In 2020, the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism (SCPRT) purchased the May Forest property, home to the Convent for the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy, with the intent of turning the convent building into rentable lodging and venue space.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, SCPRT recognized communities needed parks and green spaces. They took the opportunity to partner with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), who owns the adjacent Fort Johnson property that currently serves as a research and educational facility for the College of Charleston marine biology department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and SCDNR.
They brought in Davis & Floyd to provide a master plan that would balance the needs of the research groups and public while also considering the historical aspect of the site at Fort Johnson, a former revolutionary and civil war fort on the property. The project involved creating a cohesive design that incorporated the SCDNR, SCPRT, NOAA, and College of Charleston while considering sea-level rise, expanding rates of inundation, and severe storms that cause excessive flooding on the site.
Upon completion of the steering committee and community engagement meetings, we began designing the conceptual master plan by incorporating all the information from the existing conditions, discovery sessions, site inventory, steering committee meetings, and first community engagement session. We held another feedback session with the steering committee to incorporate its input into the plans. After presenting the final conceptual master plan to the steering committee for review and feedback, we delivered the final version of the plan to them.
