Charleston, South Carolina – The College of Charleston is continuing to communicate with the community about the Coming Street Commons project.
The institution says it plans to begin building in the coming months, but they want to hear from the community and committees first.
“Our need for on-campus housing has not changed,” College of Charleston spokesman Paul Patrick stated. “We understand that kids do better when they are on campus. We want to be able to house as many students as possible on campus. So, this is a significant item in our overall campus master plan.”
Others are concerned about the erasure of history. Including the former YWCA, which played an important part in the Civil Rights Movement, and Potter’s Field, where thousands of former enslaved and indigenous people are thought to be buried.
Many are concerned about how the remains will be treated.
“We are committed to preparing the site in a way that is appropriate and follows the governing law,” Patrick told the crowd. “I think that’s something the community engagement council is going to help inform us on the right steps to do that in a way that everybody feels like the human remains are treated appropriately and we’re going to lean heavy on that committee to help us think through those things.”
Monday’s meeting differed from the regular town hall. Organizations involved in the project set up booths so individuals could talk to them one-on-one about the project. However, some attendees believed that it lacked a critical piece.
“I’m seeing the former YWCA,” concerned local James Njonjo stated. “I notice community engagement parts. Terracon will perform some of the archaeological work, although they answered all of the questions at the last meeting. They stated that once the bodies are turned over to the funeral home director, their job is done. There is no one at this conference today; there is no section or table that addresses the corpses.”
The college said they had expected to start work in October 2025, but that will most likely be pushed back once everything is finished.
