All-star lineup

Palmetto Row brings chic upstairs, downstairs living to upper Ladson area

Leroy Burnell
The Post and Courier

Located near the Berlin G. Myers Parkway, the community will have 85 townhomes when built out.

Leroy Burnell
The Post and Courier

The Grand Palm model at Palmetto Row in upper Charleston County has a spacious living room with a storage area under the stairs. Grand Palm Development LLC is the developer.

Many prospective homebuyers want to live where they don't have to fight traffic. Others are looking for yard-work-free zones, and some aren't satisfied unless their audio system is just right.

If any or all of these situations sounds good, then Palmetto Row might be a place to consider.

The new townhome community, located just south of Summerville, will have 85 dwellings when built out. In the first phase, there will be 13 units. Ranging from 1,814 to 2,155 square feet, the townhomes cost $234,000 to $278,000. Buyers can choose from five designs, which employ craftsmen-style architecture.

"We are targeting (couples) downsizing and young professionals," says Dianne McLawhorn, Realtor with Carolina One Real Estate, which is in charge of sales at Palmetto Row.

Since they are townhomes, the dwellings don't have separate lots. But they come with small yards. "You can put flowers out," McLawhorn said.

Each unit has a one-car garage. Neighborhood management handles lawn maintenance, which is helped along by sprinkler systems front and back. Yard care is part of the $130-a-month homeowners association fee.

Marketers of Palmetto Row came up with a few ways to make the community distinctive. Townhome floor plans have names that tie into the community title. They are Sabal Palm, Sago Palm, Silver Palm, Grand Palm and Royal Palm. The neighborhood has its own slogan: "Easy Street meets Main Street."

Palmetto Row is an eco-friendly complex, with tankless water heaters and Energy Star-qualified windows among the standard attractions. Sidewalks give residents a place to stroll or jog

around the neighborhood. Meanwhile, the technologically up-to-date dwellings are prewired for cable TV and for surround sound in the living room and screened porch.

Other popular interior features include 9-foot smooth ceilings and five-panel solid wood doors. The exteriors have 30-year architectural shingles and a storage room off the screened porch.

Kitchen cabinets are available in a variety of styles, including Napoli Ecru, Roma Claret Maple and Tuscany Amber Cherry. Granite countertops come in Verde Butterfly, Verde Peacock, St. Cecelia, TanBrown and Black Andes.

Palmetto Row is in the extreme northern ridge of Charleston County bordering Dorchester County, less than a mile south of the Berlin G. Myers Parkway and a couple of miles from downtown Summerville. U.S. Highway 78 is nearby, and Interstate 26 is close, too.

According to McLawhorn, the townhomes also come with an intangible: character.

"They don't look like modular boxes," she says.

To locate Palmetto Row from downtown Charleston, travel west on Interstate 26 to Main Street (U.S. Highway 17A) in Summerville, Exit 199A. Merge onto Main Street and follow it to the Berlin G. Myers Parkway. Turn left and take the parkway to Gahagan Road. Turn left on Gahagan and continue for less than a mile. Palmetto Row is on the left.

Neighborhood

Palmetto Row.

Location

Charleston County.

Developer, marketing

Grand Palm Development LLC, Carolina One Real Estate.

More info

phone: 832-5895.

HOURs: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 1-6 p.m. Sunday.

WEB SITE: www.palmettorow.net.

Total townhomes

85.

Townhome sizes

1,814-2,155 square feet.

Home prices

$234,000-$278,000.

Typical features

--Granite countertops, upscale cabinets and stainless-steel appliances in kitchen.

--Walk-in closets in master bedroom.

--Tile surrounds in tub area.

--Energy-efficient heat pumps and tankless water heater.

--Prewired for surround sound in living room and screened porch.

--Fiber-cement siding.

--Insulated, impact-resistant vinyl windows with screens.

--Metal roof accents over front porches and garage overhang.

Property taxes

$710 on a $250,000 townhome.

Area attractions

Downtown Summerville, neighboring athletic fields, Azalea Square Shopping Plaza, Chandler Bridge Creek, area golf courses and Sawmill Branch.

Distance to downtown Charleston

24 miles.

Schools

Ladson Elementary

Grades K-5; phone, 764-2225; enrollment, 542; certified staff, 36; PACT results, 11.9 percent of fifth-graders scored proficient or advanced on English/Language Arts, 16.4 percent on math, 15.1 percent on science and 8.8 percent on social studies.

Alice Birney Middle

Grades 6-8; phone, 764-2212; enrollment, 611; certified staff, 50; PACT results, 10.6 percent of eighth-graders scored proficient or advanced on English/Language Arts, 5.5 percent on math, 6.1 percent on science and 0.9 percent on social studies.

R.B. Stall High

Grades 9-12; phone, 764-2200; enrollment, 904; certified staff, 74; SAT results, 367 verbal and 384 math. The 751 combined score is lower than the state average (984) and the national average (1017).

Housing trends

Area between Ladson and Bacons Bridge roads:

Number of sales in the first quarter of 2008: 210 (down from 356 in the first quarter of 2007).

Average sales price: $159,700 (down from $198,600).

Median sales price: $158,450 (down from $172,000).

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com.