.png.aspx "_2025-Year-in-Review-Blog-Post-Header-2-(1).png")
The Charleston region’s master-planned communities closed out 2025 with a steady drumbeat of groundbreakings, grand openings and final sales phases that underscored both continued demand for new housing and a broader shift toward amenity-rich, service-oriented neighborhoods.
From Summerville and Berkeley County to Johns Island and coastal Georgia, communities that once made headlines simply for adding rooftops are now standing out for their focus on healthcare, dining, retail, parks, trails and even working farms.
At Nexton, one of the area’s most closely watched master-planned communities, momentum defined the year. Early in 2025, the community celebrated the grand re-opening of its Model Row, showcasing updated floor plans and design packages that reflect evolving buyer priorities: flexible spaces that can adapt to home offices or guest rooms, more intentional outdoor living areas, and built-in technology to support remote work and modern living.
Those design moves unfolded alongside a stronger retail and service core. A new Publix at One Nexton, followed by additional restaurant and retail openings, pushed the community closer to functioning as a full-service district where groceries, dining and errands sit just minutes from front doors.
Healthcare followed the rooftops. MUSC’s decision to break ground on a new medical facility at
Nexton signaled a broader recalibration in how major providers choose locations. Rather than concentrating only in downtown medical districts, healthcare providers are increasingly anchoring care centers in or near large master-planned communities where population growth is strongest. For residents in and around Summerville, that shift promises shorter drives and more convenient access to advanced care. By the end of the year, Nexton’s recognition as South Carolina’s Best Master-Planned Community underscored how far the community has come—from a high-profile residential development to a regional hub of jobs, services, and amenities.
Other corners of the region echoed the same themes in their own ways. Along Clements Ferry Road,
Point Hope expanded its network of parks and trails, reinforcing the central role of walkability and green space in daily life. The community also welcomed Del Webb’s new 55+ neighborhood, bringing an age-restricted option closer to Charleston’s employment centers and cultural attractions and underscoring the continued strength of the active-adult market.
That demographic trend extended down the coast as well. In Bryan County,
Del Webb Savannah at Heartwood moved from concept to visible reality with a new sales center and six model homes showcasing open gathering areas, purposeful storage and amenities geared toward fitness and social connection.
Del Webb’s introduction of a new
Fly & Buy Program, designed for out-of-town prospects weighing multiple Southern destinations, reflected the national draw of the Savannah–Charleston corridor for retirees and relocators.
Summers Corner spent 2025 looking less like a work-in-progress and more like a community hitting its stride, adding new housing options while advancing major amenities and everyday services. Lennar’s Parkside neighborhood opened, bringing modern, low-maintenance attached homes to a master plan previously dominated by single-family product. Tucked among the community’s parks and pine trees,
Parkside at Summers Corner broadened the range of price points and lifestyles available within the master-planned community. For active adults,
Horizons at Summers Corner continued to take shape around its signature Horizons Club, a private amenity hub planned with indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center and multiple courts—cementing the 55+ district’s resort-style positioning.
However,
Carnes Crossroads offered one of the year’s clearest examples of how traditional neighborhood planning is intersecting with modern interest in food and agriculture. The community’s long-promised agrihood amenities and working farm formally opened, giving residents access to seasonal produce, educational events and hands-on volunteer opportunities through its
Farm Share Program. A new Publix within the master plan added another layer of convenience, while recognition as Best New Home Community in the Best of Berkeley County 2025 awards affirmed its appeal as both a residential address and an emerging commercial hub along North Main Street.
On the product side, builders used 2025 to introduce new designs and close out long-running communities. In
Midtown Nexton, Saussy Burbank’s Waterway Collection brought fresh Lowcountry-inspired elevations—porches, gables, detailed trim—paired with more contemporary interior layouts and finishes. In Summerville, Kolter Homes marked the grand opening of the final phase at
The Ponds, a roughly 2,000-acre master-planned community that blends preserved woods, lakes and the headwaters of the Ashley River with modern amenities including a pool, pavilion and outdoor kitchen, amphitheater, on-site YMCA, dog park, community garden and extensive trail network. The new phase, not age-restricted, offered pond-view and scenic homesites that complemented existing family neighborhoods and the established Cresswind 55+ enclave.
On Johns Island,
Pulte’s Sea Island Preserve moved into its final-opportunity phase. Defined by large homesites, conservation areas and a quieter, more rural setting, the gated community drew steady interest from buyers seeking space and privacy within a short drive of Kiawah-area beaches and Charleston’s historic core.
What’s ahead in 2026?
A new lifestyle-focused master-planned community is on the horizon in the West Ashley area. The much anticipated
Long Savanna community will introduce a mix of townhomes and single-family homes set amid trails, ponds, wetlands and pocket parks, offering a blend of neighborhood amenities and access to major commuter routes. While full details on this much anticipated development are still emerging, the announcement signaled the next wave of planned growth along the region’s expanding corridors.
Viewed together, the 2025 headlines tell a story of quiet but significant transformation. New parks and trails reinforced the central role of outdoor space in community life. Medical facilities and grocery stores moved closer to residential centers, reshaping expectations about where essential services belong. Active-adult neighborhoods expanded, and final phases in long-established communities ran alongside announcements for brand-new master-planned communities, keeping the development pipeline active even as some neighborhoods near completion.
For the Charleston region and its neighbors in coastal Georgia, 2025 was not defined by a single, headline-grabbing project. Instead, it was a year of many interconnected moves—each one adding another layer of homes, services, and amenities to the places where residents are choosing to build their lives. As 2026 approaches, those layers are setting the stage for the next chapter in how the Lowcountry grows.
View All Charleston Area Articles
###
Thank you for reading and sharing our articles from The Greater Charleston New Homes Guide. Our business is to know Charleston, SC's new home construction, home builders, neighborhoods, and homes so we may assist you as you take your new construction home journey. Please take the time to explore our site. The Greater Charleston New Homes Guide is considered the best and most reliable ‘local’ resource to new home construction, builders, neighborhoods, and homes throughout the Lowcountry since 2004.
STOP
Categories: Blog Categories Lowcountry Neighborhood News