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Charleston County News Release

MEDIA CONTACT

Name: Jennie Davis, Charleston County Public Information Officer

Phone: 843.958.4012

Email: jdavis@charlestoncounty.org
 

Release Number: 2897

Date: June 30, 2008
 

Third Round of Public Workshops to Share Draft Comprehensive Plan for Charleston County

      Public workshops on Monday, July 14, and Tuesday, July 15, to focus on strategies for future growth

The year-long Charleston County Comprehensive Plan Update process involves extensive public participation, which will continue with a third and final series of public workshops on Monday, July 14, and Tuesday, July 15.
 

Charleston County Government launched the scheduled 10-year update with the first series of public workshops in the fall of 2007, and the second series of public workshops in February of 2008.
 

The public workshops in July will give citizens a third opportunity to participate in "Guiding the future for a lasting Lowcountry," which is the County's theme for the Comprehensive Plan Update.
 

There will be four locations during the third round of workshops to allow citizens from all areas to share their ideas about land use characteristics as well as strategies for all nine planning elements in the Comprehensive Plan Update.
 

Two Public Workshops on Monday, July 14 from 6-8 p.m.

1.  East Cooper Area

Wando High School

1000 Warrior Way, Mount Pleasant

Monday, July 14, 2008

6 - 8 p.m.
 

2.  Central/Urban Area (including North Charleston, Charleston, West Ashley and James Island)

Rutledge Memorial Baptist Church

2014 Bees Ferry Road, Charleston

Monday, July 14, 2008

6 - 8 p.m.
 

Two Public Workshops on Tuesday, July 15 from 6-8 p.m.

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

St. John's High School

1518 Main Road, Johns Island

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

6 - 8 p.m.
 

2. West County/Edisto Island

Baptist Hill High School

5117 Baptist Hill Road, Hollywood

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

6 - 8 p.m.

Those who attend any of the public workshops in July will learn about the results of the two previous public workshops and the technical research undertaken regarding land demand and capacity. The meeting will feature a focused presentation on the effort to synthesize all public input and technical work. Visual displays will also be shared to document the draft recommendations of the plan.
 

The third and final round of public workshops will build on the input received in the first two rounds of workshops and the technical research conducted by the project consultants and Charleston County Planning Department staff.
 

After the third round of workshops is held, a public hearing draft of the Comprehensive Plan Update will be prepared.
 

During the first round of public workshops conducted in October of 2007, input was gathered from residents regarding their ideas for the future and identification of strong and weak areas of growth in the County.
 

The second round of workshops in February of 2008 focused in "where" and "how" future development should occur, including what resources should be conserved.
 

Hundreds of citizens have shared their concerns and passions for how the Comprehensive Plan should guide key decisions for making Charleston County an even better place to live and work.
 

The reports summarizing the process and the input received at the two previous workshops are available on Charleston County's Web site: www.charlestoncounty.org (click on the Comprehensive Plan Update link located in the "Program Information" section at the bottom of the home page).
 

The results of the third round of public workshops in July will be documented and shared with the Charleston County Planning Commission and Charleston County Council, and will be a significant aspect in the update of the Comprehensive Plan. The results will also be shared with the community through the County's Web site and will be used in preparation for the public hearing to be conducted as part of the formal plan adoption process.
 

What is the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan?

• Charleston County's Comprehensive Plan expresses 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.
   

When did the planning process begin?

• The Comprehensive Plan Update process formally began with an overview for the Charleston County Planning Commission on September 17, 2007. The overview included information on the events and meetings that will take place during the 12 to 14 month process.
   

There will be three rounds of public workshops

• Workshop Series 1 was held on October 29 and 30, 2007, and included brainstorming ideas for the future. Charleston County's Citizens' Academy members also participated in this workshop series on November 26, 2007. The summary report is available online; go to www.charlestoncounty.org and click on the link to the Comprehensive Plan Update located at the bottom of the page.

• Workshop Series 2 was held on February 25 and 26, 2008, and focused on preparing a conceptual development framework.

• Workshop Series 3 will be held on July 14 and 15, 2008, and will focus on the draft plan and the associated recommendations.
   

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 reviewed at least once every five years and updated at least once every ten years.
   

Who is involved in the update process?

• The Public

• Stakeholders

• Charleston County Council

• Charleston County Planning Commission

• Charleston County Planning Staff

• Consultant Team for Charleston County (McBride Dale Clarion/ACP-Visioning & Planning, Ltd./Miley Gallo & Associates)
   

How does the process work?

• This entire process will take approximately 14 months and will involve extensive public participation.

• The update process began with a kickoff meeting held on September 17, 2007.

• 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 North Charleston, Charleston, West Ashley and James Island

  • Johns Island and Wadmalaw Island, including Kiawah Island and Seabrook Island

  • West County/Edisto Island
     

BACKGROUND:

The primary purpose of the Comprehensive Plan Update is to guide public decision-making that will affect the quality of life in Charleston County for the next 10 years. In 1994, the South Carolina General Assembly passed the South Carolina Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act that 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 last year to expand the number of planning elements to be included in the comprehensive plan from seven to nine. The nine elements that are addressed in this 10-year update of the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan are:
 

1. Population                                             6. Community Facilities

2. Economy                                                7. Land use

3. Natural Resources                              8. Transportation

4. Cultural Resources                             9. Priority Investment

5. Housing

Visit the Charleston County Web site at www.charlestoncounty.org and click on the link to the Comprehensive Plan Update located at the bottom of the page for public meeting notices, agendas, presentations, a report summarizing the workshops, and up-to-date news and information about the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan Update.