Panel approves Main Street Beaufort's plan for Arsenal, Carnegie buildings

Plans to turn The Arsenal in downtown Beaufort into a visitors center made headway Thursday at a redevelopment commission meeting.

The commission unanimously accepted Main Street Beaufort's recommendation that The Arsenal house the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce's visitors center along with a cultural and arts venue, gift shop, and event and meeting facilities. Chamber employees would have offices in the adjoining Carnegie building.

The two city-owned buildings sit on Craven Street and are not currently being used.

"I'm hoping we can work something out," said Donnie Beer, commission member and city councilwoman. "I think it would be a good use for The Arsenal."

Chamber president Carlotta Ungaro said significant changes had been made to the proposal since it was originally submitted.

Primarily, the Chamber took "some of the best pieces" from the Beaufort-Port Royal Convention and Visitors Bureau proposal and combined them with their own plan. The changes included leasing out space inside the buildings and other efforts to generate more revenue than a gift shop and advertising alone could, Ungaro said.

"The city is all ready getting phone calls about using the space," she said. "The Arsenal would be an easy place to find."

In May, city council members charged Main Street Beaufort with selecting a proposal. The key, they said, is creating enough revenue to sustain the buildings while drawing in more tourists.

The chamber would pay utilities, insurance and landscaping costs, estimated at about $50,000-$60,000 a year, officials said. Commission and council members have not said yet if any tenant would pay an additional lease fee.

The plan's financial details were not available Thursday. Commission members voted to create a committee that will work with the Chamber over the next month and iron out those details along with others, such as parking for tour buses and cars, fees for renting out space and operational hours.

The commission will hear from the committee at its September meeting and decide if it wants to create a formal contract. City council would have to give final approval before The Arsenal and Carnegie building plans move forward.