Construction begins on new affordable housing community on Johns Island

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) – Construction for a new affordable housing community on Johns is set to begin after a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday.

The Esau Jenkins Village is named after the late Esau Jenkins, a civil rights activist who worked to create affordable and safe housing for residents of the Sea Islands.

Leaders on the city, county and state level joined the Jenkins family to break ground on the development off Maybank Highway.

“He would be leaping for joy, he would be crying, he would be happy, he would be praying, he would just be ecstatic at the fact that the legacy of the work of all the Sea Island leadership is actually continuing to take place,” Rev. Demett Jenkins said of her grandfather.

The 72 affordable apartment units will be reserved for seniors 62 and over who earn up to 60% of the area median income.

“It’s so important to have projects like this, because they protect the character, the culture, and most importantly, the community that everybody loves about Charleston and the Lowcountry,” said Charleston Mayor William Cogswell.

Newly elected Charleston City Councilman Jim McBride, who represents Johns Island, said some of the residents who live across the street at Rural Housing will move into the Esau Jenkins Village.

“If you’ve ever been to Rural Housing, you know that it’s been a long time coming for improvements for Rural Housing. So, having this Esau Jenkins Village, it’s been five years in the making for it to finally get the ground broken. Hopefully it will get built soon so we can get better conditions for a lot of these residents that deserve it,” Councilman McBride said.

The $25.9 million project is receiving funding from more than 10 sources, plus assistance from the City of Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina, and the federal government.

Esau Jenkins Village is projected to be complete in Spring 2025.