The Wando side is off the table, but the Cooper side is a good site with less environmental impact and dredging issues. It's not the first time, of course, that the Navy base idea has come up. Five years ago, after the federal government decided to close the base, the so-called BEST committee came up with a plan to convert the southern third of the base into a container terminal. That plan was derailed in part by former Charleston businessman Bill Gilliam, then a member of the Charleston Naval Complex Redevelopment Authority. Though Gilliam eventually left the area and Waters was convicted of trying to bribe two North Charleston councilmen, North Charleston City Council passed a zoning ordinance outlawing a container terminal at the base.
Residents remain concerned about containers and truck traffic.
In recent months, council has debated what to do about the sprawling empty container yards in the city, which some view as eyesores and safety hazards. We're getting all the negatives. Dealing with an increase in truck traffic, for instance, is one issue that would have to be resolved. Keith Summey doesn't want trucks rolling down Virginia Avenue, and I don't blame him. I think so.