The Advocates
The Advocates: Lessons Learned: Union Pier & Sumar Street
| Union Pier and Sumar Street are two potential development projects which could shape the communities in which they are proposed. In the past week, important decisions have been made on both projects that will determine their future. As business leaders, we need to ask ourselves several important questions. Do I know enough about these projects to create an informed opinion about their quality and whether they will have an impact on our community? Also, having formed an opinion, did I voice that opinion to our elected leaders? The Charleston Metro Chamber has taken a strong position in favor of the Union Pier project. The in-depth process used to elicit input from hundreds of business leaders in reaching that decision is well documented. The Chamber has not taken a position on the Sumar Street project but was asked by City Councilman Bowden to seek input from business leaders through a workshop attended by Councilmembers Bowden, Shahid and Waring. The Chamber does support coordinated decisions among municipalities that align the core values of choice, balance and stewardship, that promote the efficient use of land essential to economic growth and prosperity. Advocating for better land-use opportunities is one of our guiding principles and therefore, we will always monitor projects of this scale. Union Pier is now set for at least a year of additional process to determine its future. Sumar Street may never happen. What are these projects and what is their status? Union Pier Union Pier would repurpose an approximately 70-acre site, located between Market and Laurens Street, to include mixed development use for residential, commercial and recreation purposes on our Peninsula. After months of public meeting and gathering community input, SC Ports announced that they were going to take the planning process in an alternative direction. The Union Pier planning process will now be led by the city and the Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Center for Livable Communities at the College of Charleston. Key stakeholders, including the Chamber, will now be engaged directly in the planning process in an effort to once again create a plan for the site. “Representing over 160,000 professionals, the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce works to support a thriving economy. The redevelopment of Union Pier offers so many opportunities for our city, such as adding more commercial spaces to support our economy, creating green spaces to boost quality of life and building much-needed affordable housing on the peninsula. We look forward to seeing this vision realized.” — Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, Bryan Derreberry Sumar Street The Sumar St. redevelopment site is a 2.5-acre parcel of land located at a central entrance point of West Ashley, once home to a Piggly Wiggly. The City of Charleston purchased the property on August 8, 2017 for the price of $3.029 million. For the past few years, the city has been working with planners and the public to decide on a path forward for the site. The partnering developer, Landmark, recently presented three site options to the public and ultimately went to City Council on June 20 for a vote. Unfortunately, Council voted 6-6, a failed tie, to approve the original design plan for the site that would have included a $45 million investment from the city and a $30 million investment from Landmark. The project was deferred back to its committee for next steps but there are concerns on what additional costs may be accrued if the city has to terminate its’ contract with Landmark. Representatives of the Chamber will be at the table as the future of Union Pier is deliberated. We welcome your engagement as we participate in the process on behalf of Chamber members. The future of Sumar Street is unknown. If you would like to know more or let your voice be heard on this important West Ashley site, let us know. Diamond Curry represents the Chamber membership every day before your local governments. She can be reached at dcurry@charlestonchamber.org. I lead the government relations team here at the Chamber and can be reached at sbarhight@charlestonchamber.org. Please let us know what you think. |
Posted on
June 23rd 2023
Written by
Justin Allen
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