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The public is invited to a celebration to rededicate Charlestons Waterfront Park in honor of former Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. by officially renaming the park to Joe Riley Waterfront Park.

The event will include remarks from Mayor John Tecklenburg and former Mayor Riley as well as a special performance by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Charleston City Council voted in 2016 to rename the park to honor Rileys central role in creating the citys most visited park. Since then, the nonprofit Charleston Parks Conservancy and the city have undertaken a project to recognize the parks new name with commemorative elements that will be unveiled during the event and reflect the former mayors dedication to parks and public spaces.

Lowe is a major sponsor of the rededication project and is planning an expansion of the park in conjunction with the construction of a full-service hotel at 176 Concord St. on the current site of the South Carolina State Ports Authority offices. Plans for the that project include extending the Joe Riley Waterfront Parks riverwalk by approximately 400 feet, starting at the site of the parks north entrance on Concord Street and ending at Cumberland St. The project will also enlarge dock access facilities from a single water taxi dock drop-off to a day dock facility for the public. Lowe will break ground in January 2019 and plans to complete the project by early 2021.