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The governor came to town in February to discuss the 40-acre state port site scheduled to be shuttered and sold off for development by the end of the year.
It was in February that Sanford unveiled an S.C. State Ports Authority vision for the site that included a 400-slip marina, almost 400 homes and a 64-room hotel at the end of Paris Avenue.
Joel Sawyer, a spokesman for the governor's office, said Friday's meeting will be similar to the one in February and will give area residents an opportunity to ask questions about the project's progress.
"He's been in communication with town officials and officials from the Ports Authority" since the last meeting, Sawyer said of the governor, "and he wants an update on where we are."
Drafted for $80,000 by Baltimore-based Design Collective, the town's plan for the port site includes 400 to 500 new homes, apartments and condominiums, up to 150,000 square feet of commercial space, a 250-room hotel, a marina, a restaurant and public boat slips.
Town officials have questioned the amount of open space in the state's plan and the public's access to the water.
The Port Royal Town Council approved a resolution Wednesday asking the Ports Authority to make the town's plan for the redevelopment the basis for the project. Port Royal Mayor Sam Murray said he hopes Sanford would encourage the Ports Authority to make the town's plan the "guiding document" for the redevelopment.
"We look forward to the governor coming down," Murray said. "The main thing is to get the land sold and begin work on a development agreement. The clock is ticking."State and local officials have been negotiating to combine the two plans and hope to sell the property with an attached development agreement acceptable to both parties.
"His biggest thing is making sure there is a sufficient amount of open space, green space and access to the water," Sawyer said of Sanford, adding that he wasn't sure if the governor has seen an updated sketch of the plans from the Ports Authority. "These kinds of developments are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities."
