By Matt Tomsic
mtomsic@scbiznews.com
Published Feb. 6, 2013

The Boeing Co. and Charleston County Aviation Authority have called for a second round of appraisals for roughly 320 acres of airport property that Boeing is interested in purchasing.

On Tuesday, an aviation authority committee voted to begin the next step of the land sale process, which requires the authority to hire a new appraiser.

“I would point out that the nature of the task of trying to understand complex legal and real estate issues results in our really needing to take more time than usual,” said Ben Hagood, the proxy for state Sen. Chip Campsen, after the committee held an executive session for a little more than an hour.

Candy Eslinger, a spokeswoman with Boeing South Carolina, said the company is also hiring a new appraiser.

“We should have those appraisals back by mid-March,” Eslinger said.

Boeing and the aviation authority have already performed appraisals on the land, and the authority’s Land Sale Special Committee met last week to review the first round of appraisals. On Jan. 29, the committee recommended that the aviation authority sell the land to Boeing based on the price in the authority’s appraisal. After that meeting, Boeing sent the committee a draft letter, prompting Tuesday’s meeting.

In December, Boeing approached the aviation authority board with a presentation about its interest in several hundred acres of airport property.

After the Boeing presentation, the aviation authority board approved a resolution to begin the negotiations for the land acquisitions. The deal would include land purchases of 320 acres of airport property, rights of first refusal for an additional 488 acres and a purchase option in 2025 for Boeing South Carolina’s main campus, which is 265 acres.

“We’re committed long term to the Lowcountry,” said Rick Muttart, director of the aerospace giant’s Site Services Group, after the December meeting. “What we’ve got to do is be able to protect our potential needs for future growth. We don’t have any specific plans, but this positions us well should we make some decisions to expand.”

Previous coverage

Charleston County Aviation Authority meets on Boeing land deal
Boeing looking to purchase 320 acres of airport land