Town Council approved a $28.5 million deal for 129 Wando River acres as a passive park. The rest of the tract is capped at 95 homes, not up to 1,600.
Mount Pleasant will buy about 129 acres of the Republic Tract on the Wando River and keep it as a public park. The price is $28.5 million.
Town Council approved the deal unanimously Tuesday, Oct. 13, as the settlement of a four-year lawsuit over the land.
Updated Oct. 29: The draft minutes now posted show council approved the settlement unanimously. Details are under “What happens next.” The rest of the roughly 185-acre tract, along Highway 41, can now hold no more than 95 single-family homes.
The terms come from the town’s release on the settlement, posted Oct. 13.
What the town gets
The town’s release sets out the main terms:
- the town buys about 129 acres, with more than two miles of waterfront, for $28.5 million
- that land is restricted to a passive public park by a deed restriction, a conservation easement or both
- the owner keeps about 56.25 acres, which will be annexed into Mount Pleasant
- those 56.25 acres are limited to 95 single-family homes
- the town and the owner share the cost of a public access road from Highway 41 to the park and the homes
The price works out to about $221,000 an acre. That is our calculation from the town’s figures.
The town named the new owner as Highland and thanked it for “working in good faith to reach this settlement.” It also thanked Mount Pleasant Waterworks, which worked with the town under a joint defense agreement through the lawsuit.
Why it was in court
The owner had asked a court to rule on sewer service to the tract, the town said. The land sits in unincorporated Charleston County.
With sewer service, county rules would have allowed up to 16 housing units an acre. The town said that could have meant up to 1,600 residential units on the property. If the whole tract were annexed into Mount Pleasant instead, town zoning would allow three units an acre, or more than 300.
What happens next
The deal is not closed yet. The purchase has a 90-day due diligence period and other closing requirements. The town said closing could come as early as April 2027.
Council took up the case in a special meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, ahead of its regular session. The special meeting agenda lists legal advice in executive session and a possible vote afterward. The draft minutes of the special meeting, posted this week, show the vote was unanimous. Council member Laura Hyatt moved to approve the settlement and council member Jake Rambo seconded. Mayor Will Haynie took part electronically and was visible on screen for the vote.
Haynie and council member Daniel Brownstein called the settlement a win for the town, for the land conserved and the fewer homes that could be built, the minutes say.
The town said details about park planning and public access will be shared as the purchase moves forward.
What it means for you
- A new waterfront park, eventually. Mount Pleasant residents get more than two miles of Wando River shoreline set aside for public use. Nothing opens before closing, and the town has not set a date for park plans.
- Far fewer homes on Highway 41. The cap of 95 homes replaces a possible 1,600 units, on land that will be reached from Highway 41.
- Your tax dollars. The $28.5 million is town money. The release did not say how the purchase will be paid for. We will report the funding when the town sets it out.
For the parks you can use now, see our guide to parks and trails in Mount Pleasant. For how land use decisions are made in town, see building permits and zoning.
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