Waterfront Park trail update: Temporary trail likely to open by the end of the week

Editor’s note: This story was updated on April 16 to include information on a permanent trail solution after the print version went to press.

Residents, Charleston city officials, the Daniel Island Property Owners Association, and community leaders said they were surprised last week by the unannounced closing of the Waterfront Park trail on the morning of Friday, April 12. The closed section connects Waterfront Park to Barfield Park.

City officials, representatives of East West Partners (the developer of the property), Daniel Island neighborhood representatives, and the POA met on Monday and worked out a temporary solution.

City councilman Boyd Gregg, who attended the Monday meeting, said he was encouraged by the meeting and the efforts to secure both a temporary and long-term solution.

On Tuesday morning, contractors were working with earth moving equipment to clear and grade a passable trail running from Barfield Park to Waterfront Park between the existing construction and the Wando River.

Gregg said the goal is to have the trail reopened by the end of the week. “We are all working together to get this complete. I think everyone will be happy with it once this gets done,” he said.

Mary Stuart Sutton, chief operations officer for the POA, confirmed the Friday opening goal.

She said there will be two ways to access Waterfront Park from Barfield Park once the temporary trail opens. Path users can opt to walk along the construction fence and then turn down Longshore Drive and use the sidewalks, or walk along the construction fence and then follow the natural foot trail that reconnects near the South Dock.

The POA, in a statement sent to residents on April 16, explained that the temporary trail could be closed from time to time, “Because this is an active construction site, there may be additional short-term trail closures. We will work with all involved to make sure that more adequate notice can be provided in the future.”

Residents were initially alerted to the closure of a previously constructed temporary trail connecting Waterfront Park to Barfield Park on the morning of Friday, April 12, when they attempted to pass. Later that day, the POA announced that a portion of the Waterfront Park trail would be closed until an alternate solution could be found.

LONGTERM PERMANENT TRAIL SOLUTION

Sutton said that the POA is working with the developer and property owners to complete a permanent connection.

Harriette Calder, a project manager for The Waterfront Daniel Island and real estate developer East West Partners, said, “We have been working with Daniel Island Town Association on the trail to continue around the Waterfront community for years.

“However, the process has proved to be much more difficult than anticipated. While we continue to work on a permanent solution, we have a temporary path which should be open by the end of the week,” Calder said.

In the April 16 statement, the POA explained, “For the last three years, DITA has been working with East West Partners to get Phase 2 of the Waterfront Park trail connection from the South Dock to the Barfield Bridge designed and permitted. The design and permitting process has been complicated due to site conditions and the number of regulatory agencies involved in the review and permitting process.

“Much of the Phase 2 trail is on private property owned by East West Partners, not DITA property.  DITA has received a verbal agreement from East West Partners to enter into a perpetual public access agreement on their property for the Phase 2 trail when DITA completes the trail design and the construction plans receive all applicable approvals and permits. The funding for the trail will be a partnership between the Daniel Island Community Fund and East West Partners. Zero funding from Annual Property Owners' Assessments will go towards this project.

“We are hopeful that some resolution on the complicated permitting issues will occur this summer. In the interim, the new temporary trail that connects the Barfield Bridge to the Waterfront area will open later this week.”

Sutton said in an email earlier this week, “We know how important the trail system is to the owners and visitors.”