Third public hearing set for Charleston cruise terminal

The public will get another chance to weigh in on a new cruise ship terminal being proposed for the Charleston peninsula.

But the feedback will be limited to the latest changes the State Ports Authority has made to its original plans.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control will hold the public hearing at 6 p.m. on Sept. 19 in North Charleston, according to a notice posted on the agency’s website Thursday. The location is Sterett Hall Auditorium on the former Navy base, at 1530 7th St. It will be the third hearing DHEC has scheduled because of the cruise project. The others took place in April.

The $35 million terminal is proposed for the north end of Union Pier, where the SPA plans to renovate an existing warehouse known.

The revamped structure would replace the existing, aging passenger building farther south, near the foot of Market Street. Next month’s hearing will focus on recent alterations the SPA has made to its construction plans.

The revisions, which reopened the public-comment period, include changes to the building and the addition of two covered staging areas to handle passengers, baggage and ship supplies.

DHEC and its Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management typically will hold a public hearing if they receive more than 20 requests.

The location of the cruise terminal plans has sparked opposition from the Coastal Conservation League, the Charleston Preservation Society and two peninsula neighborhood associations.

They want the SPA to consider other sites, but the maritime state agency has said Union Pier is the best location for its cruise business. If approved, the new passenger terminal is expected to be ready in the second half of 2013, or about nine months later than the previous estimate. The project has been delayed by design changes and the permitting process.

Contact John McDermott at 937-5572.