The Marketplace at North Maple: What's Proposed for Summerville's Nexton Side

There's a new one on the table for the Nexton side of Summerville, and I'd rather you hear it from the Town's own packet than from a screenshot.

The project is called The Marketplace at North Maple. It's a proposed shopping center at North Maple Street and Bear Island Road, on the big wooded tract between Nexton Parkway and the Delafield Drive neighborhoods. It went before the Town of Summerville Design Review Board in late October for a first look. Nothing is approved. Nothing is under construction. But the drawings are public now, and they tell you a lot.

What the plan shows

These numbers come straight from the conceptual site plan in the Town's packet (Thomas & Hutton, September 2026):

• About 29 acres across four parcels, currently vacant and mostly wooded
• 163,784 sq ft of total building footprint
• Nine retail buildings in a row along the south side of the site, from about 14,300 sq ft up to one 35,674 sq ft anchor space (that's grocery-store sized, but no tenant is named)
• Two 7,000 sq ft pad buildings out in the parking field
• A 22,802 sq ft outparcel at the Bear Island Road corner
• Six more outparcels along North Maple Street, 0.86 to 1.07 acres each, the kind of lots that usually become restaurants, banks, and drive-throughs
• 635 parking spaces
• A 2.2-acre stormwater pond, preserved wetlands, a passive park space under the power line easement, and existing trees to remain along the west side
• Access: a new right-in/right-out on North Maple, a turn lane, and full-access entrances on Bear Island Road, using the existing traffic light at the intersection
• A "proposed multi-family community" sketched on the land next door. That's a separate piece, and I don't have a filing for it yet.

The elevations show a mix of flat-roof storefronts with awnings and gabled, metal-roof outparcel buildings. Town staff already told the applicant at the October 13 technical review that the architecture needs to "incorporate elements of Lowcountry and Summerville vernacular," and staff recommended moving the passive park from the edge of the site to the center as a pocket park and pedestrian promenade. So expect the drawings to change.

Who's behind it

• Developer: Mainline Development, Charleston (the tree assessment in the packet is addressed to them; the project was called "Newfield Shopping Center" earlier in the filing)
• Property owner of record: DUSTOFF22 LLC
• Engineer: Thomas & Hutton
• Architect: SMHa
• Zoning: G-B (General Business). The land is already zoned for this. That matters, because it means no rezoning vote is required; what's left is design review and site plan approval.

Where this actually is

This is the Town of Summerville, but the main parcels carry Berkeley County tax map numbers. If you're buying nearby, that's your county for taxes, services, and the school district, even with a Summerville address. Always verify by exact address.

What's decided, and what isn't

Decided: nothing. The October meeting was a conceptual review. The Design Review Board looks at architecture and site layout, not whether the project can happen.

Not yet filed, as far as I can find: final site plan approval, stormwater and SCDOT encroachment permits, any tenant names, any construction timeline, and anything about the multi-family piece next door.

I'll update this post as the Town's agendas move. If you want the primary source, the Design Review Board packets are on the Town's Agenda Center at summervillesc.gov.

What it means if you're buying or selling near North Maple

• Buyers in Nexton, the Delafield Drive neighborhoods, Robynwynn, and the Old Dairy Road area: a shopping center across the street changes your day. Groceries and restaurants closer, and more traffic on North Maple and Bear Island Road. Drive the intersection at 5 p.m. now, and picture it with 635 more parking spaces feeding into it.
• Homes that back up to the tract: the plan shows a 10-foot buffer and preserved wetlands, and trees to remain on the west side. Ask me to pull the exact parcel lines before you assume what's behind a given fence.
• Sellers nearby: "walkable to a new shopping center" is a selling point for some buyers and a concern for others. How we talk about it depends on the house.
• Everyone: North Maple is already getting the widening project. This adds to the case that the Nexton Parkway interchange area is the next commercial center of gravity for Summerville.

Want to know what this does to a specific street? Book a quick call or text me at 843.288.1157. I can pull the parcel map and the zoning for any address.

Project details are from the Town of Summerville Design Review Board agenda packet for the October 22, 2026 meeting (staff report and Thomas & Hutton conceptual site plan dated September 2026 and October 2, 2026) and were checked on October 30, 2026. This is a proposed project under conceptual review; it is not approved and plans are subject to change. Verify county, school assignment, and jurisdiction by address. Jessica Cherie Blommaert, REALTOR®, ABR®, MRP, brokered by NextHome The Agency Group, licensed in South Carolina. Each office is independently owned and operated.