Charleston Hears Plans to Redevelop Union Pier

The South Carolina State Ports Authority outlined plans to relocate Charleston’s current cruise ship terminal and redevelop the Union Pier property along the Cooper River at a community meeting Tuesday in the current Passenger Terminal.

The SCSPA, which owns the property, said it has been working closely with the City of Charleston, the community and a professional planning team led by Cooper, Robertson & Partners on the plans.

Cooper Robertson founding principal Jaquelin T. Robertson presented the concept. He set the context for the plan, referring to Charleston’s rich maritime history and how the uses of Charleston’s waterfront have changed over the years.

Robertson showed how the cruise operations would be shifted to a more northern location on the property, a move that would mitigate traffic associated with cruise ships. The single terminal would accommodate only one ship embarking or debarking at a time, reflecting the scale of Charleston.

Robertson also explained that removing much of the deck and buildings around the existing terminal that reach out into the Cooper River could restore a green, natural shoreline approximately twice the length of Waterfront Park.

Finally, Robertson pointed out that the remainder of the property would then be available for a number of uses – residential, commercial and public – that could be created in response to the needs of the community and the market.

“This has been a collaborative process,” said SCSPA President and CEO Jim Newsome. “We have benefited from community input all along the way, and this concept plan specifically reflects what the community told us they want.”

Newsome said that the community’s interests became very clear through a series of meetings with numerous neighborhoods, individuals and groups.

Contact Peter T. Leach at pleach@joc.com.