County takes ownership of Georgetown Port

Georgetown County took ownership of the Georgetown Port on June 30. On July 24, local officials and members of the public were invited to a special presentation on plans for the Port. Attended by about 75 people, the event took place at Howard Auditorium and was followed by a brief guided tour of the Port. 

"Georgetown County sits as the last undeveloped coastal community in South Carolina," said Tiffany Harrison, the county's Director of Economic Development. "I would say to you, while that presents challenges, that also presents opportunities for us. We have the opportunity to define the narrative. We have the opportunity to plan for future growth. We have the opportunity to take an underutilized asset — 40 acres sitting on prime waterfront property, sitting right on the edge of our historic tourist district — and to  redevelop that into something that will help this community thrive and set the stage for future growth and prosperity for everyone that lives in Georgetown, that calls Georgetown home and loves Georgetown. We have a great opportunity to work together to do some amazing things."

Residents shouldn’t expect redevelopment of the port to happen anytime soon, however. There is significant work that has to be done first, including environmental studies and demolition or repair of existing buildings and surfacing. As those who participated in the tour saw firsthand, the port’s current condition could be described as rough at best. The last time a cargo ship came in or out of the port was 2016.

In the last year since the idea of transferring ownership of the port to the county was raised at the state level, the county has had a full structural assessment completed for the property. That revealed about $13.6 million in structural deficiencies at the port. The county is working on a plan to find funds to address those deficiencies. Environmental studies will also being conducted, which is certain to reveal more issues that will have to be corrected before anything of significance can be done with the site. A phase 1 environmental study has already been completed and the county is working with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to receive protections for liability for any existing environmental conditions before cleanup initiatives begin. Work on gathering baseline environmental information continues. 

“Understanding the existing environmental conditions will tell us what we can or cannot do as we move forward,” Harrison said. 

As activities move forward at the port, the county will be seeking public input. Anyone who would like to be part of that and learn about future meetings and public input sessions regarding the port should sign up for notifications under the “Calendar” heading at https://www.gtcounty.org/list.aspx.