Sea Fox Boats will not build a new facility at the former Baker Hospital site

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Sea Fox Boat is effectively ending its plan to construct a boat manufacturing facility on the former Baker Hospital property.

The 46-acre plot of land is currently zoned as residential; however, Sea Fox hoped to have that area rezoned to industrial, allowing them to build their new plant on the vacant land. Others wanted to take advantage of the waterfront location to possibly add a park or other amenities, while some were excited about the new jobs it could bring to the community.

Skip Mikell is the president of the Union Heights Community Council and said news that their intentions have changed is good news. “Good news to the community, and then we will figure out our next steps from here,” he said.

Union Heights is located near the property. Mikell said the plan to build the manufacturing site was just too controversial. That’s also why leaders with Sea Fox Boats ultimately decided not to move forward.

Company leaders told News 2 they are deciding how they plan to move forward without the new plant.

“Our concern was a manufacturing facility being built adjacent to a nursing facility where 160 inpatients are located,” said Mikell. “This is also proximal to the Palmetto psychiatric facility.”

Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) owns the property. Sea Fox Boats signed a 90-year lease to build on the site.

“Sea Fox Boats has provided the Commission a letter to terminate the Ashley River Site lease. The Commission has not had an opportunity to have conversations regarding the future of the Ashley River Site since receiving the lease notification from Sea Fox Boats,” CCPRC said in a statement to News 2.

A county park was also planned for the site. That may likely still happen.

“If there had been open and honest discussion with the surrounding residents, we would have not arrived at this point where we had to take action to prevent it,” said Mikell.

News 2 reached out to North Charleston Mayor Reggie Burgess’s office to get his reaction to the latest update. They said they had not been officially informed of this and did not want to comment until they had been.