CHARLESTON — A developer of luxury apartments and townhomes is seeking a permit to build a private dock into the Ashley River.
City officials and preservation groups were caught off guard by the request, which could impact the city’s billion-dollar sea wall project meant to protect the Charleston peninsula from rising seas and storm surges.
“The City of Charleston has not had any discussions with The Beach Company regarding the proposed private dock, as this is a matter for the S.C. Department of Environmental Services,” city spokeswoman Deja Knight McMillan told the Post and Courier. “While details are limited, we have concerns about the project and remain committed to ensuring public access is maintained along the knee wall and Battery Extension for the entirety of those projects.”
The Beach Company is nearing completion on The Charles, a development of 15 three-story townhomes and eight flats, next to the existing Jasper high-rise that overlooks the Ashley River.
The proposed dock, which would only be accessible by homeowners and their guests, will extend about 240 feet into the river where Lockwood Drive meets Broad Street.
That section of river is already busy. A U.S. Coast Guard station is just east of the propose site, and the city’s marina is to the west.
The construction of the proposed dock requires a permit from the state department of environmental services because it would cross coastal wetlands.
For large developments, the department requires a Dock Master Plan to prevent overcrowding and to protect coastal ecosystems. It’s unclear if a plan will be required for this application.
A critical mass of docks can cause ecological effects. A 2021 Massachusetts study found that private docks can alter ecosystems by introducing new habitats for invasive species, altering and destroying marshland through initial construction and increased shading, and by introducing leachate pollution through chemically-treated wood piles and human activities such as the use of cleaning chemicals.
Part of the permitting process requires a comment period, which ends Aug. 8.
Local preservation groups are encouraging residents to oppose the permit and request a public hearing.
“Not only would this disturb the fragile ecosystems that protect the character-defining neighborhoods that make up Charleston’s downtown historic districts, it runs afoul of longstanding city policy goals that discourage construction along our coastal edges and limit privatization of the water’s edge,” the Preservation Society of Charleston posted on Instagram Aug. 6.
“This is NOT a subtle structure and does not fit in the context of Charleston’s historic district that is primarily composed of public and civic waterfront,” the Historic Charleston Foundation wrote in an email to its members Aug. 6. “Without a public hearing, we may lose the chance to influence the future of this property.”
Representatives from The Beach Company could not be reached immediately for comment.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
