Berkeley County staff hope to recommend a design firm for the North Island Tract by the end of 2026, a step toward planning a public park on the 115-acre waterfront property. The tract lies along Daniel Island’s west side beside the Cooper River, with views of the Ravenel Bridge; it was once considered for port industry use. Published accounts differ on the acquisition price, acreage and design-stage budget, figures that remain unsettled in the available reporting.
A Berkeley County Council vote on the recommendation would come before another round of public input. The Daniel Island News reported that county staffer Taylor James said in a Nov. 9 email that public meetings would be scheduled after Council approval. The tract is behind the Talison Row apartment complex at the end of Seven Farms Road, with direct access to the Cooper River.
From Port Land to Preserved Wetlands
The land’s intended use has changed over time. The Daniel Island News reported that the South Carolina Ports Authority put the property up for sale in 2020 as part of an effort to sell real estate that does not support or house port operations. Before that, the site had been considered for a cargo terminal, housing developments and dock construction.
Berkeley County bought the tract in 2024 to preserve it as a public waterfront park. The Daniel Island News reported a $4 million purchase price, funded through county one-cent sales-tax revenue, state conservation funds and the Daniel Island Property Owners’ Association. Live 5 News, by contrast, reported that the county paid more than $1 million. The accounts do not provide enough information to reconcile the difference. They also give slightly different acreage: 115 acres in The Daniel Island News and 114 in Live 5 News.
Wetlands make up a substantial portion of the property. The Daniel Island News reported that the tract includes 56 acres of saltwater wetlands and 15 acres of freshwater wetlands. The outlets also report different amounts for the design stage: $500,000 in The Daniel Island News and approximately $50,000 in Live 5 News. The available accounts do not explain the discrepancy.
History Embedded in the Landscape
The tract also includes land containing a small military redoubt where British forces built fortifications during the Revolutionary War, according to The Daniel Island News. Tory Sullivan, a member of the Berkeley County Conservation and Greenbelt Advisory Commission, described the site as historically important and noted its trees and open space.
Sullivan told The Daniel Island News she expects visitors to be able to explore the property on trails. Under current plans, Berkeley County would steward the park under a conservation easement. Trails, a boardwalk, a pier and fishing docks have been raised as possibilities, but none is confirmed. Officials have described a low-impact park focused on the tract’s natural features, rather than recreational facilities such as ballparks and fields.
Broader open-space policies set the backdrop
The City of Charleston’s Daniel Island Master Plan zoning text, republished in 2020, requires at least 20% of the Daniel Island PUD to remain open space. That is an island-wide planning standard, not a specific commitment for the North Island Tract, according to the City of Charleston. Berkeley County’s 2010 Comprehensive Plan identifies investment in parks and open space as a county goal. That policy guidance does not itself commit funding to this park, according to Berkeley County’s plan.
Budget Signals County's Broader Greenspace Push
The timing lines up with a broader county investment in open space. Berkeley County's 2026–2027 fiscal year, which began July 1, 2026, includes a budget with $3.5 million set aside for greenspace improvements. No completion date or final design has been established for the North Island Tract park, and the proposed amenities remain ideas rather than locked-in features. For now, the next concrete milestone is simple: a design firm, a Council vote, and then a chance for Daniel Island residents to have their say on what rises — or doesn't — along this stretch of the Cooper River.
