Over the years when someone asks me when I built my home in I'On and I tell them 1999 they say "Oh, you're an original". So back in the spring of this year, I got the idea to see who had originally built or bought their homes between 1998 and 2003 and still lived in the neighborhood. I reached out in my Area Director's note in the magazine and got a very positive response to the idea. I also got some help from some other originals so thank you, Laurie Minges, BJ Barnes and Bonnie Ray!  I was very surprised to compile a list of over sixty homeowners. Some had other commitments or were out of town for the photo shoot, but we still had a great turnout and it was so fun to reconnect! We missed those of you who couldn't make it, but I appreciated your support in other ways. See what people had to say about discovering I'On back in the early years.

After retirement, I chose I’On as the place where I wanted to live.  I Love I’On…I fell in love with the community the first day that I visited and I love it even more now.  I wanted to live in a neighborhood that was beautiful, safe and friendly.  I travel a lot to other areas of the state and across the country and I have never visited a place quite like I’On.

I love that it is a walking community with a convenient location and full of wonderful neighbors, but the community continues to become more beautiful year after year!

I will never leave this awesome community full of gracious, kind neighbors who are like family to me.

Phyllis Sheffer

We stretched financially to buy our lot and were a bit nervous about the developer's promises being kept, but we bought into his vision.  We loved the high standards he established for I'On and were excited to join this trend-setting neighborhood early on.  Sidewalks, trees, planned streetscape, commercial area, community parks and playgrounds .... and of course, the wonderfully convenient location all appealed to us.  Once we moved into our home, the neighborhood groups that Vince Graham established added so much to the experience of living in I'On:  women's coffee, supper clubs, The I'On Trust and its events, Pot Luck Suppers at The I'On Club, Yarn Buddies and more.  These helped us build relationships with our very unique neighbors, many of which endure to this day!  Truly, I'On is a neighborhood that will never be duplicated and is irreplaceable!  No wonder the property values continue to be uniquely positioned ~ truly, I'On is a one-of-a-kind environment. "Our family is very grateful for the privilege of living in I'On for over 23 years.  We love to call it 'home'."

We have lived in I'On since 2002-first as "part-time" residents and beginning in 2007, full-time residents.  Our story began with a friend who worked at Coastal Living and mentioned that the magazine was doing a story on a new development in Charleston that was similar to Seaside, Florida.  We loved the principles of new urbanism and decided to take a look.  We were immediately sold on this new neighborhood and purchased a small cottage on Ponsbury.  From the very beginning, we knew it was a special place!  There were people from all around the country with different reasons for relocating to I'On-some bin ya's and some come ya's but everyone appreciated the thoughtful planning and innovative approach to design.  As the oak trees in the neighborhood arch over the streets and the porches remain a gathering spot for old and new neighbors, we still believe that I'on is as special today as it was 21 years ago.  Just as our country is deeply divided, I'On has had its struggles but we're confident that this neighborhood will remain a benchmark and a source of pride for every resident.  We celebrated the 4th of July today with a gathering on a neighbor's front porch to enjoy the parade of golf carts and multi-generational families celebrating what it means to be an American.  We feel deeply connected to the neighborhood and celebrate all of those who have chosen to call this place home.

With gratitude,

When Trish and I met I lived in Mt Pleasant and she lived off of Colonial Lake downtown. As we began to figure out we were going to be a good match for each other we knew that we were both going to have to make a move. Trish knew it was going to be very hard to get me to move knowing I grew up in Mt Pleasant and I knew it was going to be hard to get her into a traditional neighborhood after her time living downtown. As we continued to grow closer together we began to hear more and more about this new development off of Mathis Ferry Road. We liked the idea, the design, and the public realm, and just as we were starting a new relationship we decided to explore more. Being more dense like downtown and being off of Mathis Ferry so close to the bridge just felt right. Trish and I signed an agreement for a lot and house on Sowell Street before we were engaged. The West Side of Sowell Street back then was a bunch of young folks just starting out. After getting married and having two daughters we decided that a bigger house was needed. We purchased a lot on Hopetown Rd. and began the building process again. We stayed there and raised our family for about 18 years. After both our girls left we started looking for a smaller house. It was time to downsize and plan for our next life chapters. We looked all over trying to find a house and neighborhood that filled our requirements. After a good while looking around we decided that there was no way we should leave IOn so we began the hunt within the neighborhood. We now live on Ionsborough Street and are truly enjoying the neighborhood and all it has to offer us in this chapter of our lives. I'On has so much to offer no matter what life chapter you are in. We have enjoyed every stage of our family in this neighborhood and thank all the folks who stood up in the early years to make it happen——- 

Thank You,

From the moment Antonia Fokas drove through the small section of I’On in 2000 she knew it was something special. Athan liked it because of the proximity to downtown.  They loved the idea of being in a neighborhood that planned to have plenty of common spaces for easy meetings with neighbors. Access to deep water was also a huge bonus.  Since 2000 they have raised four boys and have loved living in I’On.  Although so much has changed since 2000 they still think I’On is a special place to live. 

We moved into our home on East Shipyard almost 23 years ago.  There were only four houses on our street, the area behind us was woods, and a dirt road went back to the Creek Club.  We wanted a neighborhood with families and children.  For several years we knew all of the children in the neighborhood.  Potlucks were held on folding tables set up at the North end of Eastlake.  The newsletter was printed at Staples and volunteers delivered it door to door!  It still feels like a little town once you turn off of Mathis Ferry Road.

 

 Libby and Tim Eble

171 East Shipyard (23 years on November 22)

Twenty-two years ago on a visit from St. Paul Minnesota, I stumbled upon I'On. By the end of that visit, I had put a deposit down on my current home on Sowell Street. Eleven months later I became a resident. I have enjoyed amazing neighbors, roads with sidewalks, my front porch and the trails that wind along the marsh. I have appreciated the location of I'On with a short drive to get downtown as well as a short drive to the beach!! 

We moved from the Old Village to I’On in December of 1998. We were the 6th family to move in. There was an instant feeling of community and we all knew I’On was something special. In 2001 we had our first July 4th parade, we went from Eastlake Field to Prescient St turned onto Sowell and back to Eastlake Field. We had bikes, baby carriages, flags, babies, dogs and grandparents. I knew then we would never leave. When my daughter was born in May of 2001 17 babies were born in I’On that year and those kids have grown up together and many still live here and remain friends. My parents built a house a block away in 2002. We built our current home in 2004 and 4 other neighbors also built on Hopetown. Our kids played kick the can and manhunt for years together. Halloweens are epic for kids in I’On. While we have had many new neighbors over the past 25 years, the spirit of the neighborhood has always stayed the same! I am so thankful to live in such a special place. 

When I saw what the Grahams were proposing to develop in 1995 I immediately saw the value in the concept and I joined the fight against the bizarre opposition to it. My grandparents had a beach bungalow/row house in Breezy Point, New York, (located within Queens, NYC) and it contained so many of the elements that were proposed for I’on. There was a main parking lot from which everyone walked to their houses. Homes lined up along either side of concrete walks. Deep front porches were up against the walkways, so we were less than ten feet away from the house across from us and there was only about ten feet between houses. People took their wagons and walked to the one grocery store and came back home with them filled with groceries. I never heard any adult complain about any of these qualities. The time I spent there were the greatest days of my childhood. The proposal for I’On was the closest neighborhood design I’d seen since Breezy Point. Our resulting neighborhood has fulfilled my hopes completely since I moved into my house in 1999. 

My husband, Joe Barnes, accepted the position of the first General Manager of I’On in 1998. We purchased our home on Prescient Street and moved in March 1999.  Our now adult sons, Harry & Maxwell, were then 3 years old and 5 months old.  We so enjoyed our little corner of I’On!

I remember the first 4th of July parade circled Prescient Street and Sowell Street.  We had to circle twice because the route was so short!

In 2002, we moved to Virginia where my husband moved on to another DPZ community to develop.  Fast forward ten years, and we had the opportunity to return to I’On.

The experience of being here from the early days, witnessing its growth, and now having the chance to return and build your own home is incredibly special.

We’ve been in Mt Pleasant since July 1986 and moved to I’On in December 2000. The roads, and homes were just starting at our end of Eastlake, so we’ve seen a lot! 

We lived close in and being a realtor I thought this sounded like the perfect opportunity to build what we wanted with porches, sidewalks and the design of the community. 

I think porches & sidewalks help people meet, everyone speaks and many other neighborhoods don’t offer that.

My husband and I moved to I’On because it offered a close community and yet, many natural areas for walking and enjoying our world.  After he died, I discovered what a wonderfully supportive community this is and one where I could be of help to my neighbors. There are few places like it!

I remember driving into I'On with my sister in early 1999 and seeing the boathouse on Eastlake and the few homes that existed at the time and thinking "How charming".  My sister Stephanie insisted that I needed to get moving quickly on getting information, lot availability, house plans and so on. Since I was single at the time and needed some guidance I reached out to my Mother and told her I needed her to come to Charleston as soon as possible. She did and within a few months, I had purchased my lot, began the building process and moved into my little cottage in January 2000. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made and I am so happy to be a part of this special community.