12-story Jasper apartment building tops out, set to open later this year in Charleston – Charleston Post Courier

The frame of Charleston's new 12-story, mixed-use, upscale apartment building is now complete with the placement of the last high beam, putting the structure on track to open later this year.

The 4-acre development of The Jasper at 310 Broad St. near Colonial Lake on the lower peninsula will include 219 rental units, 75,000 square feet of office space, 25,000 square feet of first-floor retail space and an enclosed garage along with views of Charleston Harbor and the Ashley and Cooper rivers.

Construction on the 12-story, mixed-use Jasper apartment building topped out this week. The 219-unit structure, with office and retail space, is on schedule to open later this year. Rendering/Design by Antunovich Associatesof Chicago in partnership with LS3Pand DesignWorksof Charleston/Provided

The Jaspers location, which allows for unmatched views in every direction, along with its premier amenities, is what makes this a one-of-a-kind legacy project and the finest building in Charleston, said John Darby, CEO of The Beach Co., which is the developer

With leasing underway for office and retail space and an open residential reservation list, the Harleston Village complex will include on-site dining, shopping, a fitness center, rooftop pool and garden, a club and lounge for residents, an attended lobby, outdoor seating, walkways and parks.

At least one major commercial tenant plans to set up shop in the new building. Wells Fargo & Co. said last year it will vacate the three floors it leases at 177 Meeting St. near the City Market in late 2020 and move about 60 employees who work in its commercial lending and wealth management businesses to the Jasper. The San Francisco-based bank will occupy about 30,000 square feet of office space.

The city's Board of Architectural Review signed off on the design for the development in early 2017, but it didnt come without a fight.

The Beach Co. worked for years toward a redevelopment plan for the site but met stiff public opposition along the way.

The initial proposal drew neighborhood criticism after the longtime Charleston-based real estate firm introduced plans in 2015 to raze the 159-foot-tall, 1950s-era apartments and replace the 14-story building with a low-rise development.

The Jasper, a 12-story, mixed-use, upscale apartment building will offer views such as this one with the Ashley River in the background. Rendering/Design by Antunovich Associatesof Chicago in partnership with LS3Pand DesignWorksof Charleston/Provided

After residents and preservationists fought the concept as too dense, the company then reverted to a high-rise, mixed-use building, which is allowed by the citys zoning. The BAR rejected the concept.

The Beach Co. sued the board, saying it overstepped its bounds by rezoning the site to limit the projects size.The height and mass of the project was settled through a court fight and city agreement, but it did not result in a different design.

Demolition was completed in early 2018 on the former Sergeant Jasper building, named for a Revolutionary War soldier. The current construction project broke ground in August of that year. The first residential units are expected to be ready for move in by late 2020.

Reach Warren L. Wise at 843-937-5524. Follow him on Twitter @warrenlancewise.

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12-story Jasper apartment building tops out, set to open later this year in Charleston - Charleston Post Courier