New proposal for park and ride facility at Ladson fairgrounds

LADSON, S.C. (WCBD) — The owners of the Ladson Fairgrounds have offered an alternative proposal for a park-and-ride facility proposed on the property.

The Charleston Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) is planning a park-and-ride facility at the Ladson fairgrounds. CARTA and the Exchange Club of Charleston, which owns the fairgrounds, have struggled to agree for months, but the exchange club recently proposed a new proposal.

CARTA originally wanted to use six acres of the 180-acre property, transforming a parking lot near the entryway into a CARTA Park and Ride facility for the Lowcountry Rapid Transit project. Exchange Club leaders said the plan would disturb fair operations, so they offered an alternative solution.

The exact amount of property they initially looked at is six acres. It’s plenty adequate for parking and riding. “The real advantage of this. The space we offered won’t disrupt our ability to operate the fair,” said Mike Jernigan, a member of the Exchange Club of Charleston.

In the new proposal, The Exchange Club of Charleston offers 6 acres of land on the far north side of the property. CARTA would be charged $800,000 annually to lease out the area, which is how much leaders estimate they would lose in revenue if they leased out the original space.

News 2 reached out to CARTA for comment, and they sent the following statement:

“CARTA has received a lease proposal for six acres at the fairgrounds that have not been approved by the Federal government. The offer remains under review by transit agency officials.

The offered parcel is separate from six acres identified by the fair in 2022 and approved through a Federal public review process in 2023. That approval marked the conclusion of the second time in four years CARTA moved its proposed park-and-ride location at fair leaders’ request. At this time, no proposal has been received on the Federally approved parcel.”

If approved, the groundwork on the facility could begin as early as next year.