• HOME
  • BEST OF PARTY PHOTOS
  • FEATURES
    • Best Of Cover Shoot
    • Pet Owner’s Stories
    • People
    • Places
    • Issues
    • Remembering
    • Things
    • To Do
  • DEPARTMENTS
    • Finance / Real Estate
      • Financial Articles
      • Real Estate
        • Real Estate Experts
        • Top 10 Most Expensive Homes Sold
        • Articles
    • Around Town
    • Business
      • Belle Hall Shopping Center
      • Lowcountry Women in Business
      • MP Business
    • Dwellings
    • Entertainment
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Food & Drink
    • Giving Back
    • Health & Wellness
    • Love & Marriage
    • Pets
    • Relax & Retire
    • Sports & Fitness
  • Read Magazine
  • MORE MAGS
    • Charleston Women 👩‍🏫🏢
    • Lowcountry Cuisine 🧀🍷
    • Best of Mt Pleasant Mag 🏆🏆
    • MP Business Mag 🏢
    • MP Pets 🐶🐱
    • Charleston Independent School Directory 🏫
    • MP Senior Living 👴👵
    • More Mags
      • IOP Mag
      • SI Mag
      • MP Town Hall Magazine
  • DIRECTORIES
    • East Cooper Dining Guide
    • Attorney Directory
    • 2025 Charleston Wedding Venues
    • Pool Builders/Services Directory
    • Financial Planners
    • Mount Pleasant Area Hotel Directory
    • East Cooper Worship Guide
    • East Cooper Fitness Directory
    • Senior Living Directory
    • 2023 Local CPA Tax Directory
    • Mount Pleasant Apartment Directory
  • SUBSCRIBE

Mount Pleasant Magazine

Mount Pleasant Magazine is the premier lifestyle magazine for Mount Pleasant, SC. Read about local news, events, businesses, people, and more. Subscribe today or read our digital magazine online.

  • Best of Mount Pleasant
    • 2025 Best of Mount Pleasant Including Previous Years
    • Best of Mount Pleasant Winner Articles
    • Best Of Party Photos
  • Podcasts
    • Mount Pleasant Podcast
    • Carolina Real Estate Podcast
    • Georgetown the Podcast
    • Coastal Home Podcast Video Tour
    • Best of Mount Pleasant Podcast
    • Hammock Coast Podcast
    • More Podcasts
      • Charleston Women Podcast
      • Isle of Palms Podcast
      • Charleston Pet Podcast
      • Charleston Wedding Podcast
  • Top Ten Homes Sold
  • Advertise
    • Advertise With Us
    • Media Kit
    • Video Testimonials
  • About Our Team
  • MORE
    • Real Estate Experts
    • MP Town Hall
    • Attorney Directory
    • News
    • MP Neighborhoods
    • East Cooper Online Network
    • Contact

A Home for Where the Heart Is: Affordable Housing in Mount Pleasant

Posted by MPM Leave a Comment

Illustration of a house

Depending upon your personal point of view – and where you live in town – the two-word phrase “affordable housing” can be as welcome an expression as “summer breeze” or as off-putting as “tornado warning.”

That’s because this seemingly innocuous label says all the wrong things to many people. Calling it “workforce housing” puts a more positive spin on the concept, although that characterization makes it sound like something out of the old Soviet Union.

In point of fact, despite what fears some might have, affordable housing does not mean big-city-style, government funded “projects.” Nor does it signify low income shelter prone to gangs, drugs and crime.

There are several ways to define what constitutes housing that is affordable, and one handy criterion is the federal government’s standard – that which can be rented or owned with a monthly payment that amounts to 30 percent or less of a household’s gross income.

Because of that 30-percent benchmark, two things are immediately evident. One is that it’s not likely any affordable housing will be going up in, say, Beverly Hills or Palm Beach. The other is that, based on income levels East of the Cooper, any affordable housing would have to command a pretty significant rent or mortgage payment.

Right now, the town of Mount Pleasant is engaged in a study of the prospect of new housing being constructed that would meet that 30-percent-or-less benchmark, thereby offering workers with moderate incomes – those on the payrolls of the town, local hospitals and hotels and restaurants come immediately to mind –the opportunity to live where they make their living.

Established in March, the task force will be studying the affordable housing issue while consulting with stakeholders ranging from Mayor Linda Page and members of the Town Council to developers large and small – and, of course, the general public. A comprehensive report is expected from the task force by the end of this year.

Heading the affordable housing study is a familiar face to town residents. Thomasena Stokes-Marshall was a Council member for 17 years and was the first and only African-American to be elected to that body.

In a recent interview, she emphasized that “Mount Pleasant is not in the housing business.”

The focus of the task force will not be on funding affordable housing. Instead, members will examine the issue in the context of Mount Pleasant and making recommendations as to whether affordable housing is feasible here, determine if there are suitable locations for such housing and figure out how to encourage developers to step up to the plate and include affordable housing units in any future plans they have for the town.

Stokes-Marshall, herself a Mount Pleasant native, said she believes “affordable housing contributes to our community’s overall quality of life.”

To that end, she is a proponent of any new moderate-income housing being located near grocery stores, doctors’ offices and public transit for individuals who can no longer drive a car.

“This isn’t an African-American issue,” she observed, “although certainly some African-Americans who already work here would benefit greatly from affordable housing.”

Affordable housing would also be attractive to young people just starting out, seniors seeking an opportunity to downsize and handicapped and special needs individuals whose financial situation might keep them from living in more affluent neighborhoods.

“There is no reason,” she said, “why anyone who has a decent job and who is working hard to support his or her family should have to pay 60 percent of their income to put a roof over their family’s heads. Yet that’s exactly what would be the case if some of the workers who serve us in the public and private sectors tried to rent or buy in Mount Pleasant.”

Among the topics the task force will be addressing is the necessity for education. Stokes-Marshall wants the deliberations of the task force to be transparent and open to the public, and she’s hoping that at least one of the television stations serving the Lowcountry might partner with the committee and feature reports on “the faces of affordable housing.”

Another goal of the task force is to reach out to all developers who build in Mount Pleasant and to the local financial community to participate in the committee’s fact-finding mission.

“No matter how thorough our report,” she said, “there will no doubt be some resistance to our findings, mostly from NIMBYs (not in my backyard) living close by any locations we might suggest for affordable housing.”

“But at the end of the day, a true community is composed of a diverse group of people,” she added. “That does not exist to any significant extent in Mount Pleasant today. In-town, affordable housing could be one tool to rectify that imbalance.”

 

By Bill Farley

Sharing is Caring

Possibly Related:

No related posts.

Filed Under: Dwellings

Advertisement

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search The Site

We're on Facebook We're on X (formerly Twitter) Mount Pleasant Magazine Youtube Channel We're on Pinterest Mount Pleasant Magazine Facebook Community We're on Instagram
Ad: South Carolina Federal Credit Union, enjoy life banking on the best.
Ad: Visit Woof Gang today!
Mount Pleasant Magazine Sep/Oct 2023 magazine coverREAD DIGITALLY
Read the digital magazine
now.
GRAB A COPY
Where can I pick up a copy of Mount Pleasant Magazine?
SUBSCRIBE
Get Mount Pleasant Magazine Delivered.
Ad: Premier Health and Wellness in Mount Pleasant, SC. Let’s Redesign Your Health & Wellness.
Read about the History of the Bridge Run
Visit Palmetto Christian Academy.org
Ad: 1st Choice AC, Heating, Plumbing and Gas, for the best AC Service for your home in Mount Pleasant, SC.
Pleasant Family Dentistry in Mount Pleasant, SC. Experience the BEST, and find out why we've been awarded 7 times in the BEST of MOUNT PLEASANT!
Ad: Visit Front Beach IOP and SHOP, DINE and DRINK in the SUNSHINE.
Ad: Get Carried Away - Real Food, Real Southern, Really Good!
Click for Stores & Services
on Coleman Boulevard
Coleman Blvd Merchant Alliance
Best of Mount Pleasant logo is a registered trademark
Ad: Every Day is a Good Dog Day at Michael's Barkery

Most Recent Posts

Palmetto Christian Academy Mount Pleasant’s #1 Private School 11 Years Running!

Emily Faile, Academic Counselor with Palmetto Christian Academy, sat down for a chat with host Brian Cleary. Their opening discussion revolves around why she believes the Academy was named Best … Continue Reading

Georgetown’s New Gem: The Making of The George Hotel

Get the inside story on The George Hotel, Georgetown's exciting new addition! Host Bill Macchio sits down for a compelling conversation with Christy Whitlock, a Realtor and developer with The … Continue Reading

Georgetown, SC Rising: A Look at the City’s Dramatic Growth & Downtown Revival

Join host Scott Richards and Main Street Director Al Joseph for an insightful look into the remarkable transformation sweeping across Georgetown, SC. This video dives deep into the revitalization of … Continue Reading

Front Street Georgetown

Opening Batch: Georgetown Crafts First Brewery

A craft beer fan and teacher from Cincinnati, Chase Runyan started brewing in his house by tinkering with kits and learning how to bottle the beer after fermentation. After making five or six batches … Continue Reading

Revolutionized: Georgetown’s Downtown Makeover

When the port city of Georgetown was laid out in 1729, merchant-oriented businesses and homes lined the land side of Front Street, originally called Bay Street, overlooking the sparkling Sampit River, … Continue Reading

Gold Standard: Georgetown’s Own Crowned Olympic Champion

When 23-year-old Nike athlete and Georgetown native Melissa Jefferson arrived at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, she was determined to secure her … Continue Reading

More Front Street Georgetown

SEARCH

Get Our Free Newsletter!
Mount Pleasant Apartments
Pleasant Family Dentistry
Water's Edge Dentistry
34 Waterway Island Drive

Copyright © 2025 · Mount Pleasant Magazine, All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy

▲