CHARLESTON COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING MEETINGS

MEDIA CONTACT

Name:   Jennie Davis, Charleston County Public Information Officer

Phone:  843.958.4012

Email:   jdavis@charlestoncounty.org

Release Number: 2830

Date: October 16, 2007

 Public Input Needed – Where and How Should Growth Occur in Charleston County?

Public workshops will be held on Monday, Oct. 29, and Tuesday, Oct. 30, to gather initial public input for Charleston County’s Comprehensive Plan Update.

Charleston County Government is beginning the process for the 10-year update of the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan. This process will involve extensive public participation. Residents of Charleston County are invited to attend their nearest workshop in order to participate in shaping the County’s future.

The workshops will begin with a short overview of the comprehensive planning process. After the presentation, attendees will break out into small groups to identify their ideas for the future and what they like and dislike about their area of the County.

Public Workshops on Monday, Oct. 29

1.   Central/Urban Area (including West Ashley and James Island)

West Ashley High School

4060 West Wildcat Boulevard, Charleston, SC 29414

Monday, October 29, 2007

6 – 8 p.m.

2.   Johns Island and Wadmalaw Island (including Kiawah Island and Seabrook Island)

St. John’s High School

1518 Main Road, Johns Island, SC 29455

Monday, October 29, 2007

6 – 8 p.m.

Public Workshops on Tuesday, Oct. 30

1.      East Cooper Area

Wando High School

1000 Warrior Way, Mount Pleasant, SC 29466

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

6 – 8 p.m.

2.      West County/Edisto Island

Presbyterian Church on Edisto Island

2164 Highway 174, Edisto Island, SC 29438

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

6 – 8 p.m.

These workshops will give citizens the opportunity to participate in “Guiding the future for a lasting Lowcountry,” which is the County’s theme for the Comprehensive Plan Update.

The Comprehensive Plan Update process formally began with an overview at the Charleston County Planning Commission’s public meeting on Monday, Sept. 17. The overview included information on the events and meetings that will take place during the next 12 to 14 months, starting with the series of public workshops on Oct. 29 and 30.

What is the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan?

• Charleston County’s Comprehensive Plan is an expression of the County’s intent for where and how future growth and development should occur. The plan also identifies parts of the County that may or may not be appropriate for certain types of growth, given the Lowcountry’s unique character and natural conditions.

Why does the Comprehensive Plan need to be updated?

• Title 6, Chapter 29 of the South Carolina Code of Laws requires that the Comprehensive Plan be updated at least once every 10 years (the original Comprehensive Plan was adopted by County Council on April 20, 1999).

Who is involved in the update process?

• The public
• Stakeholders
• Charleston County Council
• Charleston County Planning Commission
• Charleston County’s Planning Department staff
• Charleston County’s consultant

How does the process work?

• This entire process will take approximately 12 to 14 months and will involve extensive public participation.
• Three rounds of public participation workshops will be held in each of the following planning areas during this process:

                 East Cooper Area

                 Central/Urban Area (including West Ashley and James Island)

                 Johns Island and Wadmalaw Island (including Kiawah Island and Seabrook Island)

                 West County/Edisto Island

 Three rounds of public workshops

• Workshop Series 1 will be held on October 29 and 30, 2007, and will gather public input from all areas of the County, giving people an opportunity to voice their vision for the future and identify what they like and dislike about their area of the County.
• Workshop Series 2 is scheduled for February, 2008, and will focus on preparing a conceptual development framework.
• Workshop Series 3 is scheduled for May, 2008, and will focus on the draft plan and the associated recommendations.

 BACKGROUND:

The primary purpose of the Comprehensive Plan is to guide decision-making that will affect the quality of life in Charleston County for at least the next 10 years. In 1994, the South Carolina General Assembly passed the South Carolina Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act, which required counties and municipalities to adopt a comprehensive plan if they were going to have zoning and land development ordinances (S.C. Code Sections 6-29-310 through 6-29-1200). The act was amended this year (effective May 23, 2007) to expand the number of planning elements to be included in the Comprehensive Plan from seven to nine (the transportation and priority investment elements were added).

The nine elements that will be addressed in this 10-year update of the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan are:

1. Population                                   

2. Economy                                   

3. Natural Resources                      

4. Cultural Resources                      

5. Housing

6. Community Facilities

7. Land use

8. Transportation

9. Priority Investment          

Visit the Charleston County Web site at www.charlestoncounty.org for a direct link (located at the top as a banner and/or at the bottom of the page) to public meeting notices, agendas, presentations, and up-to-date news and information about the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan Update.

The City of North Charleston is pleased to announce that it is beginning the process of updating its Comprehensive Development Plan and invites the public to participate. The plan is updated every ten years as a strategy for growth and for the delivery of municipal services and infrastructure that keeps pace with anticipated growth.  It will address population, economic development, land use, cultural resources, natural resources, transportation, affordable housing, and community facilities.