Summerville's Parks and Recreation Department will cut the ribbon on the new Summerville Ashley River Preserve next Friday, November 20, at 10 a.m., opening up a stretch of riverfront land next to Jessen Boat Landing to the public. The town says the preserve will offer boardwalks, paths and fishing opportunities along the Ashley River, and the community is invited to attend the opening.
Where the Preserve Sits and What It Offers
The preserve sits adjacent to Jessen Boat Landing at 4849 Ladson Road, according to WCBD News 2. The town describes the site as supporting local greenspace and ecosystem maintenance along the historic Ashley River, with the new boardwalks, paths and fishing access meant to give visitors a way into the riverfront landscape that has sat largely undeveloped for years.
Per the station's report, the Town of Summerville says the planned development covers 43.65 acres of undeveloped property along the river. That figure differs slightly from a 2020 account in The Post and Courier, which described a master plan for 43 acres of the same undeveloped property, then known as the Bend on the Ashley. That earlier report also noted the land was adjacent to the Herbert H. Jessen Boat Landing and provided direct riverfront access to visitors.
A Years-Long Path to This Opening
The project traces back at least to 2020, when a Town of Summerville spokesperson told Live 5 News that the town would send out bids to select a developer for what was then called the Oakbrook Ashley River Preserve, planned on more than 40 acres near the Herbert H. Jessen Boat Landing. Concept plans at that time included walking trails, four fishing piers, a kayak launch, an environmental education building and boardwalks, along with more than two miles of trails, though the 2020 report did not establish that every one of those features would ultimately be built.
That same report described construction unfolding in seven phases at a combined cost of more than $6 million. By 2021, Dorchester County had contributed $2 million from the Oakbrook tax increment financial district toward the project, the Post and Courier reported. Councilman Bob Jackson, in that same report, described an even bigger long-term vision: a 17-mile linear park of walking trails connecting Ladson to downtown Summerville.
What Residents Asked For
Public input helped shape the preserve's direction early on. A 2020 survey drew 270 responses, about half from town residents, and the overall sentiment favored keeping the area natural, according to the Post and Courier. A separate 2020 survey cited by Live 5 News found that residents who weighed in wanted more trails and walking paths than any other feature, a preference that appears to be reflected in the paths and boardwalks now planned for the site.
With the ribbon-cutting set for next Friday morning, the preserve marks the latest step in a yearslong effort by Summerville to turn a stretch of riverside acreage into public parkland. The town has framed the opening as a chance for residents to experience boardwalks, paths and fishing access along a part of the Ashley River that has been in planning stages since at least 2020.
