Contact Charleston City Council!
Tell them you support a community-first approach to the development of the downtown Union Pier property.
Member, District, Email
Boyd Gregg 1 greggb@charleston-sc.gov
Kevin Shealy 2 shealyk@charleston-sc.gov
Jason Sakran 3 jasonsakrandistrict3@gmail.com
Robert M. Mitchell 4 mitchellro@charleston-sc.gov
Karl L. Brady 5 bradyk@charleston-sc.gov
William Dudley Gregorie 6 gregoriewd@charleston-sc.gov
Keith Waring 7 waringp@charleston-sc.gov
Michael S. Seekings 8 mike@seekingslaw.com
Peter Shahid 9 peter@charlestoncitycouncil9.org
Stephen Bowden 10 bowdens@charleston-sc.gov
Ross A. Appel 11 appelr@charleston-sc.gov
Caroline Parker 12 parkerc@charleston-sc.gov
Planning Commission
Charlie Karesh, Chair
Jimmy Bailey
Loquita Bryant-Jenkins
Erika Harrison
Donna Jacobs
Angie Johnson
McKenna Joyce
Sunday Lempesis
Harry Lesesne
Contact the Planning Commission by submitting your comments by 12 noon, June 6.
What the Redevelopment Plan for Union Pier Depicts
- Massive city blocks that facilitate large, monolithic buildings
- A wall of 7-story buildings blocking access and views to the waterfront
- Limited open space on the developable land
- Lack of a community-oriented planning process
What Historic Charleston Foundation and its Partners Advocate For
- Breaking up city blocks with alleys and deliberately zoning for buildings with varied heights and footprints
- Clear and robust architectural design guidelines to ensure that what the renderings depict is actually what gets built
- More meaningful open space in the interior of the site
- Any taller buildings should be very limited and scattered across the site at key locations
- As the site’s only historic remnant, the Bennett Rice Mill façade should be incorporated into an open plaza extending all the way to the water’s edge
- Engage the community in a robust planning process to address the lack of a comprehensive plan for Union Pier and completion of the water plan
The proposed redevelopment of the Union Pier port terminal property is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop an important piece of land in a way that creates a thriving new peninsula neighborhood that can be enjoyed by all, while remaining respectful to our city’s history. The development of Union Pier deserves a much more thoughtful approach than what it’s receiving. We applaud the State Ports Authority for wanting to make Union Pier part of our community again and sell the land for the financial benefit of Lowcountry taxpayers. However, the State Ports Authority and the developers are rushing to hastily develop what could become the same generic apartment buildings, hotels and retail spaces that have been popping up all over the peninsula.
Charleston is not known for block-sized apartments, offices and condos, or cookie cutter retail spaces, it is known around the world as an exceptional cultural center. If Charleston is to continue to be the most profitable region of the state, while still holding onto its reputation as a charming coastal city, we must develop the Union Pier area in a way that reflects the unique brand and values of Charleston.
We can’t let cookie-cutter apartment and office buildings become the new skyline that future generations will remember. We must Make It Charleston.
