The glistening sun on the Ashley River framed a small dock in the waterway that Texas-based real estate executive Clark Davis dubbed “The Point” at Magnolia Landing.
From the dock, boaters will step into four intimate “jewel box” restaurants near multi-family buildings, retail shops and high-rise offices, said Davis, CEO and president of Highland Resources Inc. in Houston.
Pedestrians will arrive at The Point along a 1.5-mile riverfront promenade that will be the longest of its kind in Charleston, boasted Davis as he stood atop a high observation tower to describe the future development, stopped and stalled for years, but now back in the making.
When The Point and the first phase of the mixed-use Magnolia Landing is completed in mid-2028, it will be a radical transformation for the former brownfield site where fertilizer and wood-treatment plants once poisoned Charleston’s Neck area.
Magnolia Landing, estimated to be worth more than $1 billion, will be Charleston’s largest commercial and residential development since the city of Charleston annexed Daniel Island three decades ago. It will also be the most unique riverfront community on the East Coast, said Davis, a real estate veteran with more than 40 years of worldwide experience.
- RELATED: Union Pier moving forward with intention
- RELATED: WestEdge development turns landfill into dynamic community
Within 12 to 15 years, thousands of people will live at Magnolia Landing, which is zoned for a maximum of about 4,000 housing units, including townhomes, single-family dwellings and some affordable housing, Davis told the Charleston City Paper. The development is also zoned for buildings ranging from three to nine stories tall.
Architecturally, Magnolia Landing will be a reflection of the land’s industrial past and Charleston’s charm without attempting to copy the Holy City.
Davis stressed Magnolia Landing will not be as dense as it could be. “We won’t come close to using all of those units,” he assured. “Maximizing density does not create quality.
“We want it to be an area with a lot of views to the water, and access to the water for both the people who live here and people who live in Charleston,” he said.
Magnolia Landing will cover 192 acres of high ground and marshland, nearly twice the size of the College of Charleston’s main campus. But developers only plan to build on 85 acres of it.
Twenty-five acres will be devoted to public parks, Davis said. The project’s first phase will include four parks totalling 13 acres. “We want to build something the community can be proud of that will have a lasting impact,” Davis said.
Flood mitigation and underground barrier
In 2018, Highland took ownership of the Magnolia project from three previous owners, who started cleaning up the polluted site by removing some soil and treating the ground. Cleanup at the site has gained high marks from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Davis said.
To prevent flooding and erosion at the site, a “trip wall” has been installed along the riverbank, he explained. “The soil will remain behind the trip wall and will never erode away,” he said.
Orange fabric will be laid over the site. Clean soil, varying in depth of two feet to 10 feet, will be spread over it. If construction crews dig to the orange demarcation barrier it will be a warning they might encounter contaminated soil below it, Davis said.
If contaminated soil is found during construction, it will be removed and disposed of in “an appropriate disposal facility,” a S.C. Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) spokesman said.
Magnolia is less than a mile south of the accident-prone Lanxess Chemical plant that residents in nearby Rosemont said emits a rotten-egg odor.
Davis said he doubts that future Magnolia Landing residents will be concerned about living near Lanxess. In an email to the City Paper, a Magnolia Landing spokesman said “a team has met with the managers (of the chemical plant) and toured the nearby Lanxess chemical plant many times over the past few years.”
In 2023, the City Paper reported the plant had reduced its ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions with the installation of added controls, but some EtO emissions are still expected, a state health official said at that time.
The chemical is used to make agricultural products that boost crop yields. Chronic EtO exposure can cause cancer, according to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Davis acknowledged the Lanxess history, but he added, “they haven’t caused us any issues at this point, and we don’t anticipate us having any issues.”
To view more about the plans for Magnolia Landing, go online to: magnolialandingchs.com.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.