Georgetown County appoints SeamonWhiteside to lead port redevelopment

Georgetown County has awarded the Georgetown Port Redevelopment Plan to SeamonWhiteside, a Carolinas-based full-service site design team.

The project involves a renovation of the Georgetown Port into a mixed-use development — a new vision for the site of closed steel and paper mills, according to a news release.

SeamonWhiteside will undertake an economic development analysis, environmental and brownfield evaluation, community engagement and waterfront development strategies, infrastructure assessment, and the development of a long-term master plan.

“Projects like this are the heartbeat of our firm,” Lee Gastley, managing principal at SeamonWhiteside, said in the release. “As a company deeply rooted in the Carolinas, we don’t view the Georgetown Port as a blank slate or a standard development site; we see it as a vital piece of the state’s heritage that deserves a second life. Our approach will be to listen first. We want to ensure the final plan is authentically Georgetown, creating a resilient, job-generating waterfront that residents can take immense pride in for generations to come.”

Input will be gathered from local residents, stakeholders and the Georgetown County Leadership Council to help shape the redevelopment plan. Environmental conditions such as long-term resilience from rising sea levels and coastal impacts will also be considered in decision making, the release stated.