A peninsula under pressure
On a map, the Cainhoy Peninsula still looks like open space – a vast stretch of marsh, forest, creeks, and winding roads tucked between the Wando River and the Francis Marion National Forest.
But for residents watching new homes rise and traffic intensify along the Clements Ferry corridor, the future of that landscape suddenly feels much more immediate.
Nearly three decades after the original Planned Unit Development agreement was approved, the conversation surrounding the Cainhoy Peninsula has shifted from “if” development will come to “how” it should happen and whether a decades-old plan should still guide one of the region’s largest remaining undeveloped areas.
That debate continued May 18 inside Philip Simmons Elementary School, where residents, environmental advocates, and community leaders gathered to revisit what the peninsula could become and what they say is already slipping away.
At the center of it all is the long-standing Planned Unit Development agreement for the Cainhoy Peninsula, originally approved in 1996 and revisited in 2014, which allows for up to 18,000 residential units across nearly 9,000 acres of Lowcountry marsh, forest, and tidal creek systems. Advocates argue the framework no longer reflects the environmental or infrastructure realities of a region experiencing rapid population growth along the Clements Ferry corridor.
“We really just want to revisit the plans from 2014. We’re not saying, ‘Hey, don’t build.’ Let’s think about how we’re doing this and what’s for the betterment of the community,” said Wade Malloch, a Huger native and advocate for residents along the corridor.
RESHAPING THE PLAN
The meeting, held alongside the Coastal Conservation League, centered on newly presented development alternatives commissioned through planning firm Dover, Kohl & Partners. The scenarios were designed to show how development could be reshaped to reduce environmental impacts while still meeting housing goals.
According to the firm, three of the four alternatives would still allow roughly 9,000 residential units while disturbing fewer than 14 acres of wetlands and placing about 90% or more of homes outside the 100- and 500-year floodplains.
A fourth option reduces development to 6,000 units while eliminating all wetland impacts by shrinking and repositioning the footprint.
Much of the concern focused on flooding and the role wetlands currently play as a natural buffer system across the peninsula. Environmental groups say those systems store and filter stormwater during heavy rain events, and that large-scale fill could have long-term consequences.
“This 9,000-acre property – twice the land area of the Charleston Peninsula – is one of the largest and most ecologically sensitive undeveloped properties in the Charleston area,” the Coastal Conservation League stated in its project overview, noting the presence of endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker and the northern long-eared bat, as well as marine life important to local fisheries, including redfish, flounder, blue crabs, and oysters.
The organization argues current plans could ultimately fill nearly 200 acres of wetlands and reshape the peninsula into what it describes as an “Anywhere, USA” suburb. The Coastal Conservation League, along with the Southern Environmental Law Center, Charleston Waterkeeper, and South Carolina Wildlife Federation, has spent years challenging permits tied to the project, including lawsuits filed in 2022 over wetland impacts and endangered species concerns.
“We are working and doing everything we can to show the mayor and the rest of city council that there are people that care deeply about this, and we need to find some solution here,” said Torrey Sanders of the Coastal Conservation League.
'PLAYBOOK NEEDS TO BE CHANGED'
The Coastal Conservation League is pushing a petition urging the City of Charleston to revisit the development agreement under the South Carolina Development Agreement Act, which allows updates when conditions have significantly changed since approval. The petition has more than 7,000 signatures, though organizers say they are working to increase participation from Charleston city residents before bringing it to city council.
Residents from the Jack Primus settlement community, a historic Black community established in the early 1700s, voiced concerns about how surrounding development is affecting their neighborhood.
They’re building all around us,” said resident Kathy Mack-Watson, who added she feels residents haven’t been included in discussions about possible environmental impacts – including concerns of flooding.
“We don’t know what to expect," she said. "We don’t know if it will end up in our yards or in our homes. We’re concerned. Involve the community. We have a right to know what’s going on in our community, in our surrounding areas.”
Others pledged continued community action.
“We’re going to continue to fight as a community. That we will do,” said Dwan Venning of the Jack Primus Settlement Community.
Supporters of revisiting the agreement say the goal is not to stop growth but to reassess how it happens in a region where infrastructure is already under pressure.
“The playbook needs to be changed from when it was initially drawn up in 2014 and to meet current needs, such as growth considerations, infrastructure, and so on,” Malloch said. “We see the changes daily on our drives; sadly, it will only get worse; we all know this.”
He pointed to traffic concerns along Clements Ferry Road.
“State planners have given Clements Ferry Road a grade of "F," meaning gridlock, severe delays, and traffic volume that exceeds the road's physical volume it can handle,” Malloch said. “The road operates beyond safe parameters; drivers are more prone to be impatient, drive aggressive, tailgate.”
Malloch also noted concerns about limited alternate routes in the area. “When I moved to Huger 14 years ago, the population was 900. Now we are pushing 8,000. Imagine another 15,000 or more all in the Francis Marion National Forest.
"We have no roads that run parallel with Clements Ferry Road. Cainhoy Road is a disaster and will get worse as Nucor steel expands.”
LAWMAKERS RESPOND
As for those requests for the City of Charleston to consider revising the plan, The Daniel Island News reached out to Charleston City Councilman Boyd Gregg, who represents Daniel Island and the Clements Ferry Road area.
“Point Hope has been one of the more contentious conversations in our community, and the concerns residents have raised deserve a straight answer,” he said.
“The zoning rights attached to this land were granted by Berkeley County nearly 40 years ago, and then transferred to the City. Under state law, reducing the number of permitted units would constitute an unlawful taking of private property which is a legal standard that courts have upheld consistently. The City would face litigation, and the precedent is not on our side. This is not political, but a legal constraint.”
POINT HOPE'S POSITION
Developers associated with Point Hope said the project is already being designed with long-term conservation in mind. A spokesperson at the May 18 meeting was in attendance and provided the following statement:
“Point Hope is being developed in a thoughtful and conservation-minded manner over the course of several decades. Over 4,500 acres – more than half of the property – will remain permanently protected and preserved. Wetland impacts will affect only 2% of the property in small, isolated pockets in order to improve interconnectivity and meet road construction standards. While Point Hope has zoning approval for 18,000 residences, it is expected to be significantly smaller. No docks have been applied for. Docks require approval with opportunity for public comment through state and coastal permitting processes."
Meanwhile, organizers and residents continue working to build support for their petition before presenting it to Charleston City Council. They say they are aiming to increase the number of Charleston city residents represented among signers – and the conversation is far from over.
“Growth doesn’t have to stop everything,” Malloch said. “Growth can (mean) working together for all municipalities, because this is for generations to come.”