A 10-year planCity officials drawing up ideas for growth in next decade By Tony Bartelme (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Wade Spees Go ahead. In your mind, climb one of the Cooper River bridge's diamond towers, 575 feet above the harbor, and enjoy the view. Pretend the sun is low because the softer light brings out the colors of the marshes, rivers and ocean — features that have guided the area's growth for three centuries. Now, from this lofty throne, imagine how you would shape the area in the next 10 years. Would you build new roads? Where? How about new sewer lines? Would you try to slow the growth of new subdivisions? Or create new ones on the edge of this urban blanket? While you can't legally scale the bridge without a good connection at the highway department, you will have a chance in coming months to map how the area could grow. In conference rooms and cubicles, planners and politicians are penciling in places that might see heavy development, and which areas could remain as they are. They're calculating how much this growth will cost taxpayers. Now, many of these government bodies are unveiling their plans and proposals in workshops and public meetings. With this public feedback, officials will craft final blueprints in the coming months. Click here for an interactive map of the tri-county area and the various plans. All this is part of a state law requiring local governments to create comprehensive plans for growth every 10 years, and some argue that the decisions in the coming months could have huge implications for our tax bills and quality of life. "This is the moment in time, this is it," said Dana Beach, executive director of the Coastal Conservation League. "We will substantially determine the future of this community in this year. We'll either cook our goose or not." The western edge Back on top of the bridge, look toward the setting sun and the metro area's western edge. The planning process could have particularly important implications for how this edge is defined during the next decade. Trace the James Island Connector over the Ashley River until it dead-ends on Folly Road. Plans are in the works to connect this highway through Johns Island to the Mark Clark Expressway. Doing so suddenly will make rural Johns Island a few minutes drive from the most heavily populated areas of Charleston and North Charleston. What will happen to Johns Island? The comprehensive plans for the city of Charleston and Charleston County could answer that question. Similar questions apply to another area of the western edge. From high above, if you look toward Ravenel and the plantation district on S.C. Highway 61, the land looks like a rumpled quilt of green, with marshes mingling with farms, forests and relatively few homes and businesses. But this blanket's edge becomes more frayed as Savannah Highway leaves the strip beyond Citadel Mall and empties into the marshes and fields near the U.S. Department of Agriculture vegetable laboratories. In this mostly rural area, developers are building Carolina Bay — 1,800 homes — and Long Savannah — 4,600 homes. The Long Savannah project includes a park that the Coastal Conservation League says will give the metro area a buffer between the countryside and the city. But will it really? Beyond Long Savannah, MeadWestvaco plans to develop its 72,000-acre East Edisto tract — 12 times the size of Daniel Island. So far, MeadWestvaco hasn't said how many homes it wants to build. But won't shareholders demand the highest profits possible? Doesn't that usually mean more homes? Officials and planners from Charleston County, Ravenel, Hollywood and Meggett will have to wrestle over the fate of these massive development projects. I-26 explosion From your perch on the bridge tower, you can see how growth affects roads. Follow Interstate 26 out of the city and see how rush-hour traffic clogs the Mark Clark Expressway intersection, how a 20-minute drive turns into a 45-minute migraine. In the past decade, subdivisions sprouted like giant limbs from the I-26 corridor, creating new demands on governments and school districts to keep pace. A study last year, for instance, found 11,000 to 14,000 houses could be built in western Dorchester County in the next 20 to 25 years, requiring three new fire stations, three police substations, nine new schools and a host of new parks to maintain the status quo. Higher taxes likely will pay for this growth. And people are getting frustrated. Last year, Citistates Group, led by syndicated columnist Neal Peirce, interviewed dozens of people for a groundbreaking report on growth. "They want the process opened up," the Citistates report said. "Justified or not, there's suspicion, especially in Dorchester and Berkeley counties and Charleston County outside the city proper, that officials are making quiet, quick deals with developers, behind city or county council doors." Many jurisdictions are affected by the I-26 explosion, including Summerville, Goose Creek, North Charleston, Lincolnville, Hanahan and Dorchester and Berkeley counties. Are there too many cooks in the kitchen? Consensus At the top of the diamond tower, the winds are higher than on the ground, making it feel like you're moving around the open cockpit of an airplane. A birds-eye view of the area's growth trends can be helpful, but you miss something important: municipal and county boundaries. Altogether, more than 20 government entities are creating their own visions of the future as part of this comprehensive planning effort. Will they work together? The short answer is that they have to, at least a little bit. A state law passed last year says municipal governments must tell their neighbors what's in their plans, though our state lawmakers also made sure the law didn't have much teeth. The law's language specifically says people can't sue if the plans don't fit. Still, there are signs of consensus. Last year, in an exercise called "Reality Check," 150 movers and shakers crafted visions of how they would accommodate 265,000 new residents, 186,000 new jobs and 128,000 new homes by 2030. Although they came from different political and geographic backgrounds, virtually everyone said preservation of open space was important; that growth should be clustered near existing transportation arteries, particularly I-26; and that jobs should go near homes. This marked a departure from the auto-dependant planning approach of the past. In the wake of that exercise, leaders created "Our Region, Our Plan," a partnership under the umbrella of the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments to help government agencies coordinate their growth plans. "We are regional citizens," Dorchester County Councilman Larry Hargett wrote in an op-ed piece for The Post and Courier this summer. "We cross jurisdictional lines daily on our way to work, to shop, to recreation and to cultural events. Our region likes its independence and differences, but we can come together." In the next few months, Hargett will be proven right or wrong. Today, and over the next four days, The Post and Courier will examine key growth issues and where and when you can get involved in the planning process. The view from the top of the bridge is spectacular. How will it look in 10 years? |
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Comments
This article has 27 comment(s)
Posted by Slick50 on October 12, 2008 at 6:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What an eye-opener. I can almost see "future world" after reading this article. Very well written.
Posted by Teach7775 on October 12, 2008 at 6:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This kind of scares me and makes me wonder if I should stay in Charleston.... Charleston is so packed now, I can't imagine what it will be like in ten years...
Posted by karmann on October 12, 2008 at 7:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
All this sounds great, but if we cannot educate our children, then what is the use. CCSD has had enough long range plans to improve the educational qualities of our children with very little to show for it. We continue to have parents who do not emphasize education as being important. This is one of the fundamentals that need to be addressed.
Posted by Grinder on October 12, 2008 at 8:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Charleston is no longer the town it was when I grew up here about 50 years ago. It's still a gem, just not the same one. Growth is inevitable, and with a tax-base maniac like Joe Riley at the helm, there is little we can do to stem the tide of development. Not all is lost, though, if this article opens enough eyes, and people begin to comprehend what happens when Southern charm, traditions, and gentility are paved over by the shared greed of developers and politicians. Thanks Tony.
Posted by exorcist_pencocky4u on October 12, 2008 at 8:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by Teach7775 on October 12, 2008 at 6:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This kind of scares me and makes me wonder if I should stay in Charleston.... Charleston is so packed now, I can't imagine what it will be like in ten years...
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Maybe you should leave charleston. North Charleston or Summerville would surely welcome a freethinker like you.
Posted by Teach7775 on October 12, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Exorcist- kiss my a--s
Posted by Winker on October 12, 2008 at 10:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
As long as people like king Riley,Mark Sanford add Lindsy Graham are in power every bit of city and state "change" will go right into their pockets. SC still has one of the worst rated school systems in the country, Sanford ran his campaign on reforming that (still waiting Gov.) Take a ride down upper king street at any time of day. (drug dealers,prostitutes,broken roads,) Look at our cities national crime statistics to see how well Riley has done,Charleston has one of the highest murder rates of any city in the country. And do not forget about our national fire department safety rating (one of the worst in the country) We need a total change in leadership if we want a change in the cities and state. Finally ,Graham is so busy traveling with Sen. McCain i think he has forgotten where SC is.
Posted by HighDef on October 12, 2008 at 10:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
i think Mayor Joe has done a great job with the steady growth rate . SCDOT needs to wake up and keep SC/Charleston " up to speed" so people can enjoy it
Posted by tallblonde on October 12, 2008 at 11:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
.....Wait - is that a little gold throne I see on top of the bridge tower?.....who could that belong to? ;-)
Posted by exorcist_pencocky4u on October 12, 2008 at 12:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by Teach7775 on October 12, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Exorcist- kiss my a--s
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Sorry Teach7775, I'm not a Liberal Socialist Democrat, I don't do that kind of stuff.
Posted by holly123 on October 12, 2008 at 12:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Karmann, Charleston should become a retirement community because CCSD is so awfull. I can't imagine why young people would be attracted here unless they have enough money to send their kids to private schools.
Posted by LEYH on October 12, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks for a great article. Maybe this will open the eyes of the public to what is going on in Charleston.
This is not the Charleston I grew up in. We are losing our charm. Soon the whole area will look like N chas.
Dana Beach and the CCL opposed the Angel Oak Development a few short years ago and now think it is a wonderful thing to build a high density development all around it. Same forest, same wetlands, same wildlife, same Angel Oak. What changed? I suspect Riley got a hold of you. You have cooked the Angel Oaks goose. Go visit it now because we will soon lose it. What other geese are you planning on cooking?
Please everyone get involved before it is too late.
Posted by Teach7775 on October 12, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hay Exorcist- obama. :>)
Posted by guidedbystewart on October 12, 2008 at 12:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Getting the different forms of government identities to cooperate is like pulling teeth. Until we have laws that make this happen, these sort of regional plans are nothing more than dog and pony shows.
Posted by LEYH on October 12, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Teach7775, I have the same fears and thoughts. Please stay and fight for Charleston.
Start by going to isrex.org This is becoming a great organization and they have connections to other groups with similar interests in this area. These people really have their fingers on the pulse of development and can give some wonderful guidance.
Posted by MMitchum on October 12, 2008 at 2:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
1st and foremost Charleston will grow out to meet Berkeley County is the way I see it.
Berkeley County for example built a bypass. It was to be no businesses built on this,(this was what my understanding back then, true or not I'm not sure)...this is why I think it is called a by-pass. I though it was to by-pass congestion...lol...must have been wrong.
But of course businesses, schools,subdivisions, park, and medical facilities moved in. Electric, and phone companies moved in. Well now the traffic has gotten worst. So I suppose we will figure out where to put another bypass.
My concern is about charleston/berkeley and dorchester and what is underneath it. Some people have witnessed the earth tremors at times. Where is our Fault Lines?
The North American Road Network Overview:
The road network of the United States is one of the largest human constructions on Earth.It consist of more than 4 million miles of mapped roads, plus many additional utility roads, 4-wheel-drive trails, and private routes. The documented roads and their right-of-way occupy appx. 1% of the land area of the US, roughly the area of S.C..
But I am just wondering what is going on.
Are we making Charleston and Summerville Areas more vulnerable to a crack and losing a few people, businesses, are homes?
My opinion is to stop now...leave Charleston/Berkeley/Dorchester
as is...use what we have already built and abandoned. This is one way to not make the area worst.
SCDNR
Published: July 29, 2008
from The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Earthquakes in South Carolina
This is where we stand on Intensity which is the worst...we are in this red area when you go to the site. We are the most intense area. Find this in below site: DNR SC Government.
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/earthquake...
(X) yes TEN.
Which means.... Well-built wooden structures are severely damaged and some destroyed. Most masonry and frame structures are destroyed, including their foundations. Some bridges are destroyed. Dams are seriously damaged. Large landslides occur. Water is thrown on the banks of canals, rivers, and lakes. Railroad tracks are bent slightly.
Cracks are opened in cement pavements and asphalt road surfaces. So I think we should watch where we dig and put holes in the ground. And most certainly what we put on top of the ground.
But just my opinion.
So if we are thinking of our future 10-20 years from now, I hope everyone will research before adding more to these areas.
Posted by MyMcClellanville on October 12, 2008 at 2:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I like the approach they've been going with of building a new "town center" on the outskirts of town every couple of years and then filling in the rest with urban sprawl and stop lights every ten feet...Not! Can we just nuke everything but the old village and start over? That's my vote. Seriously though a ten year growth plan is a great idea...it would have been a better idea ten years ago!
Posted by ReasonSpeaks on October 12, 2008 at 2:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This area needs to strongly consider a light rail system. The financial and time commitment at the outset is significant, but (if we're talking ten years from now) the benefit would be immeasurable. It would only take 3 or 4 lines. One to MtP, one north up 26 and 1 or 2 to JI/WA. I know I'm a dreamer thinking it could happen in a state that thinks it's still 1950, but I can't help mentioning it.
Posted by PalmettoDP on October 12, 2008 at 6:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Part of the problem with traffic is that SCDOT has no control over land use, and they constantly have to play catch-up. Cities and counties should consult with the state DOT about zoning changes and planned developments before they happen.
The state should also go about preserving the functionality of major roads at the urban fringes of the city. For example, on 17 that would include a moratorium on all new traffic lights south of the Clemson research area in West Ashley and also north of Towne Center in Mount Pleasant. If a study indicates a new subdivision entrance would require a traffic light, the developer should be expected to contribute at least half of the cost of building a grade seperated interchange. Preserving existing corridors will mean we don't have to keep building bypasses of bypasses.
Posted by nature_lover on October 12, 2008 at 9:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
PalmettoDP, that's a reasonable approach. The only problem is that some of the local governments don't like interchanges. There are some new "experts" around that think the solution to congestion is to take all that traffic down our residential streets.
Posted by myheartwillgoon on October 12, 2008 at 9:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Tony wrote a good article but I have two complaints. He assumes taxes go up if we grow but doesn't mention taxes rise also if we don't grow. Lso he talks to one side of special interest in coastal conservation league but not the other side. Please give us a balanced article.
Posted by exorcist_pencocky4u on October 12, 2008 at 10:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by DontTaseMe_Bro on October 12, 2008 at 6:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As an aside- has anyone else heard that GWB is back on the sauce, hardcore? I heard he got up with Thomas Ravenel and went on a coke binge while he was at Kiawah?
Supposedly there will be a story in the NY Times about it tomorrow.
Has anyone else heard this? It's like 99% true. ahhhh, Dubya. Our commander and chief
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You know what freak, you're starting to smell like the runny dog "DUNG" you fling around your little cyberspace spot.
You people hope that most Americans are fools easily duped into voting a Socialist into office. Without even thinking as to how and if he will do all he promises.
I on the other hand believe in the common goodness and decency of most people. People who will look hard at your obama and realize he stands for nothing. Nothing but his own grab for power.
Obamas methods will drive us deeper into the ground.
Yippe-ki-ya mother!
Posted by exorcist_pencocky4u on October 12, 2008 at 11:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs&feature=related
Posted by PWC032096 on October 13, 2008 at 12:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I lived in Chasn for many years up until hurricane Hugo took everything from me. Due to financial reasons I moved out of state to live with family. I remember Charleston as being the most beautiful area in the country (and I've lived all over). Believe me, folks, the change you are witnessing is occurring all over the country. There is no escaping it.
I visit the Lowcountry every chance I get and plan to move back eventually. Why? It's because of the people and the culture. Nowhere else in the country have I seen anything that comes remotely close to it. I dare anyone to prove me wrong.
Posted by 5thGenerationLocal on October 13, 2008 at 1:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Are there still going to be more Ohio license plates than SC ones?
Posted by glevans on October 13, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I miss the days when you could safely walk in your own neighborhood or walk to your car alone at night when leaving the mall. The Charleston area has become a scary place, not like the South Carolina tourism commerical says..."smiling faces, beautiful places". I would like to have the old Charleston back...safe, happy, secure and caring.
Posted by exorcist_pencocky4u on October 13, 2008 at 6:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by DontTaseMe_Bro on October 12, 2008 at 11:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
MoreCocky4u- once an addict, always an addict, lol
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Sorry to hear about your addiction problem, here you are fresh from coming out of the closet and now you are trolling for more cock.
You really need to get back to the opposite sex.....