Plan would spruce up former Coast Guard site

Click here to read the master plan - (304 page PDF; 25 MB)

Where a Coast Guard station once stood on the northern tip of Folly Beach, there are beautiful beaches and views of the Morris Island Lighthouse but also graffiti, trash from illegal parties and, until recently, someone living in a tent among the trees.

Off-leash dogs chase endangered birds there, and ATV riders tear up the habitat, consultants found as they prepared a master plan for the area.

The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission has owned the land since 1989 but doesn't staff the property and has not taken steps to improve it. The draft master plan commissioned by the PRC calls for building a staffed interpretive center, parking lot, and boardwalk trails.

The Lighthouse Point area, as the PRC calls it, would remain public and free, but like other county beach parks, there would be a fee to park vehicles in the proposed lot.

Paula Hinton, who lives near the access gate to the land, said there frequently are loud parties at night. She attended a presentation on the master plan Thursday and didn't like the idea of a new parking lot and building on the land but said that staffing the area might cut down the illegal activities.

The PRC master plan calls for a 50-space parking lot, a building for a small staff with public exhibits and a platform for viewing Morris Island Lighthouse, and public boardwalks to the marsh and the beach.

There would be no charge to enter the park, except by vehicle, and access along the beach would remain free and public. The plan does recommend banning off-leash dogs from the beach.

Folly resident and past mayoral candidate Gered Lennon was at the presentation, and said he was glad to see that the proposed interpretive center would be relatively small, though it would have to sit upon 13-foot piers to meet flood regulations. "My concern was that the interpretive center would be too big, or gaudy," he said. "It looks like they've taken care of that."

Julie Hensley, director of development for the PRC, said the commission is unlikely to have funds for the proposed improvements for some time, until a bond issue can be arranged for capital projects.

"We have no immediate plans to do this, at least not for several years," she said.