North Charleston City Council approves rail settlement with State of South Carolina - an open letter from Mayor Summey

Citizens of North Charleston,

I am pleased to announce a resolution to the rail dispute that has consumed our community for the past several years.  The fight was at times bitter; however, the strong will of this community has led the state to a compromise that will ensure equitable treatment of our citizens.  We could not have reached this point without you.

Grass roots efforts led to thousands of citizens rallying together in town hall meetings, letters written to Columbia demanding a reasonable solution, and an equal amount of phone calls to public officials expressing concerns.  We fought in every forum, from the court of public opinion to courts of law.

We now have a great opportunity to resolve many of the lingering surface transportation issues which have plagued the greater North Charleston region for many, many years.  I can assure you that I have been relentless in achieving the best possible outcome for the community.

As with any settlement, compromises were required from both sides.  In the settlement, South Carolina Public Railways will establish an intermodal facility on a portion of the property the City gave to Clemson University. The facility will service both Class I railroads and will be operated by South Carolina Public Railways.  

We were able to stop approximately half, but not all, of the rail from being placed on land at the former Navy Base.  We did have to yield and allow northern rail access.  Keep in mind that rail off the base is subject to federal jurisdiction and was never something the City could control.  I believe that rail line reduction on the former Navy Base, along with other concessions made by the South Carolina Department of Commerce, will allow for appropriate mitigation for ill effects of increased rail traffic through our community.

First and foremost, a study will be commissioned to find a solution to many of our area’s surface transportation problems and lessen port traffic impacts on our community.  Anyone driving along our major thoroughfares has at some point been stuck in gridlock traffic or stopped by a train, unfortunately far too often.  This fight has been over rail, but I believe that the city has really objected to the human impact of rail more than to rail itself.

I have fought for a compromise designed to lessen the impact of container movement on our daily lives as much as possible.  If containers can exit our community by rail with less impact than exiting by truck, I believe there will be an improvement to our quality of life.  The study will identify mitigation (overpasses, quiet zones, routing, and sound barriers), determine exactly how we can climb out of our transportation debacle, and finally, paint a true picture of “rail done right.”

As additional parts of the mitigation, the community will receive $8 million.  The City will also receive 104 acres on the former Navy Base for restoration, which includes all of the former officer’s housing area adjacent to our park.  Public Railways has also agreed to assume $6.5 million of bonds that were issued for the construction of Riverfront Park.

To avoid future differences of opinion as to whether these promises to the City and its citizens are binding, this settlement will come as a court order, not a Memorandum of Understanding.  With the involvement of Governor Nikki Haley, Senator and Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman of Florence, Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt and others, this community has been given every possible assurance that Columbia will not turn its back on our community.

When contemplating this settlement, I challenge you to consider the opportunity we have to improve our community.  Also consider the consequences the residents of the City would face absent an agreement.  The result would have been disastrous, even if the City won every court battle and stopped the rail yard. 

We were faced with two options for handling containers from the Post-Panamax cargo ships that will service the new port facility.  One option allowed all containers from the new port to travel through our community by truck, one at a time.  I-26 is already failing in terms of its ability to handle current traffic.  Forcing the exponential increase of containers onto local roads by truck would cause North Charleston roadways to resemble a Los Angeles-like parking lot for hours each day.

The other option was to allow the State to move forward with constructing an intermodal facility to carry the containers away from our community on rail, hundreds of containers at a time.  This plan has obvious appeal, provided that rail routes can be developed in a way that would work around the community instead of rolling over it.

The latter option was chosen.  As a result, we are receiving a number of evenhanded concessions for the improvement of our community and we now have a seat at the table to make real, lasting changes to our region’s transportation system.

I hope you, the citizens of North Charleston, can stand with me.  It is unfortunate that we have had to adapt from our original vision for the former Navy Base.  Unfortunately, times have changed, the economy has changed, and ownership of the majority of the Base has changed.  What has not changed is my commitment to North Charleston.

I believe that North Charleston will emerge as a better community, and that all of the citizens of the State of South Carolina will realize that it was this community that made the tough decisions for their economic growth.  North Charleston is and will always be a great place to live, work, and play, no matter the obstacles we face.

Sincerely,

R. Keith Summey

Mayor

Additional information regarding the rail settlement can be found here, including:

1 – Rail Settlement Agreement NOT SIGNED

2 – Rail Settlement - Press Release from the SC Department of Commerce

3 – Rail Settlement - open letter from Mayor Summey

4 – Rail Settlement - Press Briefing

5 – Rail Settlement - map with key

Flyover comparison of two rail proposals - State plan vs. CSX plan

 

Flyovers following proposed rail tracks of two differing rail plans for intermodal facilities to serve the new North Charleston Port Terminal.

The State plan exits the former navy base from north, while the CSX Plan exits the former navy base from the south. The Memorandum of Understating signed between the City of North Charleston and the State Ports Authority in 2002 would be violated if northern rail access is allowed.

North Charleston Rail Plan Provides Dual Access

By R. Keith Summey

My colleague David Mack and I share some common ground where the North Charleston rail plan is concerned. I agree that the stakes are extremely high and that community involvement is important.

But his recent column in the Post and Courier and the community meeting he convened at Military Magnet High School included many misstatements of fact that need to be clarified.

Since Mr. Mack represents citizens in the southern portion of the city, it's understandable that he would want less of the burden placed on them. Indeed, our LAMC communities are just as important to North Charleston as any other neighborhood.

That’s why before the partnership agreement with CSX and Shipyard Creek Associates was signed, it underwent extensive public review.  We met with the executive board of LAMC, the Chicora-Cherokee neighborhood association, we presented the entire plan in front of hundreds at the Felix C. Davis Community Center, City Council held public hearings, and all information was placed openly online, where it remains today.  The purpose of these meetings was to begin a dialogue that has been ongoing.

Inversely, the South Carolina Public Railways (SCPR) plan was approved behind closed doors, amongst bureaucrats in Columbia with absolutely no public input, and is forcibly being implemented through condemnation with no regard to communities affected.

One important point to keep in mind is we're not just talking trains. The majority of cargo coming from the new port is transported on trucks. If our proposal for an intermodal rail facility utilizing CSX's existing Cooper Yard is selected, trucks would travel through the Macalloy property on the port access road before hitting the interstate. However, if the SCPR plan is allowed to go forward on the condemned Clemson property, trucks would travel through neighborhoods on city streets to get to I-26.

Under the SCPR plan, trains would still run through Union Heights and Accabee; they would not be removed from these neighborhoods. And let us not forget that the SCPR plan calls for the rail yard to be constructed next to senior housing, homes, and apartments in Chicora-Cherokee.

Our plan allows for the LAMC Revitalization Plan to become a reality through providing funds for the redevelopment of the Stromboli corridor, a high priority for LAMC.  In addition, our plan would lead to the abandonment of 3.2 miles of rail line along Spruill Avenue.  Seventeen at-grade crossings would be eliminated, reknitting the community back together.  Despite the claims, the SCPR plan cannot ensure the closing of this rail line, because they do not own it.

Perhaps Mr. Mack's most egregious error was on the topic of dual access. Our plan provides dual access through a unique agreement spelled out by CSX in late January that gives Norfolk Southern access into CSX's rail yard at cost. Consequently, the entire state would realize long-term economic gain. (The Post and Courier reported on this breakthrough amendment to the North Charleston rail plan on Jan. 28.)

Let me repeat: The North Charleston rail plan allows for equal, dual access for both CSX and Norfolk Southern.

Ironically, the SCPR plan requires Norfolk Southern to cross a minimum of two CSX lines, whereas access from the south only requires one.

Another glaring omission in Mr. Mack's assessment of the two plans is that SCPR would own and operate the rail yard.  This is the real competition killer. Having a governmental third-party involved would make the intermodal rail facility less competitive by driving up costs.

Finally, Mr. Mack's assertion that "the city had nothing to show" for our investment in redeveloping the northern half of the old Navy Base is also dead wrong. Today the Navy Base is home to about 85 businesses and nonprofit organizations and nearly 2,500 employees. Horizon Village is a case study in affordable housing.  The City has invested public funds to create Riverfront Park and the Greater Charleston Naval Base Memorial.  Not to mention the huge private investment of residents and businesses surrounding the former base.

"Development is a complicated process and we all need to understand the consequences. Our children and grandchildren will be directly affected by the decisions made this year," according to Mr. Mack.

I couldn't agree more. But it's vitally important that as the rail debate continues, we ought to argue the facts of the case and not rely on the myths and misinformation meant to divide North Charleston’s residents.

To continue the conversation on the two rail plans, I have formally invited SCPR President & CEO Jeff McWhorter to a community forum, at a date and time of his choosing, so the merits of each plan may be discussed openly in a public setting.  I am confident that Mr. McWhorter will accept this invitation to discuss the plan which he so staunchly defends and will not defer these important talks to the Port Review & Oversight Commission.

R. Keith Summey is mayor of North Charleston.

Learn more about the Rail & Community Redevelopment project, here: http://www.northcharleston.org/rail.aspx

North Charleston Rail Plan Maps

Rail lines BEFORE implementing North Charleston plan

Rail lines AFTER implementing North Charleston plan

Rail lines BEFORE & AFTER implementing North Charleston plan