, according to city officials.

The bridge has been closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic since Cape Romain Contractors began construction in August 2023. The closure leaves only the two I-526 ramps as options for access to the island by auto. The new bridge will feature two travel lanes along with a multi-use path on one side.

The project’s aim is to lessen traffic and provide a safer crossing for commuters.

According to the city’s January project update, significant milestones have been achieved since the last update in November.

Those milestones include the completion of all piles, the formation and setting of the rebar cage pile cap known as EB4, and the ongoing process of laying decking for Spans A and B.

“It was thought that a valve would need to be installed prior to driving the final piling for End Bent EB4,” Williams said. “However, the contractor was able to drive the pile without installing the valve and it all got worked out.”

Stay up to date with the bridge replacement project via the city of Charleston’s website at charleston-sc.gov/2637/Beresford-Creek-Bridge-Replacement.