As the city of Charleston, SC works to develop a plan to guide future development along the eastern end of Calhoun Street from Marion Square to the SC Aquarium, preservationists express concerns about possible new guidelines.
When the aquarium was built 10 years ago, it was seen as a great economic opportunity. But that hope hasn't played out. So officials want to try to beef up the area around the aquarium to boost its appeal -- the only problem is the historic character of the area would have to be interrupted.
"Now, the city is seeking to revive the street's fortunes through a special plan for the Calhoun Street-East Waterfront area. It spent about $300,000 to hire CKS Architecture and Urban Design and four other consultants to take an in-depth look at the area's zoning, public places, traffic and marketing.
The new plan was to serve as an update to the city's 2-decade-old Calhoun Corridor Study, but when a draft plan went before the city's Planning Commission recently, there were concerns that it might lead to too much hotel development and, possibly worse, a set of architectural guidelines that would lead to a blander city and less public input."
Thanks to A. Lamar Calloway
FULL STORY: Defining Calhoun St.
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