MORNING NEWSBREAK: The Charleston City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt the first of three readings to fund improvements to Union Pier through a new Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. The measure would allow the city to raise property taxes to make infrastructure improvements on the area’s 65 acres. The tax money would otherwise go to Charleston County and the Charleston County School District.
City officials said TIFs, which allow the city to borrow money based on future tax revenues in the special tax zone, have proven beneficial in the past with projects such as the King Street revitalization. Officials said they hope to repeat the success with the Union Pier development.
“I am pleased that the Council recognizes the importance of a TIF for Union Pier to put the public’s interests at the forefront of this redevelopment,” Mayor William Cogswell said in a report. “Parks, public access to the waterfront, affordable housing and resiliency measures are possible with a TIF, and we advanced those goals tonight.”
Redevelopment of the property, recently acquired by local businessman Ben Navarro in a deal that has not yet been finalized, could cost taxpayers around $400 million, according to media reports. Currently, the property does not generate any tax revenue for the city because the March sale to Navarro has not yet been finalized and the current owner, the State Ports Authority, is exempt from paying property taxes.
Other current headlines:
CP NEWS: SC delegates meet political stars on Tuesday. South Carolina’s 65 delegates officially cast their votes for Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, while DJ Cassidy’s playlist blared in the background.
FAA demands immediate inspections for certain Boeing Dreamliners. The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive for certain Boeing 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 Dreamliner models. The directive requires an inspection of the affected captain’s and first officer’s seats for missing or cracked rocker switch caps and for cracked or non-functioning switch covers.
Hundreds of SC preschool children excluded from classes for hitting and spitting. More than 900 children ages 3 and 4 were suspended from preschools in South Carolina last school year for offenses such as hitting, spitting and disobeying their teachers, according to a report presented Tuesday to a panel of lawmakers, agency leaders and community members.
West Ashley Corridor Improvement Project. One of West Ashley’s oldest and busiest roads along SC Highway 61 is finally getting a multi-million dollar, multi-year improvement project that has been long needed.
Charleston Co. fixes school bus delays. As the Charleston County School District begins its second week of school, there were persistent complaints about bus issues, prompting district officials to address the issue in a virtual press conference Tuesday evening.
Court revokes former South Carolina state senator’s license to practice law. The South Carolina Supreme Court has suspended the law license of former South Carolina Senator John Kuhn “until further notice,” months after his arrest on a misdemeanor charge on March 14.
Is technology helpful or harmful to Charleston’s restaurant scene?. A decade after the launch of Resys, about 75% of operators believe technology can give them a competitive advantage in the crowded restaurant industry, according to a new study from the National Restaurant Association.
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