Project 3500: Building an Inclusive, Historic Minded Future for Charleston
It seems everyone agrees: Charleston is a wonderful place to live — yet many people cannot afford to live here. As housing costs rise and longtime residents are displaced, the city has launched an ambitious housing initiative, Project 3500, designed to ensure Charleston remains a livable, welcoming community for people of all income levels.
At the same time, the Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) continues its decades long mission of promoting thoughtful growth and affordability in concert with preservation of the city’s unique historic character. Together, these efforts signal a renewed commitment to building a more equitable, resilient Charleston.
What Is Project 3500?
Project 3500 aims to deliver 3,500 permanently affordable housing units by 2032 using a data driven approach to site selection, design, and community integration. The initiative is supported by national expertise through Bloomberg Associates and implemented through a wide network of public private partnerships.
Key Principles of Project 3500
- 3,500 net new permanently affordable units by 2032
- Mixed income communities integrating marketrate and workforce housing
- Charleston appropriate architectural design, emphasizing walkable blocks and historic inspired building forms instead of large monolithic complexes
- Data guided site selection, prioritizing higher elevations, access to transit, and cityowned land
- “Build First” strategy, ensuring existing residents are not displaced during redevelopment
The City’s Project 3500 Dashboard allows residents to track progress and review site locations, design concepts, and housing data.
Why Does Historic Charleston Foundation Care About Affordable Housing?
Historic Charleston Foundation advocates for a future Charleston that honors both its historic built environment and its living communities. Affordability is a fundamental component of quality of life for Charleston’s workforce and a key part of maintaining the city’s cultural identity.
Because of this, HCF continues to support efforts that encourage historically appropriate growth and create workforce housing that reflects Charleston’s traditional development patterns, scale, and community character.
Upcoming Meetings
HCF promotes transparency and public participation in major redevelopment projects, ensuring decisions reflect neighborhood needs and historic context.
The City of Charleston is hosting a five day public Design Charrette focused on shaping affordable and mixedincome housing opportunities across key Upper Peninsula sites. We hope you can join us for one of the following sessions:
Project 3500 Design Charrette: March 16–20, 2026
📅 Monday, March 16
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Design Charrette Kickoff
Discussion of site history, opportunities, design precedents, and community feedback.
Location: 108 Meeting Street
Refreshments provided; public participation encouraged.
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Evening Lecture with Hugh Petter
Location: Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church Street
📅 Tuesday, March 17
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Evening Lecture with Ben Pentreath
Location: Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church Street
📅 Wednesday, March 18
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Design Studio Open House
See the design team’s inprogress work and provide input.
Location: 108 Meeting Street
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Evening Lecture with Vince Graham
Location: Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church Street
📅 Friday, March 20
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Work In Progress Presentation
The design team presents the week’s work and discusses next steps.
Location: Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church Street
Charleston’s future depends on balancing affordability with preservation — and Project 3500 is a critical step in the right direction. HCF will be there every step of the way to ensure that as Charleston grows, it remains both preserved and livable.
We hope you will join us!