Future Arthur Horne Wetlands Park in Port Royal enters design phase

Beaufort County announced on July 8, 2026, that the future Arthur Horne Wetlands Park in Port Royal had entered the design phase. The proposed park is planned for a site between Camelia Road and Ivy Lane, moving the project beyond its earlier concept while leaving major construction and public-use details unresolved.

For people living near the site, the immediate change is that the county is now developing a design. Construction has not begun, and the county has not announced a final construction cost, completion date or final design.

A damaged stormwater wetland

The project centers on a wetland system that previously functioned as stormwater mitigation. Beaufort County said Hurricane Matthew damaged the system in 2016 and that the wetland has not recovered.

That history gives the proposed park an environmental and stormwater-management purpose. The county describes the future Arthur Horne Wetlands Park as a prospective public environmental and flood-management asset for nearby residents. However, the approved information does not establish how much stormwater work a finished project would provide, what level of flood protection it might offer or whether it would eliminate flooding.

The precise scope of public access and stormwater improvements remains pending as design work continues. In practical terms, residents know the location and the project’s broad purpose, but not yet the final layout, amenities, construction schedule or price.

Design is the latest confirmed milestone

The design announcement is not a notice that the park is complete or under construction. It is the county’s latest confirmed project milestone for a site where the former wetland system has not recovered since the 2016 hurricane damage.

Beaufort County said it will post additional project updates and meeting dates later. The county did not provide a specific future meeting date or deadline in the information reviewed for this report. Those future notices are expected to provide more detail about the design and the next steps for the proposed park.

The county’s 2026 stormwater project page separately lists Port Royal Island Tree Removal among its 2026 projects. That listing offers broader county-level context for stormwater and drainage work in the Port Royal area, but it does not establish that the tree-removal project is part of Arthur Horne Wetlands Park.

Until the county releases more information, the project remains in design. Residents who want to follow its development will need to watch for the county’s later updates and meeting notices, when the park’s public-access plans, stormwater improvements, cost and schedule may become clearer.