This morning’s Post and Courier (Wednesday, July 2) ran an encouraging article about the continued sustainable redevelopment going on North Charleston: Cottage Living magazine recently ranked the city’s Noisette area – 3,000 acres around the old Navy base, which includes Mixson and Park Circle – as one of their top ten reuse neighborhoods in the country! It’s lovely to see North Charleston in such a good category, and with the way things are going for Charleston’s northern sister, I think we’ll be seeing this happen more and more. And, as you can read in the article, Cottage Living was so impressed with Mixson in particular that they’re considering building a show house (or “Idea House” as they call it) in the community next year!

In honor of this national recognition, Mayor Summey of North Charleston held a press conference today to discuss the ranking and what it means for the city. Alys Campaigne, the I’On Group’s VP of Marketing and Mixson champion extraordinaire, also spoke at the conference, expressing our excitement at being recognized so highly, months before the first homeowners move in.

Cottage Living’s criteria for the ranking, according to the Post and Courier article, included “styles of home with unifying design elements and walkable streets, the people who live there and work to change the area, the concepts behind the changes, and the uniqueness of the homes.” On the Cottage Living website, the criteria are broken down into: Homes – 30%; People – 30%; Bright Idea – 30% (in other words, innovations that spur positive changes); and Cottage Twist – 10% (that’s “something unique that brings a smile”).

With all the press that Park Circle and North Charleston have been getting, it’s safe to say that most of the Charleston community knows what a great spot the Park Circle area is; but, if you still haven’t been up to check it out, GO! You can have a coffee, buy gorgeous flowers, get your hair cut, do your banking, bar-hop, restaurant-hop, play Frisbee golf, and with Mixson right there, LIVE in about a one-mile area. So go, have fun – and when you come back, let us know what your favorite part is!

Filed under: Charleston SC Green Living, I'On Group, Mixson, Urban Sustainability on July 2nd, 2008