Large Cainhoy development would exacerbate flooding, groups say | Business

A newly permitted city-sized development on the Cainhoy peninsula is drawing criticism from two environmental advocacy groups that say the project will make the area more vulnerable to flooding and put the region at greater risk as seas rise and storms become more powerful.

The Coastal Conservation League and the Southern Environmental Law Center said Point Hope — a 9,000-acre master-planned community along Clements Ferry Road — would destroy nearly 200 acres of freshwater wetlands at the largely vacant tract. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers authorized the permits on May 11.

Over the next two decades, the Cainhoy peninsula is expected to see intense development that could attract as many as 30,000 new residents, according to developers. The Coastal Conservation League said the once-rural area, which is in the city of Charleston and Berkeley County, is in jeopardy of being overwhelmed.

Point Hope, which straddles Clements Ferry between Highway 41 and Interstate 526, is expected to add 9,000 homes and create a city-sized community. When the last moving boxes are unloaded, it could eclipse Daniel Island in scale and population.

“The City of Charleston, the Corps of Engineers have a chance to create a resilient, sustainable, small city that is walkable and connected on the Cainhoy peninsula,” said Jason Crowley, a senior program director for the Coastal Conservation League. “Instead, they are going to build a low-density, suburban style community with two houses per acre that is the exact opposite of what an environmentally, culturally sensitive development should be. We should have learned our lessons a long time ago.”

DI Development Co., the developer of the Point Hope project, and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, did not respond to requests for comment May 13.

Earlier this month, DI Development executive Matt Sloan talked about Point Hope at a gathering of Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce, calling the project the “next and last” large master-planned community in the immediate Charleston area. He did not bring up the wetlands issue or talk about the impact on flooding.

City of Charleston spokesman Jack O’Toole said the “loss of 200 acres of wetlands is always a cause for concern.”

“That said, regardless of the Army Corp’s permitting decision, the city will continue to use its oversight authority to ensure that all stormwater and flooding regulations are carefully followed throughout the Cainhoy area,” he added.

Point Hope has been approved for 18,000 homes, although the developer has said that only 9,000 homes will be on the ground at full build out. Environmental groups said many will be on a flood plain.

“We rarely see permits for residential development that will destroy that amount of wetlands.” said Catherine Wannamaker, a senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center.

The Cainhoy peninsula is a swath of land that is twice the size of the Charleston peninsula. Up until the late 20th century, before the completion of I-526, the area had remained mostly off the radar of developers.

Crowley of the Coastal Conservation League said wetlands help store flood waters and provide flooding protection. He added the loss of the Point Hope wetlands could cause flooding beyond Cainhoy and could impact the adjacent Francis Marion National Forest and its wildlife.

“The Army Corps should be requiring an environmental impact statement for developments of this size to fully research the alternatives that would have the least impact on the area and they failed to do that,” he said.

The Charleston-based league said it hired the planning firm Dover, Kohl & Partners to come up with other designs for the Point Hope property that would have less of an impact on the environment. They were submitted to the Corp of Engineers, which “didn’t give much credence to the alternative plans,” Crowley said.

Reach Andrew Miller at 843-937-5599. Follow him on Twitter @APMILLER_PandC