Report cites sustainable revitalization of North Charleston Noisette Community

On September 25th, at the West Coast Green conference in San Jose, The Noisette Company, LLC announced the publication of Our Journey to Sustainability – 2001 to 2007, the company’s sustainability report that fully chronicles the ongoing transformation of the nationally recognized 3,000-acre master planned area designated as the North Charleston Noisette Community into one of the nation’s leading sustainable cities.

The announcement came as Noisette Company, LLC CEO and President, John L. Knott, Jr., is speaking at West Coast Green at the San Jose Convention Center, which was held September 25-27 at the San Jose Convention Center. The conference focused on sustainable innovation, and includes such international leaders as former Vice President Al Gore.

The revitalization in North Charleston is a product of a major public-private collaboration with the City of North Charleston, based in the guidelines of the City’s Comprehensive Plan, and the award-winning North Charleston Noisette Community Master Plan, which was honored by the American Society of Landscape Architects as the nation’s leading urban revitalization plan in 2005. The report emphasizes The Noisette Company’s commitment to the ‘Triple Bottom Line’, a business philosophy that emphasizes People, Planet, and Prosperity as the foundation of a successful, sustainable community.

The report covers three areas of progress, including the overall revitalization of the 3,000-acre North Charleston Noisette Community; the Institutional Framework at Noisette, in which a series of non-profits were established to address the health of the economy, environment and social fabric of the community; and, redevelopment of the Navy Yard, by The Noisette Company.

The 46-page Sustainability Report is fully illustrated with maps, photos, charts and graphics, packaged in an “annual report” format. The report is the first issued by Noisette, which will be published every two years, with the next version scheduled for release in 2010. The report found that between 2001 and 2007, the North Charleston Noisette Community lured some $500 million in public and private investment. Housing values in neighborhoods impacted by the loss of the Charleston Naval Base witnessed increases from $54 a square foot to $140 per square foot in 2005.

Home ownership rates increased from 32 to 45 percent in the same period. With 2,000 new housing starts underway, and an estimated 800 new professional families with children moving to the area, the population dynamics and livability of the region are improving. “At the start, no one other than The Noisette Company shared and was willing to invest in our vision,” writes North Charleston Mayor R. Keith Summey, in a letter introducing the report. “Now, other developers, companies and the Charleston County School District have joined in to invest in sustainability in our city. By any measures, the changes have created a more healthy, livable and vital community.”

“During the master planning process, it became obvious that a wide range of individuals, investors, and organizations would have to come together for the Master Plan to be a success, in creating the ‘New American City'”, says Knott. “Thus, a major role of The Noisette Company is to serve as a catalyst; to help grown the capacity of stakeholders to build a sustainable culture, communicate the vision of North Charleston’s Noisette Community, lead planning efforts, and inspire others to invest their time and resources.”

The City of North Charleston accepted the basic guidelines of the North Charleston Noisette Community Master Plan in early 2004. Since that time, the national media has recognized the progress towards creating a “Sustainability City”, the Noisette Community in North Charleston. In July 2008, Cottage Living magazine, a publication of Time, Inc. and Southern Progress Corporation, proclaimed North Charleston’s Noisette Community as one of the nation’s “Top 10” neighborhoods. Last January, Natural Home magazine declared the Navy Yard at Noisette as on one of its “10 Best” for 2008.

“We are proud to tell this story of progress, identifying the many partners that have joined The Noisette Company on this journey to create a ‘Sustainability City'”, concludes Knott. “A City that is socially just, respects and protects it ecological systems, restores an intuitive understanding of the natural world, and its benefits to human health, creating a sustainable economy that allows access and opportunity to all in our community.”

For more information, please access the PDF copy of Our Journey to Sustainability that accompanies this release, or online at noisettesc.com .