CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — A major redevelopment project, more than 30 years in the making, is now moving forward in Charleston, but not without continued scrutiny over its environmental impact.
Magnolia Landing, a 192-acre mixed-use development located at the neck of the Charleston peninsula, is transforming a former industrial site into housing, parks, and retail space. While developers say the project represents long-awaited progress, critics argue it revives long-standing concerns in a city already vulnerable to flooding and environmental strain.
A Site Shaped by Decades of Cleanup
The property was once home to a wood treatment facility and required extensive environmental remediation beginning in the early 2000s. “This has been a decades-long process,” said Stuart Hall, Senior Director of Project Management for Highland Resources. “Highland Resources bought it in 2018. Luckily, the previous groups did a lot of the heavy cleanup, a lot of the digging up of soil and hauling it off.”
Hall said his team completed the final phase of remediation, working alongside the Environmental Protection Agency and state regulators. “Really, what was left for us to finish was bringing a lot of clean fill on top,” Hall said. “We worked closely with the EPA on that process.”…