Forum tackles quality of life

Charleston has become an increasingly lauded tourist destination and an ever more popular place to call home, but the historic city's recent success also masks its delicacy and potential for future harm.

That was the consensus Wednesday night among more than 300 of the city's most influential leaders and residents who filled all the seats in the Charleston Museum's auditorium, lined its walls and filled its stairs.

They turned out for a special forum that the Historic Charleston Foundation organized to launch a broad public discussion on how the growing cruise ship industry, retail changes and other new developments will affect the quality of life for those who live and visit here.

Foundation Director Kitty Robinson ticked off the many changes Charleston is expecting, despite the economic doldrums facing the nation and state.

These changes include a renovated cruise ship terminal, upgrades to the historic City Market, new zoning for the eastern Calhoun Street area, redevelopment of Concord Park, a new African American history museum, the renovation of the Gaillard Auditorium, plans for light rail, new industries such as Boeing, and more.

"They will have an enormous and cumulative impact," Robinson said. "The city has great promise if we work together to keep the city's character intact."

The cruise ship industry was a dominant topic, partly because the State Ports Authority has launched its Union Pier Cruise Terminal planning effort to study redoing nine waterfront acres on the eastern end of Market Street.

Mayor Joe Riley said he already has worked with SPA Executive Director Jim Newsome to address the traffic snarls caused by recent cruise ships.

Riley joked that the traffic topic was the "elephant in the room," adding that many are probably thinking, "OK, they're going to build a new cruise ship terminal and I can't get to Harris Teeter on a Saturday morning now," a reference to the grocery store near the worst cruise-traffic gridlock.

Newsome said the authority now will handle at least half of the 400 or so cars arriving for cruises on its own property, not city streets.

Dana Beach, director of the Coastal Conservation League, noted that the cruise ships' negative effects could extend well beyond traffic and include air and water pollution, visual blight and harm to marine life, including endangered whales.

Beach said the city not only should limit cruise ships to one arrival at a time, but also should include caps on the number of passengers and the height of the vessels.

He said the city must act because federal regulations on cruise ships are three decades old and inadequate. "No one should be lulled into thinking these changes will be easy," he said.

Other topics were the changes under way at the City Market. Hank Holliday, a partner in the team renovating the City Market, said he was working with its 250 vendors and with those who want to see changes that will lure city residents to the tourist-filled sheds.

"We need your support and patience," Holliday said. "It is our hope to bring Charlestonians back to the center of their city and the City Market."

There also were some specific ideas floated. Winslow Hastie, the foundation's director of preservation, said the city should consider changes to East Bay and Washington streets to help move cars in and out of the city.

He said Washington could be changed so two lanes run north and one runs south, while East Bay could be changed to have two southbound lanes and one northbound lane.

Charles Duell of the Middleton Place Foundation asked whether the Ports Authority's new passenger terminal should be moved to a spot north of the South Carolina Aquarium, where it would have less impact. Newsome said every idea is on the table.

Charles Rhoden, president of the consortium of 15 peninsula neighborhoods, said many residents are confused by how the city's different plans fit together and about the cumulative impact of the city's projects. "In summary, it all comes down to communication," he said.

Everyone quickly agreed the discussion should continue. Robinson and Riley said they would work to create a task force to continue to discuss all these changes in an inclusive and comprehensive way.

There also was an air of self-congratulation among the oversized crowd that braved the frigid temperatures to show up.

Riley said, "This auditorium is packed on a cold night for one reason and one reason only: You care about and love this city."

Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or rbehre@postandcourier.com.