Garco Park packs revitalization punch

The Beach Company has pumped new life into an old piece of North Charleston industrial real estate, and the economic impact could lead to a north-area renaissance.

Garco Park, once home to the General Asbestos and Rubber Co., has been a North Charleston manufacturing site since the early 1900s. The Beach Company bid for and won the 23-acre property last November during a federal bankruptcy court auction following the failure of the site’s previous owner, R.M. Engineered Products. After five months of renovation, which included demolition and construction, what used to be a brownfield-an abandoned, idle industrial or commercial property-is now evolving into a mixed-use park containing light industrial manufacturing, office and flex space.

The Beach Company began leasing space in May. So far, the 42-building site has three tenants: high-tech defense and federal contractor Eagan McAllister Associates Inc., with about 100 employees; textile products manufacturer Alpha Associates Inc., with a payroll of roughly 40; and blacksmith shop Ahern’s Anvil Inc.

Beach Company officials believe Garco Park will attract more knowledge-based companies paying high-tech salaries. William Shanaman, the company’s vice president of commercial brokerage, points out that the park’s location near the Naval Weapons Station is a draw to high-tech firms seeking Defense Department contracts.

“We are attracting companies like Eagan McAllister, which is a big SPAWAR contractor,” says Shanaman, referring to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center-Charleston. “Defense contractors like to stick together. That’s why I think Garco Park will attract more of them.”
Shanaman says the park’s other location advantages include rail access and proximity to the old Navy base, Interstates 26 and 526, industrial corridor Virginia Avenue and the Park Circle residential neighborhood. “It’s a good hub,” Shanaman states, “and it’s in an area with a skilled labor force.”
To make Garco Park more accessible, the Beach Company is extending the site’s O’Hear Avenue entrance, located at the site’s south end, all the way north through the park. For Garco-bound truck traffic, a new road will cut through the center of the park from Virginia Avenue-the park’s eastern border-to extended O’Hear Avenue, keeping trucks away from residential areas, which lie to the west and south.

After purchasing Garco Park, the Beach Company assembled a team of environmental engineers, land planners, lawyers and other professionals to examine and evaluate the property and to identify redevelopment issues. During a five-month period the company replaced all the site’s utilities, installed a new power grid, data and telecommunications systems, and brought the site up to Environmental Protection Agency standards.

According to the Beach Company’s Kent Johnson, while a plan for the area’s infrastructure improvements was already in place, good timing helped, with the federal government passing a law allowing brownfields to be acquired if purchasers provide environmental cleanup and testing. In addition, new owners are not liable for previous owner’s environmental lapses.
Johnson adds that the rebirth of Garco Park has already sparked the rejuvenation of East Montague Avenue, a residential and commercial corridor about two blocks south of the park. “Revitalizing an industrial area leads to the revitalization of the neighboring areas. It’s all part of a synergy,” he says.

Johnson also credits North Charleston’s political leadership for helping make Garco Park’s revitalization a success. “We were also able to partner with local community groups and build strong working relationships. Our brokerage division saw a demand for light industry at Garco Park, and North Charleston shared our vision,” he says.