CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Charleston, which passed the nation's first historic preservation ordinance 80 years ago, is being warned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation that its growing cruise industry threatens the city's historic character.
While Charleston didn't make the Trust's 2011 list of the nation's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places being released Wednesday, it was placed on what the preservation group calls watch status.
The trust says it means a threat to an historic site that can be avoided by working with residents and developing innovative approaches. It's the first time in the almost quarter century the list has been issued that a site was put on watch status.
"We believe that the past preservation work in Charleston has made this community a national treasure and we are willing to dedicate resources to address questions about the impact of cruise tourism," said Stephanie Meeks, the president of the trust.
The group said it would sponsor study to gauge the impact of the cruise industry on historic areas and work with the city in setting enforceable cruise limits. It also said it would launch a community forum to encourage more discussion.
Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. called the watch status unfortunate but added "this is much, much, much about very little. I think the trust is responding to pressure from a small group of people in Charleston — a tiny minority." He said cruise tourism, about 200,000 people a year, is less than 4 percent of the city's tourism industry.
"What we have here with the cruise business is very modest and in perfect scale. We manage tourism carefully in Charleston," he said.
But for some residents and environmentalists who sued Carnival Cruise Lines over the cruise industry this week, the time for talking is over.
The lawsuit alleges cruises are a public nuisance, amount to illegal hotel operations and that Carnival's signature red, white and blue smokestacks violate city sign ordinances.
The controversy over cruises has been growing for months.
Last year, Carnival permanently based its 2,056-passenger liner Fantasy in Charleston creating a year-round industry. Cruising contributes about $37 million to the state's $18.4 billion tourism industry.
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