Meet me at the corner
Summers Corner, a new village being developed by WestRock, just north of Summerville, SC may provide a model for how new communities can become part of a continuum of regional settlement patterns that are deeply connected to the environment - both natural and cultural.
This remarkable effort connects distinctive regional building traditions to today's context of rapidly changing digital economies and working methods. The stated goals include responsible management of natural environments, re-connecting individuals and families to a garden ethicand fostering daily social connectivity that enhances our quality of life. These goals are dramatically shaping the character of this emerging place.
Saturday marked the official launch for the initial neighborhoods in Summers Corner. Everyone enjoyed a beautiful opening day with events on the Commons and visits to new houses in the Gardenwall neighborhood.
The Corner House, a neighborhood bistro and meeting hall designed by UDA, hosted hundreds of people with an amazing range of unique, delicious goodies in the cafe as well as activities for families and kids. Activities including old-fashioned fun with typewriters, model building, painting, drawing and books to explore. The fountains in the Commons were a big hit with the kids along with a great collection of local food trucks with lots of choices for everyone who visited the event.
The Clemson Master Gardeners were busy sharing regional plant species and "how to" techniques to create native habitats and low country gardens. Builder Partners hosted tours throughout the afternoon to experience what life in this new garden community might be like.
Great weather and a beautiful setting - complete with amazing bird house installations in the park by sculptor Tom Holmes - helped set the course for what we think will be an extraordinary place for generations to come. Congratulations to everyone on the WestRock team!