What’s next in Berkeley County’s Nexton master plan?

A plot of Berkeley County land once in the hands of a packaging manufacturer has become the home of a burgeoning population of people and businesses with a density that could be mistaken for South Carolina’s next town.

In fact, about 12,000 people now call Nexton home.

A decade ago Brookfield Properties saw the property as a solution to the Charleston area’s rising population and its corresponding rise in housing demand.

Residents in the master planned community in Summerville range from young adults and families to active adults over 55 years old, said Cassie Cataline, marketing director for Nexton.

What is Nexton? 

The Nexton land served an entirely different purpose for years before being purchased for the community. WestRock, a packaging company based in Virginia, owned most of the property before selling it to Brookfield Properties in 2015. 

To launch the master-planned project, Brighton Park Village opened, selling houses at a little more than the average price in Summerville at the time, Cataline said. 

Since beginning operations, Nexton has sold and rented units of townhouses, villas, apartments, single-family houses, estate houses and rental houses, all built by varying local, regional and national builders. 

Brent Gibadlo, senior vice president of development for Nexton, said part of what Nexton creates for residents is the ability to live, work and play in the same space. With that, he said there is also a shift among homebuyers toward smaller, more affordable homes.  

“The home itself may be smaller, and that does bring the price down,” Gibadlo said. “People are willing to make that sacrifice of a smaller home if there’s commercial things around them: the shopping, the dining, the recreation.” 

Many of the business offices and storefronts in the development are intermingled with the residential areas, creating the ability to have almost everything within walking distance.  

Retail leasing in the tri-county region during the first quarter of 2025 hit a record high for areas in outlying Berkeley County. The leasing activity was influenced by communities such as Nexton, Goose Creek and Hanahan, according to a study by Avison Young. 

“There’s a daycare center, there’s a fitness club, there’s a doggy daycare, there’s housing and there’s jobs,” Gibadlo said. “So, in the perfect world, someone could live there, drop their child off at daycare, drop their dog off at doggy daycare, get your workout in at lunch, meet a friend for coffee, go meet friends while you pick up your dog, grab a beer, then walk home.” 

Realizing the demand in the Summerville area, Cataline said Halls Chophouse was among the original businesses to join Nexton Square, the first commercial center in Nexton. In cases like Halls, employees and customers were commuting to downtown Charleston from the more inland areas like Summerville. 

Over time, the community has gained popular restaurants such as Page’s Okra Grill, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar and Vicious Biscuits. 

For many Charlestonians, growth of residential areas often raises questions about how traffic will be impacted. Cataline said part of the community includes Nexton Parkway, which is a five-mile road that runs from Interstate 26 to U.S. Highway 176 and intended to help alleviate traffic. 

“People that are living in Nexton, whether they’re in an apartment or they’ve purchased a home here, the vast majority of them are not driving to downtown Charleston; they’re working in the area,” Cataline said. “So, it’s really alleviating traffic off of I-26, or at least that was our goal.” 

What’s next for Nexton? 

As families move in, the need for schools grows. Nexton opened the first elementary school at the same time it opened the first community. A middle school is being constructed now to open in fall of 2026, part of the Berkeley County school district.  

The Midtown Club, a neighborhood with clubhouse amenities, trails and events in the Nexton community, is currently in phase three of the projected nine phases of construction, Cataline said. Additionally, a second active adult community will be coming to Nexton in 2027 following the design of Del Webb, a neighborhood of purchased homes exclusive to people over 55 years old.  

In terms of rental options in the community, apartments are available, and The Collier Cos. recently purchased land to begin construction of 360 apartment units. Cataline said the popularity of Nexton’s first build-to-rent neighborhood, Cadia, may also influence the company to offer more BTR residences in the future.  

“I think one of my favorite things about Nexton is our branding. We’ve got a very distinct brand palette, and the neighbors really embrace it,” Cataline said. “You see people out here on weekends; they’ll be out playing the guitar with the kids playing in the front yard. They’ve really embraced the sort of notion of front porch living.” 

Additionally, in 2021, the Medical University of South Carolina announced plans to construct a $130 million hospital in Nexton. 

Once constructed, Gibadlo hopes it creates even more fluency for residents to go to work and then walk home without contributing to or dealing with Charleston’s 5 p.m. traffic. 

“We did decide that if we’re just a little bit more thoughtful about architecture, planning and design and those little details, there’s a basic belief you can create a lot of value there.” Gibadlo said. “Those little things, individually they don’t make-or-break it, but collectively they make a big difference.”  

Nexton has 52 parks, which Cataline says makes up for smaller yards in the neighborhoods. Brookfield Properties is also constructing a regional park that will be donated as a public park once completed.