The Lowcountry Lowline is a planned linear park in Charleston, South Carolina to be located on 1.7 miles of old railroad roadbed.
As of August 2024, city officials have not used any portion of that grant because if they do, federal planning requirements will add approximately 3 to 5 years to the park's construction timeline.
[1] According to Logan McVey, the current chief policy officer to Charleston's mayor, William S. Cogswell Jr., the park "has been on the shelf for so long that people aren't sure it's ever going to happen.
During the American Civil War, the successor company (South Carolina Rail Road) maintained the supply line into the city’s downtown.
In 2015, the Friends of the Lowcountry Lowline (FLL) reached an agreement with Norfolk Southern to purchase 1.7 miles of land along the ridge of Charleston's peninsula within two years.
In 2017, Norfolk Southern and the city of Charleston met the terms of the agreement at a price of $4.6 million which was significantly below previous cost estimates.
[13] The Charleston City Council voted in April, 2021, to spend $250,000 to help the Friends of the Lowcountry Lowline design and plan the park.
[14] Several council members representing portions of West Ashley expressed concern about allocating money to a private entity such as FLL.
[24] In Charleston's first ever bicycle infrastructure study, the Lowline was the central component on the plan for a "robust urban bikeway system" on the peninsula.