Jubilee Could Bring a Hotel, Cottages, Restaurants and Shops to Johns Island

The 13.3-acre project planned along Maybank Highway would combine a 75-room boutique hotel, 65 rental cottages, restaurants, retail, green space and gathering areas into one walkable development.

A major new mixed-use project is moving forward on Johns Island.

Jubilee, planned near the intersection of Maybank Highway and Wildts Battery Boulevard, would spread across approximately 13.3 acres and combine lodging, dining, shopping, recreation and public gathering space in one development.

The centerpiece would be a 75-room boutique hotel, joined by 65 one- to three-bedroom rental cottages designed for short stays, family gatherings and longer visits.

But the developers are pitching Jubilee as much more than a place to sleep.

What’s planned at Jubilee?

According to the project’s official site, current plans include:

• 75 hotel rooms
• 65 rental cottages
• Approximately 13,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and office space
• Multiple dining concepts
• Boutique retail
• A saltwater pool
• Fitness and wellness facilities
• Co-working areas
• A covered stage
• An event lawn
• Walking paths and green space
• A stocked fishing pond
• A playground
• Space for farmers markets, pop-ups and community events

The project’s central area, known as Jubilee Commons, is envisioned as a town-square-style gathering space where residents and visitors could eat, shop, work, attend events or simply spend time outdoors.

A new boutique hotel for Johns Island

The Jubilee Hotel would anchor the development.

Plans call for a wellness-focused boutique property with a saltwater pool, fitness studio and food-and-beverage offerings, with the overall design leaning heavily into Lowcountry and coastal influences.

The development team argues that Johns Island has relatively few traditional lodging options compared with nearby destinations such as Kiawah and Seabrook islands.

Jubilee’s official materials describe the project as a way to give visitors another option to stay on Johns Island instead of commuting 30 to 45 minutes from accommodations elsewhere in the region.

The cottages add another 65 lodging units

Surrounding the hotel would be 65 cottages, ranging from one to three bedrooms.

These would operate more like professionally managed vacation rentals than conventional hotel rooms, giving families and larger groups additional space while still providing access to the amenities of the larger Jubilee development.

Combined with the hotel, Jubilee would offer roughly 140 lodging units across the property. City planning records have previously described the project as 75 hotel units plus 65 cottage accommodations.

Why developers say this is a different kind of Johns Island growth

Growth remains one of the biggest conversations surrounding Johns Island.

Earlier plans for the site allowed for residential development, but the current Jubilee proposal uses a planned-development approach that shifts the property toward hospitality, retail and commercial uses instead of a traditional large residential subdivision.

That distinction has become part of the public conversation around the project.

Supporters argue that restaurants, shops and services located directly on the island could give residents more options without requiring as many trips toward James Island, West Ashley or downtown Charleston.

Critics of continued Johns Island development, meanwhile, have repeatedly raised concerns about traffic, infrastructure and the pace of growth along Maybank Highway. Those concerns were already part of public discussion when the project moved through the planning process in 2024.

The project is now focused on design

The larger Jubilee development has already moved through earlier planning and approval stages.

Charleston’s Design Review Board listed Jubilee on its Sept. 8, 2026 agenda, shifting the conversation toward the specific look, scale and design of the project.

As of Wednesday, Sept. 9, the city’s public agenda center had not yet posted a corresponding Sept. 8 meeting-results document, so the most recent publicly available city record confirms the review was scheduled but does not yet show the board’s final action.

That means the project is moving forward, but details of the final design could still evolve.

What Jubilee could mean for Johns Island

Jubilee reflects a larger shift happening across the Charleston metro.

Johns Island is no longer simply a rural edge of the region. Population growth and development have brought more restaurants, businesses, housing and services to the island — while also increasing pressure on roads and infrastructure.

Jubilee’s developers are betting there is room for a project that mixes hospitality, local dining, retail and public gathering space without becoming another conventional residential neighborhood.

If the project ultimately takes shape as currently envisioned, Johns Island could gain something it has had relatively little of: a walkable destination where residents and visitors can stay, eat, shop and gather in one place.