Boeing files building permits in North Charleston

Boeing Co. has filed permit requests with North Charleston for a second 787 aircraft plant, saying it would start clearing land in early November if it picks the city for the proposed factory.

The Post and Courier today reviewed plans filed with City Hall under the title “Boeing Charleston Expansion Program.”

The documents show the aerospace giant would needs to clear about 82 acres near its existing factory at Charleston International Airport.

The site work would start Nov. 2 and wrap up Feb. 26, according to the plans.

Boeing previously had stated it would seek building permits just in case it picks North Charleston for the 787 expansion. The company is expected to make a decision by the end of the year.

Boeing spokeswoman Candy Eslinger said today that the permit request is “just a procedural step.”

“It does not mean the company has decided to locate a second line in North Charleston,” she said. “The filing was necessary because the permitting process is very comprehensive and requires a lot of lead time.”

Other places being considered for the plant and jobs include Everett, Wash., the longtime home of Boeing’s commercial aircraft manufacturing business. The long-delayed 787 is currently assembled in the Seattle suburb, where local leaders are scrambling to win the new Boeing business.

For more details, see Wednesday’s editions of The Post and Courier.