On Tuesday, March 5th, the South Carolina Ports Authority opened Union Pier for tours where interested parties could learn about the property’s redevelopment.
Offering high potential for a new neighborhood, the South Carolina Port Authority said they plan to sell roughly 70 acres of fill and terminal piers along the Cooper River. Union Pier's team of planners, designers, and engineers were onsite to meet with members of the public, who had the opportunity to voice their opinions and learn about what’s to come.
During the event, attendees were able to take bus tours around Union Pier, where they learned about the site’s heritage and historic landmarks. One such landmark that stood out was the Bennett Rice Mill facade (pictured), the front face of a once impressive building. Brittany Lavelle Tulla, lead architectural historian of BVL Historic Preservation Research, mentioned how lucky the tour group was to see the facade up close on its private land, and claimed it to be one of the only remaining examples of how important the ports were to historic Charleston’s economy and the global trade of Carolina gold rice.
The planners have taken into account public interest and have stated that their design will have a preference for mixed-use development, public waterfront access, open space, resilient stormwater management, and a disinterest in tourism developments and high-rise.
Attendees had the opportunity to explore interactive poster boards, using post-it notes for comments or color-coded stickers for voting yes or no on different ideas. Trends included a demand for more green space downtown and a strong rejection of hotels and tourism development.
The planners predict that Charleston’s climate will resemble Jacksonville, Florida by 2030, citing the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies. They consider this as a reason for the importance of tree canopies throughout the new neighborhood. Multiple residents commented how they leave Charleston during the summer due to the unbearable heat or spend more time indoors than they’d like.
The residents of Charleston have voiced their strong opinions regarding the previous developments in the area, specifically Morrison Yard and WestEdge, which they have deemed "unbelievably ugly" and not in line with the character of Charleston. Instead, they have put forward suggestions to extend the scale and character of the neighboring areas of Old and Historic Charleston. They propose Charleston take inspiration from other cities around the world, such as Hunter's Point South in New York City, which is a mostly undeveloped and naturally resilient waterfront park. Additionally, they suggest adding ferry routes to CARTA's modes of transport, similar to Istanbul, as this could bring Mount Pleasant closer to downtown. They also advocate for adapting Barcelona's "super-block" design, which limits car traffic to outside city super-blocks, keeping inner blocks open to pedestrians and cyclists.
You can learn more at unionpiersc.com.
