Union Pier Update

Posted: October 12, 2023

Union Pier is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the Charleston community and it deserves to be a community-led process. In August, the Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Center for Livable Communities at the College of Charleston formed a stakeholder advisory committee to guide the planning and engagement processes, alongside significant community input.

Historic Charleston Foundation is proud to be on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee alongside a diverse group of local residents who, together, represent a range of issues, points of view, and constituencies. Advisory committee meetings are open to the public and all announcements, agendas, minutes and recordings can be found HERE.

What’s new?

• Following a technical review by the Riley Center, SC Ports, and City of Charleston planning staff, four responsive proposals were advanced to the Stakeholder Advisory Committee for their review and consideration. Committee members shared their views of the proposals in executive session.
• At the October 11 meeting, the committee unanimously voted to recommend Boston-based Sasaki as lead planning firm. HCF is excited about the prospect of a design partnership between Sasaki, NBW Landscape Architects and James Lima Planning + Development, to add to the team of experts that will bring their focus to the Union Pier project.
  • Sasaki helped create one of the most significant modern public spaces downtown, Joe Riley Waterfront Park, completed in 1990. Union Pier presents an unparalleled chance to extend that legacy project into an even more transformative public space and mixed-use district.
  • Thomas Woltz and his team at NBW Landscape Architects bring an important perspective for how cultural landscapes have affected life in the Lowcountry over centuries, with ambitious projects underway now at the Angel Oak, Middleton Place, and in Savannah’s Forsyth Park.
  • Economic advisor James Lima Planning + Development will assist to help ensure public spaces are successful, vibrant, and add to a city’s sense of place.

What does that mean?

• This recommendation is the next step in a nearly two-month long selection process which has been shaped by the Union Pier Stakeholder Advisory Committee.

What happens next?

• The Riley Center and Stakeholder Advisory Committee will work together with Sasaki to develop a full scope of work. This phase is where the rubber meets the road in shaping how the work is carried out.
  • Elements that will be detailed during this phase include team composition, plans for extensive community engagement, details for the master planning and PUD creation processes, and a schedule for the work.