For years now, there have been many rumors and hopes of a new port coming to the Lowcountry of South Carolina. This would be a very large port, one that would boost the economy, as well as make property values go up a significant amount in the region. People talk about it and have a sense of hope that it will become a real thing in the near future. However, for many years, that is all people living in the area have been left with year in and year out, “hope” that it will one day become a reality.

Well, for those that don’t already know it, we now officially have a timeline. This large port will actually become a reality, it’s no longer a matter of if, but exactly when. According to a recent article, there is finally a plan and timeline, and permitting has officially begun. After two decades of discussions, the $4.5 billion project has started. The only downfall is, the federal permitting process is fairly lengthy, it is expected to take over five years. That means that the construction of the $2.5 billion first phase won’t be completed until around 2028. The port’s location will be on 1,500 acres at the southern tip of Jasper County, near the Tybee National Wildlife Refuge at the mouth of the Savannah River. Once complete, it will handle millions of units of shipping cargo that the ports in Charleston and Savannah will not be able to handle.

It is projected that thousands of jobs will be created in the 2020s alone, with the construction of the port. It is said that with the complete build out of the terminal, by 2040, the port has the potential to create one million jobs and $9 billion in tax revenue between South Carolina and Georgia. The chairman of the office overseeing the port’s development said that once it is totally complete, it would be the largest single land port in the country. This would obviously be quite the game changer for a county that for many years was one of the poorest in the state.  The port would not only affect Jasper County, but also bring new businesses and jobs to many other nearby counties, such as Beaufort, Hampton, and Colleton as well.

This would obviously be a great boost to the SC Lowcountry region, a place that is already popular for many businesses, tourists, hunters, timber growers, and farmers. Most of these counties are very rural areas, with a lot of land and bigger parcels still available. The land value in this region has held fairly steady for a while now, just imagine what it will do as this project grows nearer. It may not be a bad time to begin looking to invest in land in the South Carolina Lowcountry area. You may just end up making the best investment of your lifetime!