The State Ports Authority has expressed general support for the goal of
assuring that ample open space will be a permanent asset of the 1,300-acre
property it's putting up for sale on the southern portion of Daniel
Island. But ample public access to the water also should be assured.
As John McDermott reported in Tuesday's Post and Courier, Gov. Mark
Sanford emphasized the need for not just open space but water access
Monday at a public meeting on Daniel Island as the SPA presented its
land-use plan for the property. The SPA originally acquired the land as a
site for a large "Global Gateway" port facility, but strong public
opposition scuttled that proposal.
The SPA's plan for restrictions on the land's use after its sale, which
board member Harry Butler stressed is still in the conceptual stage,
devotes roughly 40 percent of the property to public parks, natural
preserves and open space in scattered locations. The rest would go to
commercial development, condominiums and single-family homes. Some of that
development would occur along the Cooper River waterfront.
During the session, Gov. Sanford urged the preservation of even more
open space and water access, citing the ongoing population boom in the
Charleston area: "Think about 50 to 100 years in this part of South
Carolina. How much green will we really see based on the way the
population is changing?"
Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. also wants to see as much "green"
as possible preserved on an island, which is part of the city of
Charleston. While noting that conceptually he feels the SPA concept is a
"very good use of the land," he told us Tuesday that the outcome depends
on the details of the development, including the number and location of
houses and docks. He also stressed a goal he has long championed on the
Charleston peninsula - "access to the water's edge" for the public - "so
that it wouldn't be a gated thing."
Gov. Sanford conceded that maximizing the public space won't maximize
the sales price of SPA's land. Yet, as he noted, guaranteeing widespread
public access to the water would add "long-term" value for the community
and state. "What we're saying," he said, "is let's skew on the side of
open space and access to the water, because we're not going to get this
chance again."
Obviously, that's not a chance to squander.