New cruise terminal receives Board of Architectural Review, DHEC approval

Image by South Carolina State Ports Authority A possible view of Charleston in the not-so-distant future, with a redeveloped waterfront and new cruise terminal.

First reporting: The much-debated proposed $35 million cruise terminal moved a step closer to reality on Wednesday as the City of Charleston's Board of Architectural Review approved the plans that call for redevelopment of a Union Pier warehouse.

Opposition against the cruise ship industry, however, remains strong with several preservationists and environmental groups working to block the new building.

The new building for passengers at Union Pier is heading to a critical checkpoint on Wednesday, April 18: A public hearing before the NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management over five piers that would need to be driven in along the waterfront.

Update December 19: The Charleston Regional Business Journal reported yesterday that the state's Department of Health and Environmental Control issued a permit greenlighting the S.C. State Ports Authority to install five pilings into the northern end of Union Pier.

According to the post, "The pilings will be used to support three elevators and two escalators. The permit also allows the ports authority to modify Building 322, a warehouse that will become the terminal."