Charleston City Councilmember Peter Shahid, a candidate for mayor, released the following statement regarding the State Ports Authority's (SPA) announcement that it is deferring its proposed plans for redeveloping Union Pier:
“I commend Barbara Melvin for slowing down the process of redeveloping the Union Pier site. This is a wise decision; however, it is also quite telling of the current administration's lack of past engagement on this critical project for our community.
The mayor has had more than ample opportunity to be a leader by creating the high standards expected for a project of this magnitude. Now, almost a year after the plans were first revealed, the mayor is finally ready to ‘get to work.' Our city deserves a mayor who will use common sense to lead and not be a passive reactionary.
Waiting until after the mayoral election in November assures our citizens that a new leader, one with sound judgment like me, will collaborate with all parties and direct this project to ensure its highest level of excellence.
Despite the SPA's announcement, I will still host my monthly constituent meeting tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. at Founders Hall at Charles Towne Landing, where representatives from organizations for and against the project will speak. I encourage people to attend so they can learn some potential updates to the plan from SPA officials. I will also discuss the latest on the proposed plans for the Sumar Street site ahead of Tuesday's City Council meeting.”
