PROJECT:                CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA 

RIVERFRONT PARK AND MARINA  

WORK PROGRAM

AND ACHIEVEMENT: TPA staff worked for the City of Charleston over an eight- year period on a number of projects, including the development of a riverfront park and marina. The project was intended to be a centerpiece of downtown redevelopment, as well as a functional contribution to the integration of retail, office and residential space along the Kanawha River.

TPA staff assisted the City of Charleston and Charleston Renaissance Corporation in establishing design parameters, operating characteristics and budget. We worked closely with Sasaki Associates of Watertown, Massachusetts, the Renaissance Corporation, the downtown business community and the City Council in evaluating the design and its ability to accommodate local needs. We planned the park and the adjacent boulevard, as well as the slips and dock, in order to accommodate attendance at the annual Steamboat Regatta festival, which has daily visitation of 300,000 over a one-week period. At the same time, the marina had to be a functioning riverfront facility which could accommodate all types of users on a year-round basis.

Following the design effort, we assisted the City in reaching agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on cost- sharing arrangements for design and construction. The City agreed to provide the site and to operate and manage the facility, once built. We have also advised the Renaissance Corporation on the acquisition of funds through the Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and private fund-raising efforts. Although it took five years to move from the initial design to construction, the park and marina will be operational for the 1994 Regatta.