During its April 7 meeting, Georgetown County Council voted to approve the selection of Seamon, Whiteside & Associates, Inc., headquartered in Mount Pleasant, to develop a Master Plan for redevelopment efforts at the Georgetown Port.

Georgetown County acquired the former port property from the State Ports Authority in 2023, positioning the site for long-term redevelopment and community benefit. Since that time, the County has taken deliberate steps to prepare the property for its next chapter and considers itself a steward of this strategically important waterfront asset.

“This is a generational opportunity and we take seriously our role as stewards of this property,” said Clint Elliott, Chairman of Georgetown County Council. “We are not starting from scratch—the County has done significant work to de-risk this site. This puts us in a strong position to move forward with our next step, which is creation of a clear and actionable plan.”

The County received 17 responses to its Request for Qualifications, representing firms from multiple states. All submissions were strong and highly competitive, reflecting significant regional interest in the project.

“We were extremely pleased with the level of response,” said Kelly Robertson-Slagle, Georgetown County’s Director of Economic Development. “We intentionally sought interest from firms up and down the East Coast, and the quality of submissions exceeded expectations. Each of these respondents represents not only a highly qualified team, but also a potential future investor in Georgetown County.” 

After a thorough review and scoring process conducted by an evaluation committee, Seamon, Whiteside & Associates emerged as the top-ranked firm. Across all evaluators, the firm consistently demonstrated superior qualifications and strong alignment with the County’s goals for this transformative project.

Key strengths identified during the evaluation process include:

• Exceptional Economic and Market Strategy
   Seamon, Whiteside & Associates received scores at or near the maximum from all evaluators in this category. Their approach clearly demonstrated the ability to identify the highest and best use of the site, support neighboring developer collaboration, and structure viable funding strategies. Their emphasis on market validation—including testing demand for residential, commercial, maritime and mixed-use development, as well as evaluating absorption rates and timing—ensures redevelopment outcomes will be competitive, realistic, and attractive to high-quality development partners.
• Comprehensive, Multidisciplinary Team
   The firm assembled a team with expertise spanning planning, engineering, market analysis and public engagement. Evaluators described the team as a “dynamic team that touches all areas of project complexity.”
• Deep Understanding of the Project
   The proposal reflected strong knowledge of Georgetown County, including site-specific conditions and community context. Their approach aligns with County priorities and waterfront redevelopment best practices, with a clear emphasis on phasing guidance—ensuring development is sequenced based on market timing, infrastructure readiness, and environmental clearance. This approach will help the County strategically phase investments, avoid premature or infeasible commitments, and support incremental, financeable development.
• Readiness to Execute
   Seamon, Whiteside & Associates received high marks for project schedule and delivery and was described as “ready to move fast,” demonstrating both capacity and urgency.

“A Master Plan is not simply a vision document—it is a decision-making tool,” Robertson-Slagle said. “It brings together land use, infrastructure, environmental realities and market feasibility into a single, coordinated framework. For a complex waterfront redevelopment like the Port, this ensures that public investment, private interest and long-term community outcomes are aligned from the outset.”

The Master Plan process is expected to formally kick off in the coming weeks and will include a robust public outreach component to ensure community input helps shape the future of the site.

The completed plan will serve as a tool to guide decisions on redevelopment of the Georgetown Port property, positioning it for sustainable growth, economic opportunity, and long-term community benefit.

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