Posted on Mon, Aug. 21, 2006

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Port Royal near plan for future

By GREG JONES

gjones@beaufortgazette.com

A draft development agreement outlining the future of Port Royal’s waterfront and its downtown port could be presented this week, according to state officials.

State Ports Authority board member Glen Kilgore and chairman Bill Stern said the state agency plans to meet with town officials and present a draft of what the Port of Port Royal could become once turned over to a private developer.

Gov. Mark Sanford signed legislation in 2004 calling for the waterfront property to be closed and sold to a private developer by the end of this year, which has state and local officials rushing to beat that deadline.

If the council and the town’s lawyers are satisfied with the draft presented this week, an agreement could be reached quickly, Mayor Sam Murray said.

Murray said public input into the development agreement could come as early as September.

“We have to be satisfied with it first before we present it to the public,” he said.

Preliminary plans for the port property have included a marina, apartments, parks, businesses and a hotel.

The port property originally was reported to be about 40 acres, but state officials now are saying the property is made up of 57 acres.

Kilgore said the confusion stems from the number of groups involved in the port process. The town, ports authority and governor’s office all have played a role in guiding the project.

Town Councilman Joe Lee said he is pleased that the ports authority is moving forward with a development agreement and expects that the town will have a lot of input.

Greg Jones is a staff writer for the Beaufort Gazette, a McClatchy newspaper.