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Council authorizes negotiations for Morrison Drive site as residents urge help after Dockside evacuation
Summary
Council approved sending general terms to Charleston County to pursue purchase of parcels on Morrison Drive for a mixed-use development with an affordable-housing component; meanwhile multiple residents addressed council about an urgent mass evacuation at the Dockside apartment complex and asked for city assistance.
Council members authorized staff to return to Charleston County with general terms for purchase of 993 and 995 Morrison Drive and added an interim provision allowing the city to lease the site for parking for $1 during due diligence or post-closing if needed. The motion, as amended at the meeting, passed with council support.
Council discussion and the packet materials indicated the city would seek site control to support future uses that could include parking and housing; a council member noted the terms under consideration would aim to reserve at least 50 percent of the site for affordable housing as a minimum commitment while leaving details — including definitions and percentages — for later negotiation and implementation.
The motion followed public comment in which residents described an emergent housing crisis at the Dockside apartment building. Karen Paulson said more than 200 residents had been evacuated from Dockside with as little as 48 hours’ notice and described senior and veteran residents left without furniture or shelter. “It was the most humiliating experience I ever had,” she said. Eric Paulson, a veteran and Dockside resident, told council many residents had nowhere to store possessions and questioned why officials ordered evacuation now when an earlier engineering report had not shown deterioration. Both speakers asked the city to address resident needs and clarify why the evacuation timeline changed.
Council members said terms returned to the county would preserve flexibility for an interim parking use and would secure site control necessary to plan a future development that could include affordable housing. Council members discussed using the federal definition of affordable housing when setting rates during later stages of negotiation.
The motion to seek purchase terms and to include the $1 interim lease for parking passed on a council voice roll; council members recorded affirmative votes. Staff will advance the negotiated terms with the county and return to council for any required approval of a closing and formal purchase agreement.
