The area surrounding MUSC and the hospital district has always been one of the most built-up portions of the Peninsula, and it is no surprise that as the years progress, expansion of the development progresses as well. Those who have driven down Calhoun Street recently have most likely been greeted with surprise when they gaze upon a dilapidated foundation for an old building next to a soulless parking lot. The site sticks out due to its proximity to the brand new sleek Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital and its waterfront location on a small lake that runs into the Harbor. This lot is surrounded by modern architecture and classic Charleston homes, and the reason this eyesore still stands would puzzle anyone. In recent years, developers have tried to build high-density housing on the site, mixing the Charleston aesthetic with modern practicality, though every single time it has been proposed the development has been turned down. The Board of Architectural Review and the Preservation Society of Charleston have repeatedly tried to prevent these units from being built upon a site desperately in need of a breath of life. This brings up the question: what preservation is needed when there is nothing to preserve? Why preserve a parking lot and the foundation of an old building? I understand that the development of a large building might not be everyone's first choice, but we can all agree that it would be better than sticking with what's there now. For now, the foundation has been cleared and the site is surrounded by a fence. We can only hope that someone takes the initiative in the offices of the Board of Architectural Review and the Preservation Society of Charleston to meet in the middle with developers to facilitate growth in a way that complements the city but brings us into a new age.
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