NORTH CHARLESTON — Months after a milk processing plant ceased production, the city is preparing the former Borden Dairy site for potential commercial use.
North Charleston City Council voted Sept. 22 to rezone the old plant at 5001 LaCross Road that closed in May from light industrial to commercial redevelopment.
The city said it is not aware of specific plans for the property, but acknowledged the goal is bring the lot and other adjacent properties in alignment with the city’s vision for the area as a commercial redevelopment district that will be located a short distance from the incoming Lowcountry Rapid Transit line.
The LCRT route, which will run a bus from Ladson to downtown Charleston along U.S. Highway 52, is expected to attract commercial and residential development along the corridor, particularly around the transit stations.
“The rezonings take into account the totality of development in the general area, including LCRT, which we believe is more conducive to commercial redevelopment,” said city spokesman Ryan Johnson.
The city is no stranger to repurposing industrial properties. But much of that activity has been concentrated on and near the former Charleston naval base, where former military buildings continue to be redeveloped to house new businesses and nonprofits.
Now, North Charleston’s focus is near City Hall, where a number of industrial lots along LaCross Road are being prepared for potential commercial use, including the well-known milk processing facility.
Four other properties along the road are also being rezoned, including 4990 LaCross Road, which contains a parking lot and undeveloped land, and 5100 LaCross Road, which includes forested area and cell tower.
“We intend to pursue more staff-initiated rezonings across the city to bring parcels and areas in line with the future land use map as dictated by the Comprehensive Plan,” said Deputy Planning Director Megan Clark.
FORMER BORDEN DAIRY SITE: The city of North Charleston is looking to rezone the former Borden Dairy site to enable commercial use on the property. (SOURCE: ESRI)
The LaCross Road site became Borden’s when the milk company acquired the operations of locally based Coburg Dairy in 2011. Coburg, founded by a local farmer in 1920 off Savannah Highway, relocated to the North Charleston plant in the late 1980s.
But over the years, Borden Dairy, which informed employees in April that the company would be closing the plant in May, has become a bit out of character with the neighborhood.
Nearby is the MUSC Children’s Health R. Keith Summey Medical Pavilion, North Charleston City Hall and the newly constructed apartment complex beside it, and the Tanger Outlets.
Incoming to the area is the multimillion-dollar Uptown project, which includes a Topgolf entertainment venue, two parking garages, a coffee shop, several restaurants and office space, a 300-unit apartment building and two hotels.
There’s also speculation about whether a large Charleston-based hospital will soon call LaCross Road home.
The old Borden site is almost directly behind two parcels recently purchased by Roper Hospital, which announced last year its plans to relocate its downtown Charleston medical facility. The hospital bought two lots off LaCross Road for $13 million a piece, sparking discussion about where Roper will build its new health center.
Roper has not announced where its new health center will be located. The city of North Charleston did affirm that it has been in conversation with Roper about potentially relocating to the city.
“Soon, Roper St. Francis Healthcare will announce a new, more central location of Roper Hospital, a beacon of clinical excellence and service to the Lowcountry for the past 166 years,” said spokesman Andy Lyons.
Reach Rickey Dennis at 937-4886. Follow him on Twitter @RCDJunior.
