By Mark A. Leon

Charleston, South Carolina has taken on a new face.

The new modernized Charleston, with a focus on increasing tourism, corporate infrastructure, increased pricing, more crowded streets, cranes owning the skyline, traffic bottlenecks in all directions and inflationary spikes may be helping this booming economy, but it isn’t what everyone wants. There are a great many that miss the local first, charming historic appeal of the old Charleston. We wanted to share some of the ways Charleston has changed for the worse based on social chatter and mood indicators of those that live and breath the Lowcountry air.

10 Ways Charleston, S.C. has changed for the worse

Folly Beach is modernizing and monetizing – In case you blinked, there have been some significant changes to our favorite area beach. We would like to emphasize a few: 1. Folly Beach is now charging entrance fees to its street festivals including this weekend’s Folly Gras. 2. Arctic has implemented paid parking on the streets. 3. The beach entrance parking lots no longer accept money in an envelope. You must use a phone app to pay for your parking. 4. New construction is spiking around the area of Center Street. 5. Finally, a digital sign has been added on Folly Road.

Local First in downtown Charleston is a thing of the past – Remember: Bluestein’s Clothing, Morris Sokol Furniture, Bob Ellis Shoes, King Street Grille, Piggly Wiggly and Hughes Lumber – If you are a local and have been for a number of generations, you are seeing familiar businesses close faster than we can keep count. There is a simple explanation: the percentage of tourists is growing year over year and the percentage of local patrons is shrinking due to the overcrowded conditions caused by this spike in tourism.

Corporate billboards are taking over the city – You need not have lived here long to see the rise of corporate foundations in downtown Charleston and beyond. Let us highlight some of the big entrances into our charming community: Starbucks and Whole Foods (West Ashley), Starbucks (James Island), Walgreens (Corner of King and Calhoun), 5 Guys Burgers, Moe’s Southwestern, 3 Starbucks on King Street, West Elm, Louis Vuitton, IHOP, Publix, Vans, Aldo, Forever 21, H&M and more to come in downtown Charleston.

Church steeples beautifying the skyline is becoming a thing of the past – Cranes, construction, cranes, construction – That has been the look of our skyline for five plus consecutive years with no indication of a slowing in development. With the massive projects in the medical district, the corner of Crosstown and Lockwood, across from Joe Riley, Upper King Street and Upper Meeting Street, Charleston is changing forever and rapidly.

Charleston is more becoming more known for breweries than the churches of the Holy City – Don’t commit to this number, but we now have over 30 breweries in the Lowcountry and it is estimated there is a brewery for every 10K – 12K citizens in the county. I am not sure if that is worth celebrating or very alarming. Charleston is now becoming more known for its craft beer than its history and Holy City architectural charm.

Tourism first, local second – We had another record year of tourism. It is estimated 4.2 million people came through the Charleston International Airport in 2017. That does not even factor in car traffic. That is a big number. It is great for our local economy, but it is a pain point for locals who are fearing the inconveniences of spending time in Charleston. This truly is a shame. It is one thing to pledge “Buy Local”, but another to take action to ensure it is happening.

Reasonable commutes have vanished – There isn’t much to say here. You just need to live it every day to understand.

Taxation is disrupting local commerce and recreation – I was recently in Minneapolis and Philadelphia where restaurant food and alcohol tax are 6.0%. I was pleasantly shocked. For those that have never been here and plan a trip in the near future, this is a key piece of information: Charleston County sales tax is 9.5%, restaurant food tax is 10.5% and restaurant alcohol tax is 15%.

Increased parking rates and penalties have crippled locals ambition to spend time on the peninsula – It was only a few years ago, you could park in a garage on a Sunday and pay a flat fee of $5.00. It was just over 10 years ago, that a parking ticket cost $10. Some even remember $7.00. Now that fine is $45.00 and a garage will cost you $20.00 or more for just a few hours. There is opportunistic greed and it is very active in our community.

Shem Creek has lost its coastal appeal – There is now a parking garage with office suites on the grounds of Shem Creek, a place once known for fishing, kayaking, shrimping and a local coastal hangout. Times have changed on the Creek.

Bonus: Timeshares in Charleston – If you did not hear the latest news, the Charleston city council approved the development of a 100 unit timeshare on the corner of Calhoun and East Bay in downtown Charleston.