Master plan unveiled for tip of Morris Island, land on Folly Beach

A master plan for the tip of Morris Island commissioned by the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission proposes that no docks or other amenities be constructed and calls for a ban on dogs and motorized vehicles, which boaters sometimes take to the historic, uninhabited island near Fort Sumter.

The same master plan also addresses a former Coast Guard property at the northern tip of Folly Beach, which has been owned by the PRC since 1989. The plan calls for developing a small interpretive center, marsh boardwalks, and a 50-space parking lot at the site, which provides access for viewing the Morris Island Lighthouse.

A presentation on the master plan for both sites will be given this evening from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Charleston County Public Library, 68 Calhoun St.

The tip of Morris Island, known as Cummings Point, is in the city of Charleston. The city purchased the land a month ago for $3 million from real estate developer Bobby Ginn, through the non-profit Trust for Public Land, which served as intermediary and arranged much of the funding.

Ginn sold the land for less than half what he paid for it, and deed agreements enforceable by Ginn strictly limit development, though there has been ongoing controversy about whether a public boat dock should be built on the island.

The Folly Beach land, though owned by the Park and Recreation Commission for most of the past 20 years, has been little changed since the Coast Guard owns it and has been marred by graffiti and trash from illegal late-night parties.