Another waterfront park in Beaufort seems to have wide support. But how big will it be?

While many people seem to want a new waterfront park on a prime property in northern Beaufort County, not everyone agrees about how big the park should be and how it will be maintained.

Plans for the possible 10-acre passive park on Lady’s Island moved forward this week amid questions about size and design. Supporters feel preserving the property, with its sweeping views of the Beaufort River, would be a historic victory similar to the construction of Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park that sits across the bridge in downtown Beaufort.

Beaufort County Council members this week approved buying 9.72 acres if the county, city and developer agree to terms. Officials with the city of Beaufort, which would be responsible for maintaining the park, said they support a park, but envision a smaller space and questioned the potential cost and work involved in maintaining a facility of the size now proposed.

The city and county will negotiate an agreement with concrete terms for the size and management of the park and bring it back for a presentation on Sept. 11, City Council decided on Tuesday.

“We all support it; we just have to know what the risks are; we have to know what’s expected of us; we have to document it,” City Manager Bill Prokop said.

A large amount of the money would likely come from the county Rural and Critical Lands program, with other money from public and private donations, said Barbara Holmes, land protection director for the Beaufort County Open Land Trust. There is approximately $11 million available through the program, with $5.8 million restricted to land purchases, Holmes said.

The Land Trust administers the Rural and Critical Lands program.

The cost purchase price of the land won’t be made public until the deal closes, Holmes said. The county is negotiating a price below the appraised value, she said,

County Council Chairman Paul Sommerville said last month that his understanding from the Land Trust was that the property was valued at $680,000 an acre.

A park of some sort has long been part of plans for the property known as Whitehall, an undeveloped 19-acre parcel across the Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge from downtown Beaufort. But no previous proposal included a space this big.

Preserving close to 10 acres would shield part of the 19-acre property from houses and condos planned by Beaufort developer Sam Levin and his partners. Levin offered to sell up to 10 acres to land preservationists, but also said last month he would otherwise move forward with plans to build on the entire property under a tight deadline to close on the sale.

If the 10 acres are bought and preserved, the remaining property would be developed as approved by northern Beaufort County planning officials, Levin said.

A current agreement calls for the city to maintain a 1 and 1/2-acre park and the county to pay up to $300,000 for a walkway connecting the bridge to the park. The proposal for the 10 acres supported by the county and a growing volunteer movement came together during the past several weeks.

“We have always supported a 1 (and) 1/2-acre park,” City Council member Nan Sutton said during the meeting Tuesday. “All of a sudden it’s grown to 10 acres. It certainly changes things.”

The park is a way to keep the natural beauty of Beaufort alive for years to come, county leaders said Monday. In voicing her support, Councilwoman Alice Howard read aloud from an email she received from two of her constituents, Chip and Pam Floyd.

“’Whitehall has the potential to be a legacy for future generations in Beaufort, in the vein of the Waterfront Park and the Spanish Moss Trail,’” she said. “’We would be disappointed for our grandchildren if we let it get away.”

“And I think that says it best in summary of what we have an opportunity to do,” Howard said.

Jerry Stewart, the vice chairman of County Council, was hesitant to approve the project based on what he perceived to be the city’s lack of support — both financially and municipally — for the park.

“This is the first (project), I think, that I can remember, where we’re purchasing property within a municipality that would greatly benefit that municipality and they are not participating in the price and in the purchase of that property,” he said. “So I think it’s very disappointing that the city of Beaufort is not going to participate in something that we’re purchasing for the city of Beaufort, if you will, and citizens of the county as well.”

City officials said Tuesday they are willing partners but don’t want to pin city taxpayers with an unknown bill for park maintenance for years to come. The city has identified millions of dollars in drainage projects it is prepared to borrow money for and hasn’t budgeted for a bigger park, city leaders noted.

Supporters say volunteers, such as the grassroots Friends of Whitehall Park group, could help keep the park up and raise money for its ongoing upkeep. The group hosted a walk-through on the property Saturday to allow visitors to envision the proposal, and more than 4,000 people have signed the group’s online petition in support.

Without the park, the development would include 16,000-20,000 square feet of commercial space, 80-100 homes and a 100-unit independent living facility.

Plans also call for 4.2 acres of open space, including a smaller waterfront park and central green space developers say could be used for public festivals or markets.

This story was originally published August 29, 2018 at 4:35 PM.