Planners advance gambling plan

Tuesday, April 16, 2002 | 11:10 a.m.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- A unanimous vote by the North Charleston planning commission Monday moves the city one step closer to allowing casino boats to dock on its shores.

Under the zoning plan, which a City Council committee likely will take up Thursday, the boats would have to be at least 1,000 feet from homes, churches and schools.

A number of other rules apply, ranging from a minimum 5-acre site requirement to parking, lighting and traffic regulations.

The rules were aimed at preventing the ships, which sail into international waters where gambling is legal, from infesting the waterfront when they are not at sea, Planning Director Bill Gore said.

"The main thing to remember is there is not an awful lot of unused space on the Cooper River," Gore said. "Most of the riverfront in North Charleston is developed. There are probably opportunities on the old Navy base and a few other places, but the available spaces are going to be fairly limited."

Under the city's plan, boat owners would pay $100,000 in user fees and dock permits. Owners also would have to pay the city 10 percent of their gross revenues, which Mayor Keith Summey has estimated could bring in $500,000 to $2 million per boat.