On October 13, Mount Pleasant Town Council approved a settlement on the Republic Tract. Under the deal, the town will buy about 129 acres along Highway 41 and the Wando River for $28.5 million and keep them as a passive public park. The remaining roughly 56 acres are capped at 95 single-family homes. The headlines were about the park. The more immediate effect is the cap. Two weeks after the vote it already limits what can be built on one of the last large undeveloped waterfront parcels in north Mount Pleasant. The park itself has no design yet, and the earliest the town can close on the land is next spring.
Three ways the same 185 acres could have gone
The tract covers about 185 acres between Highway 41 and the Wando. The town's announcement lays out how much housing the land could have held under each path:
| Scenario | Housing potential | What made it possible |
|---|---|---|
| Stays in unincorporated Charleston County with sewer service | Up to 16 units per acre, or roughly 1,600 homes | The outcome the owner sought in court |
| Annexed into Mount Pleasant under standard zoning | 3 units per acre, or more than 300 homes | Town zoning rules |
| The October 13 settlement | No more than 95 single-family homes on about 56.25 acres | Town buys about 129 acres for a park |
Councilman Daniel Brownstein called the settlement a "big conservation win" during the meeting, saying it preserves two-thirds of the site. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote. Councilwoman Kathryn Whitaker told The Post and Courier, "It absolutely is a win when you consider what could have been developed … if the tract had stayed in the county."
The table shows why officials framed it that way. If the land had stayed in the county with sewer service, the ceiling was in the thousands. Even annexation under standard zoning would have allowed more than three times the homes the settlement permits. Brownstein told ABC News 4 that large-scale development would have added traffic along Highway 41, where growth is already underway across the river near Clements Ferry Road. That growth on the Berkeley County side is the same corridor reshaping daily life near Daniel Island this fall.
The park came out of a sewer dispute
The deal grew out of a fight over sewer service. The tract is named for Republic Contracting, a construction business that once operated there. According to Post and Courier reporting on the lawsuit, it sits on the south side of Highway 41 just before the Wando River bridge, next to Rivertowne. The land was once a river barge terminal and still has a concrete dock.
Mount Pleasant tried to buy the property in 2022 and did not succeed. The longtime owners then sued in 2023, challenging the rule that a property must annex into the town to get sewer service. The town and Mount Pleasant Waterworks contested that challenge. Brownstein summarized the dispute for ABC News 4 this way. Developers wanted sewer service so they could build under county rules, and the town and Waterworks opposed that unless the land became part of Mount Pleasant.
Highland Resources later bought the tract for $37.5 million and took over the owners' side of the case. The town's announcement thanks Highland, the new owner, for working in good faith to reach the settlement, and thanks Mount Pleasant Waterworks for four years of partnership on the lawsuit. So the settlement also ends the sewer question. The homes that do get built will be inside town limits, under town rules.
"Passive" sets the limits on what the park can be
The settlement restricts the 129 acres to a passive public park through a deed restriction, a conservation easement, or both. Mayor Pro Tem Howard Chapman told Live 5 that the town plans a passive park. A single access road off Highway 41 will serve both the park and the new homes. The town and Highland will split the cost of building that road.
A boat landing came up quickly. Some residents suggested one in comments on the town's Facebook post, ABC News 4 reported. Brownstein said sediment would make a landing difficult because the site would need dredging. The idea could still be considered, but there are no current plans for one.
Brownstein also explained why the town wanted the land: "We really did not want a large-scale development in this spot, especially because it's such a beautiful property right on the water." The town has said only that the park would keep more than two miles of waterfront open to the public. Details on park planning and public access will come as the purchase moves forward.
The calendar between the vote and a first walk
The purchase still has several steps to clear. Here is the sequence as the town and local outlets describe it:
- October 13, 2026. Council approves the settlement unanimously.
- A 90-day due diligence period, along with other closing requirements. Chapman told Live 5 the town expects its due diligence to run "between now and the end of the year."
- Closing as early as April 2027, according to the town and Moultrie News.
- Park planning and public access details, which the town says it will share as the acquisition moves forward.
The town has not yet said exactly how it will pay. ABC News 4 reported that the town could use existing tax revenue. Money from the Charleston transportation sales tax could also go toward it if voters approve that tax, and Brownstein noted the proposal includes funding for greenbelt projects. No opening date has been announced. Closing in April would only start the planning.
Where the Wando is reachable in the meantime
Until then, public Wando access in this part of town comes from two county landings. Both are run by Charleston County Parks.
- Remley's Point Boat Landing, 80 5th Avenue in Mount Pleasant, has a courtesy dock, fishing, and accessible paved parking.
- Paradise Island Boat Landing, 1495 Chandler Road with an Awendaw address, has a courtesy dock. The county warns that the water there is shallow at low tide.
Waterfront access closer to the harbor has shrunk a little this fall. On October 1 the town closed the floating dock at Shem Creek Park until further notice after it was damaged. The boardwalk and the rest of the park are still open.
The Republic Tract is also not the only open-space project in north Mount Pleasant still under construction. In May the town broke ground on the Kenny Mile Trail. This 1.25-mile segment of Mount Pleasant Way will connect Park West Trail to Porcher's Bluff Road, with completion expected by summer 2027. That is roughly when the Republic Tract land could first be in town hands if closing happens on the earliest schedule. Both projects are on the town's calendar for 2027, and neither is open to the public today. More on the town's other neighborhoods is on our Mount Pleasant page, and our look at Old Mount Pleasant's 2026 house-size rules covers a related decision closer to the harbor.
If you live off Highway 41 and want to talk through what the Republic Tract settlement means for your street or a future move, The Farrah & Marisa Team would be glad to walk through it with you. We'll keep following each step from due diligence to closing. Let's Connect.
