Rendering of proposed cruise terminal
Charleston’s new cruise terminal design has received the green light from the city’s board of architectural review.
The terminal is a conversion project of an existing cargo-handling building that was used by the port. It is being redesigned to handle cruise ship passengers.
The design integrates the building into the city. It’s to have maritime-influenced detail and landscaping. In time the Union Pier Terminal will be a part of a larger redevelopment of the Charleston waterfront.
Charleston Mayor Joe Riley calls the design of the old warehouse a wonderful transformation.
The plans for a cruise terminal have faced opposition over possible pollution and how the property and ships will fit into the historic city’s waterfront.
Some Charleston residents claim the ships themselves are a bad fit for the historic and beautifully preserved city. They say a modern cruise ship, “belching” black exhaust as it keeps the ship powered while docked, is a blemish on the skyline where many buildings date back to the early 1800s.
Sheree Bernardi of affiliate WTMA in Charleston,contributed to this report.
