Ingleside Plantation is a 450-acre commercial "smart growth" development project located between Interstate 26 and U.S. Highway 78, owned by Weber USA.  In November, plans to transform 450 of the 1,800 acres into 3.6 million square feet of office, retail, restaurant, hotel and condominium space was announced.

Weber USA has teamed with The Weiser Companies, Inc., for this unique project development.  The project is part big-box center, part new urban core, part high-end and overall “something very different for Charleston,” said developer Richard Weiser, president of The Weiser Cos., which developed the Centre Pointe project in North Charleston.  

Officials say the project will attract major retailers not currently in the area, making it a shopping destination for people as far as 200 miles away, focusing on the future upside of economy in the coming years.

The Weber-Weiser Development team hopes to begin development of the first of two phases in seven or eight months. The first phase, located along U.S. 78, includes 1.12 million square feet of commercial space built in the style of a traditional suburban center.  

The second phase, with 2.5 million square feet planned, will follow the live-work-play trend to create a new, mixed-use city core. Located at the southern end of the tract along Interstate 26, it will include high-density development and high-end tenants.

The project is not a dressed-up shopping mall, developers say. They hope to bring large “destination” retailers not in the Charleston area now.  “We’re not looking to compete with Northwoods or Citadel Mall,” Elliott Summey, V.P. of Business Development for The Weiser Companies, said.

No exact timeline has been set for Phase 1, he said, because much depends on the county’s road construction, permits from state wetlands regulators and contracts with tenants.