While the River Landing Boardwalk Rests, Daniel Island's 115-Acre Riverfront Park Moves Forward

If River Landing Drive is your usual morning loop, where have you been walking since October 5?

The boardwalk between Fairchild Drive and Seven Farms Drive closed that Monday for about six weeks of repairs. The Daniel Island Property Owners' Association announced the closure on September 29. The Daniel Island Town Association is doing the work, and the Daniel Island Community Fund is paying for it. Farther up the island, at the end of Seven Farms, sit roughly 115 acres of Cooper River shoreline. That land has stayed untouched since Berkeley County bought it in 2024, and in September the county's search for a park designer closed.

Taken together, the two stories show where Daniel Island's next big change is coming from: public waterfront space. This fall you can see both halves of it. Crews are repairing a trail you already use, and a county process has begun that will decide what the new acreage becomes.

Six weeks without the River Landing boardwalk

The POA's notice says the boardwalk "sees a lot of foot traffic, bikes, strollers, and dog walks every day." It also says years of heavy use and coastal weather "have taken their toll." Six weeks from October 5 puts the target in mid-November. The POA says the timeline depends on weather and that it will post an update if the schedule changes. We found no revised date when we checked on October 13.

The association also asks walkers to stay behind the posted barriers and not walk around them, because "active construction zones can hide hazards that aren't obvious from the path."

This is the island's own community fund paying to rebuild one of its busiest paths. The island's associations are spending money to keep the existing trails in good shape at the same moment the county is planning a new park up the road.

The loops that still connect

The POA describes an island-wide trail system of more than 25 miles. It runs through maritime forest, along marsh edges and the waterfront, and through neighborhoods and downtown. Losing one boardwalk section still leaves a lot of trail. The POA's parks and trails directory lists named loops by distance:

• Grove Park Loop: 0.9 miles, a short circuit for a quick dog walk.
• Ralston Creek Loop: 1.9 miles.
• Island Park Loop: 2.6 miles, the longest of the three listed.
• Riverfront Loop: follows the Wando River behind the LTP Tennis Center, then passes under the bridge toward Governor's Park.

If you want water views while River Landing is closed, the Riverfront Loop is the obvious swap. It ends at Governor's Park, which the city maintains. The park has waterfront trails, a dog run, fields and courts, and a playground.

Three other spots give a quieter marsh walk. Barfield Park has winding natural paths and a picnic gazebo. Bellinger Island Park is a marsh-and-creek preserve with trails, seating, and a fishing dock, right next to the Beresford Creek Boat Landing. Smythe Park covers 22 acres around an 11-acre lake. It has a kayak dock, pedestrian and history trails, picnic areas, and a pirate-themed playground.

Waterfront Park still hosts the island's busiest October weekend

Waterfront Park sits at 1 River Landing Drive. The POA lists swings, a hammock garden, a water-fountain play area, gathering spaces, and play equipment. The boardwalk notice only covers the trail section between Fairchild and Seven Farms. It says nothing about park access or the events planned there.

That matters because the island's parks are booked for most of the next five weeks:

Sources for the table: The Daniel Island News for Bark in the Park, the Daniel Island POA for the Pumpkin Walk and Palmetto Freedom Fest, Credit One Stadium for the concerts, and the Holiday Market organizers for November 14.

If the repairs stay on schedule, the River Landing boardwalk should reopen around the weekend of the Holiday Market. We couldn't find an announcement for a 2026 holiday tree lighting. The stadium's tree-lighting page we found is for December 2025.

The 115 acres at the end of Seven Farms

The North Island Tract is on the island's Cooper River shoreline, behind Talison Row Apartments at the end of Seven Farms Road. The Daniel Island News calls it "one of Daniel Island's last major undeveloped waterfront tracts."

Its history explains why it was never built on. According to the Post and Courier, the land was part of the proposed 1,200-acre "Global Gateway" container terminal. State legislators killed that plan in 2002 and ordered the State Ports Authority to sell its extra land on the site. The terminal was eventually built on the former Navy base in North Charleston and opened as the Leatherman Terminal in April 2021. The SPA put the North Island property out for bids in 2020, hoping to sell to a private developer. No offer met its minimum price.

Berkeley County bought the land instead. The sale closed June 28, 2024: nine parcels along the Cooper River for $4 million. The money came from the county's Greenbelt Program and state grants. WCSC Live 5 News reports that the Greenbelt Program is funded by 10% of a one-penny sales tax.

The tract is old as well as undeveloped. Tory Sullivan, a member of the Greenbelt Commission, told The Daniel Island News that it contains archaeological sites believed to be tied to the Revolutionary War, and that it was once the site of an important ferry crossing. Berkeley County Council member Jarrod Brooks told Live 5 that artifacts have been found on the property and that it served as a launching point in the Revolutionary War era.

Where the park plan stands in October 2026

The county's fiscal year 2027 budget includes money to start conceptual design. County staff planned to hire one consultant to write a master plan for the North Island Tract and three other Greenbelt park properties. That request for proposals, called "Greenbelt Park Design," is on Berkeley County's procurement site. It opened August 6 and closed September 10, 2026. When we checked, the county's bids list showed it as closed and didn't list an award.

The next step matters to anyone who lives nearby. County spokesperson Jenna-Ley Walls told The Daniel Island News that "the request for proposals requires the county to seek public input, which will include public meetings." Those meetings follow the hiring of a consultant, and the county hasn't announced dates. Nobody has set a completion date for the park either.

Officials have described a passive park. Brooks told Live 5 that would mean "things such as trails, perhaps a dock" rather than active programming. Ideas under discussion include low-impact trails, boardwalks, and a possible fishing pier. None of it is final. Sullivan described the views he'd like the design to keep in The Daniel Island News:

"The site has many mature trees, so we'd want to see those preserved. The views of downtown Charleston and the Ravenel (Bridge), Leatherman Terminal, and access to the Cooper is definitely something that should be front and center and celebrated."

That view includes the Leatherman Terminal, the port that was first planned for this very land.

How the tract ties into the trails you already walk

Sullivan told the paper he hopes the park will connect to the island's existing trail system and the protected land around it. That surrounding land is substantial. When the sale closed in 2024, the Post and Courier reported that the SPA was turning an adjacent 135 acres into a saltwater mitigation bank and leasing another 40 acres to the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism for public use. Mark Messersmith, the SPA's environmental manager, described the area as "like 2½ miles of shoreline that would, in one form or another, be protected from large-scale development."

That gives the island two layers of trail work. The associations are maintaining the 25-plus miles that exist now, starting with the River Landing boardwalk this fall. The county controls a large stretch of riverfront that could someday join that network. The closure is a short-term change you're living with now. The North Island decisions are still ahead, and residents will get to weigh in once the county names a consultant and schedules the required public meetings.

If you're thinking about how this new waterfront park might affect your street's long-term appeal, or you just want to talk through what's happening on Daniel Island, Andrea Ulmer follows these changes closely and is glad to share what she's seeing. Request a free home valuation or consultation whenever you're ready, and Andrea will put the North Island plans and this fall's trail work in context for your home.