Bill Barna of McSweeney Engineers didn't soften it for the city's Waterfront Advisory Committee in June. Rebuilding the promenade along the Beaufort River means driving about 600 pilings into the mud and limestone. In the Island Packet's account of that meeting, he said the park won't "be a very enjoyable place to be during that process."
That process hasn't started. The fence along the river has been up since the summer of 2025, so it's easy to think of Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park as already disrupted. But the fence is the quiet stage. From Pigeon Point, the park is an easy walk or bike ride down to Bay Street. This December, nearly all of it is open, the day dock is working again, and the holiday weekend is on the calendar as usual. When the construction crews arrive, the park will feel very different.
What the Fence Actually Covers
The closed section is the 35-foot-wide promenade, the strip of the park that faces the river. The city closed it after learning that some of the concrete supports underneath were failing. Nothing was wrong with the day dock, but it's attached to the promenade, so it closed too.
That part changed this summer. The city paid O'Quinn Marine $299,000 to build a new gangway over the top of the closed promenade, and the day dock reopened on July 15, 2026, in time for the Water Festival. The gangway is for reaching the dock only. The city has said people who step onto the closed promenade from it will be prosecuted.
The rest of the seven-acre park is open. The dinghy dock at the other end of the park was damaged by Tropical Storm Helene. It has been repaired, reopened and now holds more boats than before. The fencing the city put up this spring is lower and easier to see through than the old chain-link, so the river view from the lawn is mostly unblocked. Scott Lee owns Lowcountry Cider Co. and Superior Coffee. He told the Island Packet that he and other downtown business owners are trying to get the word out that Waterfront Park is open except for the promenade.
The Holiday Weekend Still Runs Through the Park
Because the closure covers only the river edge, the downtown holiday calendar looks familiar. The event listings for December don't mention any changed layouts or new locations because of the promenade.
- Friday, Dec. 4: Night on the Town, 6 to 9 p.m. in downtown Beaufort. The tree lighting is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: Light Up the Night Boat Parade, 5 to 8 p.m. at Henry Chambers Waterfront Park.
- Sunday, Dec. 6: Beaufort's Christmas Parade, 3 to 5 p.m., along Boundary Street and downtown.
- Thursday, Dec. 31: New Year's Eve fireworks at Waterfront Park at 9 p.m. are on a city agenda as a request from the Beaufort Area Hospitality Association for the city to co-sponsor them. The agenda item is a request, not an approval.
The boat parade is the event the fence affects most, since it happens on the water the promenade faces. The lawn and the reopened day dock still give the park a front row on the river this year.
The Streets Leading Down to Bay Are Almost Done
The Charles/Craven Street Drainage Project has been the bigger obstacle for anyone walking or driving downtown. On Oct. 15, the City of Beaufort said West Street and Craven Street were open again and that marina paving was expected to wrap up that day. The same update scheduled the intersection of Bay and Charles streets to close late Sunday, Oct. 18, for new sidewalk and a concrete crosswalk, and said it should reopen by Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 21, weather permitting. The city described the work as nearing completion.
A few doors have changed along the way. Hemingway's Bistro, the Bay Street basement bar whose patio opened onto the park, closed after its final Monday night service on Sept. 28, 2026, after 32 years. Nothing has been announced for the space.
Scott Street has new tenants. Mother Smokin' Good BBQ, a takeout spot owned by Roscoe and Danielle Green, opened July 9 at 101 Scott St. in the former YoYo's Ice Cream building, according to the Island Packet. Up the block, Jake Higgins' Beaufort Baking Company was still under construction at 211 Scott St. In the Island News report, Higgins was aiming for a September or October opening, depending on renovations and equipment installation. If you're planning to stop there on the way to the boat parade, check whether it has opened first.
Why the Fence Stays Up for Years
The promenade will stay closed until a new structure replaces it. The plan has moved forward through 2026:
| Step | When | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfront Advisory Committee vote | Monday, May 4, 2026 | 6–0 for Option 2, which replaces the platform underneath and keeps the promenade's familiar look |
| First detailed construction estimate | June 2026 | $66,482,075 from McSweeney Engineers |
| Updated cost range | August 2026 | $60 million to $80 million |
| Consultant RFQ 2027-100 | Issued July 10, responses due Aug. 13 | Four teams responded |
| City Council consultant award | Expected October 2026 | Design, permitting and engagement begin after the award |
| Construction start | City has hoped for 2028 | A target, not a schedule |
| Promenade reopening | 2029 on the city's timeline | A target, not a schedule |
Under Option 2, the rebuilt promenade would look much like the one Beaufort has now. In the Island News account of the committee vote, the concept keeps the brickwork, tabby-style paving, swings and trees. It could also mean replacing parts of the old seawall, and engineers expect the design to last 75 to 100 years.
The four teams that responded are Gary Greene Engineers of Raleigh, a team of Davis & Floyd, McSweeney Engineers and JMT from Beaufort and Charleston, Moffatt & Nichol of Raleigh, and Nandina, Inc. of Hilton Head. The firm the council picks will handle investigations, design, environmental review, permits, grant writing, public engagement and bidding. The RFQ also asks for a plan to keep the area working during construction. It has to cover pedestrian movement, day-dock operations, tourism, festivals and events, emergency access, and the businesses next to the park. That plan doesn't exist yet. The fact that the city asked for one shows it expects events to be affected.
The Loud Part Comes Later, and It Isn't Paid For
Barna estimated the pile driving will last a year to 18 months. Duncan O'Quinn of O'Quinn Marine Construction thinks the rebuild itself can be done in 18 months, but that estimate doesn't include the time needed for permits and funding. Vibrations will have to be watched closely at the nearby marina seawall, which is 50 years old.
Money sets the pace. Earlier this year, the city moved $925,000 in its budget to the Waterfront Park project to start the design phase. That money had been set aside for improvements at two other parks. As of August, it was all the city had for design. Design usually costs 6% to 8% of a project's total, said Councilman Josh Scallate, and that puts the need at "$5 to $6 million at least to get through this next 18 months of engineering and permitting." He told the Island Packet, "We have a pretty big shortfall, and that isn't even discussing the amount we will need to move forward with construction." Assistant City Manager Eric Claussen noted that design and permitting can be split into segments, which helps with financing. City Manager Scott Marshall said he's confident the city has enough money to keep the project moving in the short term.
Put the table and the funding together, and this December looks like part of a long middle stretch. The day dock is open, the lawn is open, and only the river edge is fenced. The boat parade can still be watched from the park. The sequence the city has laid out runs from design and permits to funding and then pile driving, and the city's own target for starting construction is 2028.
If you'd like to talk about what the waterfront rebuild could mean for Pigeon Point and the streets that lead down to Bay, Lloyd Williams follows each council step closely and is glad to talk it through over coffee downtown. Let's connect.
