The City of Beaufort and the Waterfront Advisory Committee (WAC) launched a community survey this week that will help guide the future of Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. Open to city residents, visitors, tourists, business owners, and property owners, the survey is aimed at gathering community input on how the park should look, feel, and function in the years ahead.
The survey, now live and available on the City of Beaufort’s social media pages, includes 17 questions—three of which are tailored specifically for downtown business and property owners. Initial questions focus on how respondents use the Waterfront Park, how often they visit, and what draws them there. Later questions get to the heart of the project, including day-dock usage, vessel accommodation, renovation priorities, and whether the park should retain its current overall design or evolve into something new.
Take the Waterfront Park Community Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9PKDB7S
This is the public’s first clear opportunity to help steer the direction of the redesign—and the WAC has emphasized that broad participation is crucial. These results will form the foundation for upcoming design concepts as engineers and the WAC move deeper into the next phase of the project. The committee will use the community’s feedback to influence which alternatives are studied further, costed out, and eventually presented at a formal public charrette.
Before you take the survey, consider how you use the Waterfront Park today and what you hope it becomes. Do you want to prioritize open waterfront views? Additional water access? Event infrastructure? Whatever it may be, now is the time to make your opinions known. Fill out the survey, share it with neighbors, and stay engaged as the project moves forward. Additional meetings and a public charrette will follow, giving Beaufort residents multiple opportunities to shape one of the city’s most important public spaces. Beaufort Insider will continue to report on this project to our readers as it unfolds.
