Beachfront homes, mega yachts among eventual plans as activity heats up in Port Royal
Mega yachts, beachfront homes, new restaurants and apartments are closer to coming to northern Beaufort County as activity picks up on a major Port Royal redevelopment project.
Planning and design of a marina with 225 slips on Battery Creek has begun. The marina, which already has the necessary federal and state permits, is expected to initially include permanent slips aimed at nearby residents and could eventually host mega yachts up to 350 feet long.
The final marina product won't just be for boaters, developers say, but also for those who want to walk, bike or drive to visit the area.
"We want to have a place that has restaurants and people and boats — all of the things that make it a festive place to go and a destination; I think Port Royal really has an opportunity to do that," said Ed Modzelewski, an Okatie resident and chairman and founder of marina development company Applied Technology and Management.
Redevelopment of the former state port terminal has started after the property was sold to private developers last year. Butler Marine, owned by port developer Chris Butler, has opened a dry boat storage and sales facility on the property.
Beachfront home sites for fewer than 20 homes will be available at Sands Beach, the developers' website says.
"Expect a relaxing beach lifestyle with prevailing breezes off the Sound and a home poised to offer some of the best screened-in porches and decks in the Lowcountry," the site says.
Eighty home sites are expected on the north end of the property overlooking the water from a 25-foot bluff in a development to be called Harrison Bluff. The community would include a private dock and boat slips.
Developers also say a gated town home community is planned between the 11th Street shrimp docks and proposed Harrison Bluff, with reservations starting late this year.
The first stretch of a biking and walking path that will eventually connect to the Spanish Moss Trail has started on the south end of the property and trees and other landscaping has been installed. A new seafood restaurant - Fishcamp on 11th Street - is under construction at the former Dockside location and expected to open this summer.
Real estate in the Old Village area near the port property has been hot since Grey Ghost Properties closed on the $9 million deal in September.
Developers are hosting a music festival on the port property in April. A video recently posted to a Facebook page providing development updates imagined a vacant former industrial building as a ballroom or concert hall for a planned hotel.
Modzelewski's company contracted with the port developers for the marina's engineering and design, to study the market for boat slips and to develop a spending plan for a 10-year development window. The work could take about four months.
Initial marina phases could include slips for locals and others who want a permanent spot to park their boat on the water. Future phases could include larger commercial uses like charter fishing and dinner cruises, boaters who travel from nearby cities such as Charleston and Savannah and eventually the possibility of yachts larger than 80 feet.
The deepwater port is well positioned on the East Coast as a stopover for yachts that travel to the Caribbean for the winter and to New England during the summertime, Modzelewski said.
He said the Port Royal marina was a topic at several recent boat shows in South Florida.
"There's a little bit of buzz about this project," Modzelewski said.
This story was originally published March 14, 2018 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Beachfront homes, mega yachts among eventual plans as activity heats up in Port Royal."