Union Pier is a nearly 70-acre historic waterfront site that is currently undergoing plans for redevelopment by the SC Ports Authority and Los Angeles-based developer, Lowe.
We echo Coastal Conservation League’s sentiment that “the currently proposed plan fails to meet the standards set by the City, the Ports Authority, and the people of Charleston for a world-class waterfront that is seamlessly integrated with the surrounding neighborhoods.”
Organizations including Coastal Conservation League, the Preservation Society, the Historic Foundation of Charleston, Charleston Moves, and more have all expressed significant concern with the current developer-led plan. In fact, Charleston was placed on the 11 Most Endangered Places list by the National Trust for Historic Preservation due to the threat of incompatible development at Union Pier.
This is a monumental project that will forever change the Charleston peninsula, and it should be completed in a way that reflects the needs of our community – a community that is already faced with challenges like overdevelopment, flooding, lack of affordable housing, and connected transit. We urge the developers and the City to create a plan that will:
- Decrease the number of proposed accommodations units and increase the percent of on-site affordable and workforce housing to no less than 20% of all available residential units in perpetuity.
- Prioritize safe biking and walking on the site, including protected bike lanes, raised crosswalks, bus stops, bike share stations, and a reduction of the current proposed 220 on-street parking spaces
- Dedicate at least 25% of the site to open and public park space, not only to benefit the community but also as an essential element of climate resilience planning along the waterfront.
- Incorporate plans to honor the Black history of the site, both as a point of first arrival for thousands of enslaved people and as the site of the African American-led Charleston Mosquito Fleet.
We also urge the City to slow down this planning process, as there have not been enough opportunities for public comment thus far.
You can submit written comment or sign up to speak at the June 7th public meeting by NOON on June 6th at this link (select the June 7th Planning Commission Meeting in the dropdown):
http://innovate.charleston-sc.gov/comments/
You can find additional public input points via the Coastal Conservation League and via Charleston Moves.
