Isle of Palms lawmakers approved parking improvements at the Isle of Palms Marina outside Islander 71 Fish House & Bar on Tuesday, setting in motion a project meant to untangle one of the city's most congested waterfront lots. The council's vote was unanimous, 9-0, clearing the way for construction once the city clears a final regulatory hurdle.
City Administrator Douglas Kerr told the council the city does not yet have the permits needed to break ground, as reported by the Post and Courier. Kerr said he believes all required permit materials have been submitted and that release is pending, with a county permit currently being held up by a state requirement. Despite the holdup, Kerr said permits could be ready any day and that the project is tracking well.
The city has set aside $500,000 for the work, and Whitestone Construction submitted the winning bid of $480,963, according to the same report. City staff is communicating with the contractor, engineers and Islander 71 about work specifications. The restaurant reportedly asked that construction begin in December rather than January, meaning the build schedule would extend from December into the new year.
What the Parking Overhaul Includes
Beyond reconfigured parking, the project includes removal and relocation of the existing dumpster enclosure, plus a newly constructed bike path reportedly connecting the multi-use path to the public dock. Kerr briefed Mayor Phillip Pounds and the council on the decision to relocate the garbage enclosure, explaining that city staff shifted it because the raised dumpsters sat too close to overhead power lines. As part of that fix, Dominion Energy is expected to move the site's power pole, with an electrical contractor set to run new wire into the relocated pole.
The marina parking work follows a city request for bids covering Isle of Palms Marina Parking Lot Improvements, which set a deadline and called for a public opening at City Hall. The city has also been working with the marina restaurant on a new parking layout intended to increase capacity and efficiency, according to a report from WCBD News 2.
Part of a Years-Long Marina Buildout
The parking fix is the latest piece of a marina overhaul that traces back to a 2020 vote by Isle of Palms City Council, the station's report notes. That earlier approval set the stage for the city's first-ever city-owned public dock, which opened along the marina in February 2025, according to Live 5 News. The dock, funded with $1.7 million from the American Rescue Plan's State and Local Fiscal Recovery effort, is open every day from sunrise to sunset.
That dock features a 16-foot-wide pier with swings and benches, along with a floating dock offering ADA-compliant kayak and stand-up paddleboard launching, per the same account. City officials have said the dock is intended for recreational use and passive water activities rather than boat mooring. A new greenspace is expected to be added to the dock area in the future, Live 5 News reported.
The marina's evolution has also included a separate dredging proposal aimed at preserving waterway access, which the city has described as regular upkeep rather than a one-time fix. That plan called for deepening the Intracoastal entrance to 12 feet and the Morgan Creek inlet, where the marina sits, to 10 feet, removing up to 20,000 cubic yards of soil, sand and silt from the channel bottom. South Carolina's Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism earmarked $1.5 million for that dredging work in 2023, though the city has said it does not yet have a final price tag since the project remains in an early application stage.
Kerr, who has served on Isle of Palms staff for 29 years, briefed the council on the parking project. The Post and Courier's Ralph Mancini, who has covered construction for the outlet since 2022 after previous reporting work in New York City, Washington state and North Dakota, reported on the council's vote.
