By Justin Jarrett
The prospect of a waterfront public park on the controversial Whitehall property is back on the table, and several groups are lining up to help make it a reality.
Representatives from the Beaufort County Open Land Trust and Beaufort County recently approached developer Sam Levin of Whitehall Point Holdings, LLC, in a final attempt to purchase a portion of Whitehall for public open space before construction commences on the development plan approved in February. Levin agreed to consider the possibility of the sale of up to 10 acres — about half of the total size of the tract — on the western waterfront portion of Whitehall that overlooks the Beaufort River and Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.
“Up to this point in its current ownership, the property has not been for sale to us,” said Barbara Holmes, Director of Land Protection for the Beaufort County Open Land Trust. “We must do all we can to take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to give this community what it has been so passionately asking us for. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Once construction begins, the conversion of this land to residential use is irreversible.”
Holmes added that as part of any agreement regarding the possible purchase of property for a park, the conceptual development on the remaining acreage retained by Whitehall Holdings would be built according to approved plans. At issue is the potential cost – the developer has asked for $6.5 million for the 10 acres, according to the Sea Island Coalition, and the land is currently valued at about $680,000 per acre, but county tax records show an appraised value of just over $2 million in May 2016, perhaps giving officials room to negotiate. The city and county have agreed to maintain the property if converted into a park, and the project has widespread support and is taking shape as a potential public-private partnership.
“We fully support a new park at Whitehall, and see it it as a tremendous asset for the Lady’s Island Community and for our area in general,” said Mark Weeks, President of the Lady’s Island Business and Professional Association (LIBPA). “We have already made a financial contribution to the effort and hope that will ‘prime the pump.”
A new group – the Friends of Whitehall Park – has organized for the purpose of helping to move the project forward. The group, modeled after the successful groups “Friends of Hunting Island,” “Friends of Crystal Lake,” and “Friends of Fort Fremont,” will be comprised of representatives from the county, the City of Beaufort, Beaufort County Open Land Trust, and other local interest groups.
“The goal of this group is to encompass as many interested parties that are willing to be involved,” Acting Chairman Paul Butare said. “We hope to have broad participation from the public using Facebook, the petition site Change.org, and our website (www.FriendsofWhitehallPark.com) as a source of current and historical information.”
Whitehall is a unique piece of property in Northern Beaufort County — the only waterfront property remaining that could serve as a useable public waterfront park connecting Lady’s Island to the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. With 850 feet of walkable waterfront, the 900-foot pedestrian/bike trail, and ample parking, it can be one of the most connected, accessible and useable public parks in downtown Beaufort.
If 10 acres of this property were to become a park, it would remove almost 70 approved residential units and their associated impacts, according to the Beaufort County Open Land Trust.
“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve an iconic property, reduce traffic impact, better protect the Beaufort River and create a public asset for Lady’s Island, Beaufort and the surrounding communities,” County Council Chairman Paul Sommerville said.
County Council discussions regarding the possibility of protecting and using the Whitehall property for a public park have occurred at least as far back as the 1960s. Development on the Whitehall property has been planned numerous times by developers, and each time the land value went up along with the density requirements to make developing it economically viable. Beaufort County residents have long realized the value of the property, citing it as “a treasure,” “priceless,” “irreplaceable,” “beautiful historic land” and “idyllic” during a public comment period in 2017 prior to a proposed re-zoning which would have increased the allowable density on the property.
“We have for some time believed that a park at Whitehall would be of benefit to the city and region,” Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said. “A park has always been a part of our Civic Master Plan and we continue to support that concept. There are experienced and talented professionals working out the details and we are supportive of the process.”
