City of Charleston announces final approval for Joe Riley Waterfront Park expansion

The City of Charleston announced that the Army Corps of Engineers has granted approval for the planned expansion of the Joe Riley Waterfront Park, the city’s most visited park. The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management of the Department of Health and Environmental Control issued the state permits in May. With the necessary permits secured, the Park expansion will be a significant achievement for the City of Charleston’s Century V Plan, which includes prioritizing projects that increase public waterfront access throughout the city.

National real estate company Lowe was a joint applicant to the Park expansion permits with the City. A 225 room hotel with a park side café, ground floor retail, restaurant, rooftop terrace and spa, all open to the public, is planned adjacent to the expanded Park at 176 Concord Street by Lowe.

“When Waterfront Park rose along the banks of the Charleston harbor nearly three decades ago, it was an extraordinary gift not just to our visitors, but to our citizens as well–a truly remarkable public space to visit, to enjoy, to share with family and friends. Now, with Lowe’s planned expansion moving forward, Charlestonians will be able to access and experience even more of this priceless public treasure in the years ahead,” said City of Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg.

Upon completion, the Joe Riley Waterfront Park’s River Walk will be extended by approximately 400 feet, starting at the park’s north entrance on Concord Street and ending at Cumberland Street. The expanded Park includes elevated plazas and will also enlarge dock access facilities from a single water taxi dock drop-off to a marina facility for the water taxi and the public. Construction is planned to start in 2019 with completion slated for 2021.

“One of Lowe’s priorities is to create signature experiences that encourage public access at its properties, so we are thrilled to clear this hurdle and to begin preparing the site for the Park expansion,” said Dan Battista, Lowe Senior Vice President of Development. “We are thankful for the active support from Mayor Tecklenburg and the City staff throughout this process and look forward to continuing to work alongside them on the Park expansion.”