Marina seeks to extend docks 150 feet

During the past 16 years, the privately operated Charleston City Marina extended its presence deep into the Ashley River, building its "MegaDock" for larger boats, the largest dock of its kind in the Southeast.

Now, with the Ashley River filling in with sediment around some of its docks, the City Marina is seeking government permits to push its docks 150 feet farther into the river, a $5 million project that marina officials said will solidify the facility's future.

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The first public meeting on the project is at 6 p.m. Thursday in the state Department of Health and Environmental Control's offices at 1362 McMillan Ave., North Charleston.

Siltation has been a problem throughout the marina's history, forcing its operators to move slips to deeper water or abandon some slips altogether, said Robbie Freeman, managing partner of the City Marina Co.

Because the sediment is contaminated with toxic chemicals, state and federal regulators have long discouraged any dredging in the area.

"So we want to shift everything out and get everything into deeper water," Freeman said. In doing so, the marina would shorten its MegaDock at the southern end of the marina, a move he hopes will please some residents along Lockwood Boulevard.

When the marina built the MegaDock, some in the area, such as Angela McLester, feared that it would ruin their views of the river. "Once it was built, it wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be," she said.

"I don't have any feelings about the new project, but I'll be interested in how it affects everything."

According to a permit application to DHEC, the marina would add 136 new floating slips for boats ranging from 40 to 60 feet long. Freeman said that because of siltation, the marina expects to lose about 100 slips. "So we think the net gain will be about 40 slips," Freeman said.

While plans call for the docks to be moved farther offshore, shortening the MegaDock will keep the overall footprint of the marina to about 41 acres over the water, an increase by about 1 acre, he said.

The city supports the permit because the expansion will allow the marina to maintain its water depths without having to dredge, said Adelaide Andrews, deputy corporate counsel for the city.

Freeman said that by moving the docks farther into the river, the natural scouring action of the Ashley will keep water depths more constant. "I think this is the best long-term solution to keeping the City Marina viable," he said.

Reach Tony Bartelme at 937-5554.