Builders urged to rally against proposal aimed at growth
At a glance
The issue: Dorchester County Council and Summerville Town Council are considering a proposal called the adequate public facilities ordinance. It would require developers to demonstrate that roads and schools could handle more people before a new development can be approved.
The problem: Supporters say it only makes sense not to keep putting more traffic on congested roads and more students in overcrowded schools, and state law says development should be concurrent with infrastructure. But critics say it's not clear how a developer could comply with the ordinance as drafted, since roads and schools around Summerville are already overcrowded, and an indefinite moratorium with no plan for relief would be illegal.
What's next: Dorchester County Council will hold public hearings at 7 p.m. Monday in Summerville at 500 N. Main St. (entrance off Cedar Street) and at 7 p.m. Oct. 15 in St. George at 201 Johnston St.
SUMMERVILLE — Imagine showing up for a hearing on a proposal to control growth, and you can't find a parking place because builders in pickup trucks have taken all the spaces.
It's a scene that Phillip Ford, executive vice president of the Charleston Trident Home Builders Association, is hoping for Monday outside Dorchester County Council chambers.
Council is holding a public hearing next week on a proposal to require developers to demonstrate that roads and schools could handle more people before a new development can be approved. Ford says the ordinance would kill the local housing industry, which employs 5,500 people.
He sent out a message this week urging builders to show up at the meeting in their trucks and work clothes, filling the parking lot around the county building.
He calls it a "Save Our Jobs Rally: Line Up the Trucks!"
"I'm going to have to prove to them (councilmen who support the ordinance) how many people they're affecting," Ford said. "If Mr. Feltner and Mr. Rosebrock can't find a place to park, maybe they'll get the message."
County Councilmen Jamie Feltner and Richard Rosebrock have been pushing the proposal that is also being considered by the town of Summerville. It's called the adequate public facilities ordinance.
The Charleston Trident Association of Realtors opposes the ordinance. They say it would hurt a housing market that's already faltering and raise home prices.
The Realtors and homebuilders have teamed up to place ads and mail out a postcard opposing the ordinance. They hired Geechie Communications, owned by Rep. Jim Merrill, R-Daniel Island, to design the card, Ford said. A bigger campaign is likely, although a budget has not been set, Ford said.
"We just want to educate people," Ford said.
The Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce also has taken a stand against the proposed ordinance.
County Council spent about an hour and a half talking about the ordinance at a planning meeting Friday, Chairman Larry Hargett said.
"I'm even more convinced that we need to look at it in more detail," Hargett said. "It's a far more complex issue than we ever thought it was."
Summerville Town Council spent about an hour Monday morning talking about its version of the proposed ordinance. The consensus was that the proposal needs a lot of work before the town can consider it for first reading.
"We're talking about everything under the sun, and 90 percent of it doesn't have anything to do with what we're trying to do," Mayor Berlin Myers said.
Councilman Aaron Brown urged town officials to get busy on a new draft.
Summerville's Planning Commission gave the ordinance a cool reception when they considered it without a vote last month.
"I found this to be pretty faulty as a document and not very applicable to our circumstances," Planning Commission Chairwoman Ellen Segelken said.
The wording of the ordinance needs work, but the town and the county should not back off the concept, Town Councilman Howard Bridgman said.
"If roads and schools are already overcrowded, it doesn't make much sense to make them more crowded," Bridgman told the Planning Commission.
Reach Dave Munday at 745-5862 or dmunday@postandcourier.com.
E-mail this story
Printer-friendly version
Comments
Neponset (anonymous) says...
Let me get this straight, used home sales are in the toilet, major builders are reporting a major down turn in new home sales and are scaling back on new commitments, but this ordinance will kill new home construction and 5500 jobs - hasn't new construction of homes already been killed by other issues, such as the subprime loan issues?
I think it is about time builders are forced to accept some of the responsibility for the problems all of this growth creates.
September 13, 2007 at 5 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
poorboy (anonymous) says...
DITTO NEPONSET!
Quote "We just want to educate people," Ford said
Oh we are educated Mr Ford. Lets see, road traffic on every major OR minor road (basically you can't move freely anymore), plumeting home sales and selling prices(don't even try to quote the statistics-I see with my own eyes), OVERBUILT spec home neighborhoods that we are seeing now the quality of these builders, Lennar, Centex, DR Horton, etc, etc! There's your education! Slow it down. We don't have to be a Miami,Florida where literally every patch of dirt is developed!
September 13, 2007 at 6:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Native_Ink (anonymous) says...
Builders, time to go back to Civics 101. Voters are supposed to run a town, not special interest groups. All these councilmen were elected over pro-growth opponents because Summerville voters are sick of business as usual.
September 13, 2007 at 7:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mggoose2000 (anonymous) says...
Mr. Ford obviously doesn't live in one of these overcrowed areas and probably isn't tearing up an automobile on the horrible roads we drive on. If he does live here, then money is more important to him than living well. I'm a native Summervillian, living here for the last 20 years in the same home since returning from California, where I worked and lived for 8 years. I've seen what effects overdevelopement cause, firsthand. When I moved to California in 1979, Summerville was still a quaint little town and the surrounding area was quiet and peaceful. It had changed dramatically when I returned in '87. The Oakbrook area was exploding and developers had discovered the Knightsville area, where I live. I've seen, at last count, over a dozen new neighborhoods spring up in the last 3 years. Four of them within a half mile of my home. The traffic load on the roads is terrible and the roads deteriorate daily.
I graduated from the current high school in '73. The enrollment was about 1300 students at that time. We've since then built another high school and are currently building another. We cannot keep up with the need for school buses, children are having to meet their buses earlier and earlier to facilitate getting to school on time. Our children are still attending classes in "Trailer classrooms" because we have more students enrolled than the school was built to house. When is it all going to stop?
I applaud Mr. Feltner and Mr. Rosebrock for their conviction on these issues. The housing market was already in a bind before this ordinance was brought to the table, Mr. Ford. I cannot fault you for trying to protect your business, but not at my expense or the other citizens that your sprawl affects.
September 13, 2007 at 7:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
trm2105 (anonymous) says...
here's a solution. have schools built IN the new developments that are being proposed. heck, these developments are essentially little villages anyway and every village needs a school. throw in some retail, shops, services and you've got a functioning little village. Think of it as an actual WORKING I'on.
September 13, 2007 at 7:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Wayne (anonymous) says...
The attitude that construction jobs are more important that the quality of life for those in a community is part of what is wrong with that profession. The reason my wife and I chose to move to Greenville instead of our hometown of Charleston when I left the Army was the crowded and congested nature of Charleston since we left. Not to mention the higher costs for houses, another reason the construction industry demands to continue building.
It is entirely right and fair that before construction is commenced, that it be determined that the infrastructure can handle the additional traffic and usage. If the construction industry does not understand that, then all construction should be halted until someone else makes that determination, and then tells the cities what needs to be done in order for construction to commence.
To build and build without any concerns about the infrastructure that supports the future occupants of those edifices is foolish, and so are those who allow the builders to do so.
September 13, 2007 at 8 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
InSummerville (anonymous) says...
As a newer resident of Summerville, I would LOVE to move out! It seems whoever the people are who are making the decisions concerning the growth and development for our area need to listen to the people who own existing homes in Dorchester County!
As much as many would like to think, Summerville is NOT the sleepy little town of yesterday anymore. The historice portion of the town SHOULD be preserved...it's charming and beautiful! But, the FACT is 'times are changing'.
There is just NO work here!! If a resident of our county wants a job that pays more than $7-$8 hr, we have to travel to Mt Pleasant, downtown Charleston or to West Ashley to work...or maybe somewhere in Berkeley County!
The roads are a mess because of all the commuting to get to and from a job in these areas! Why aren't there large office buildings or MAJOR shopping center in the Summerville/Dorchester area that will offer jobs to the people who live here? Why isn't the Dorchester County area from I-95 to Summerville being developed commercially? Mt Pleasant is a wonderful example of a planning committee who looks as if they KNOW what they're doing!! There is only so much land available over there and they seem to utilize it in a way that serves their residents very well with jobs, goods and services!
Summerville is a disaster! We've got such TREMENDOUS potential here and people would LOVE to work, play and spend their money in Dorchester County......but there are few decent paying jobs, few good restaurants, no wonderful retail stores, no recreation opportunities!
September 13, 2007 at 8:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
grannyofsix (anonymous) says...
Living in the sticks is nice no nosy nieghbors
September 13, 2007 at 8:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
crankyyankee (anonymous) says...
As long as the National and Local Governments subsidize babies, and refuse to stop illeagle immigration we are going to have unbriddled growth. If you want to slow the grow, slow the birth rate of Americans and their uninvited guests. Of course our economy is not geared to stay stagnant or decline and it would be a National economic catastrophy but if it isn't addressed soon there are tough choices ahead for your offspring! When I think of Charleston forty years ago and look at it now I wish I could peak into the future and see what it will be like forty years hence. I'm pretty sure I would not want to live here then!
September 13, 2007 at 8:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
grannyofsix (anonymous) says...
what are you saying crankyyankee that it should be a mandtory law only one baby per person then sterlize everone last time I looked this was the USA or did we move to china
September 13, 2007 at 8:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
icbmman (anonymous) says...
Again, many of you Summerville residents are missing the picture. When you live in a highly desireable area, the demand for more houses, shopping centers, and schools will increase. The problem is that significant infrastructure has been THWARTED by council and town officials. Their mentality is that if you don't build more roads, houses won't get built. We see now that this mentality is stupid and ignorant. Like I said in the article from yesterday, the metro area needs to build several major projects all at once to help the traffic situation.
And I agree, InSummerville, the town needs to attract high-income businesses into its own city limits so that residents won't have to commute to downtown or Berkeley County. However, I think many Summerville residents need to evaluate moving to other areas closer to their place of work such as West Ashley or James Island.
September 13, 2007 at 8:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Bertha90 (anonymous) says...
Fix schoool overcrowding, ok, how about we actually tax the source of overcrowding - people that have kids!! You all are so hypocritical - you want the builders to pay for everything because you say they are the source of the problem. But nobody would even entertain the idea of forcing the citizens that are actually creating and adding to the problem; people with kids and families that have a car for every family member.
Sounds a lot like those who want to sue gun makers for gun crime!
September 13, 2007 at 9:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
crankyyankee (anonymous) says...
Granny were in the world did I say anything about sterilization? You've got a good imagination old girl or maybe your feelble minded. Reread and understand what I was saying and if you can't get your mind around it shot me an e-mail and I'll explain myself so even you can understand it. Together, Granny I think we can figure out what causes this overcrowding if you'll open your mind and listen. Bless her heart!
September 13, 2007 at 9:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
crankyyankee (anonymous) says...
Here's a few numbers to chew on: from the landing of the Mayflower to 1915 the U S population grew from zip to 100 Million, from 1915 to 1967 it grew to 200 million, from 1967 to 2006 it reached 300 million, it is projected that by 2050 it will be 450 million and over half of all new births will be hispanic. Now tell me how the developers have cause this problem. Granny you and the girls have been busy!
September 13, 2007 at 10:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mggoose2000 (anonymous) says...
JohnQ,
I'm glad you live downtown! What better place for someone with a narrow mind. You choose to live there and that is your right. I'm tired of these "carpetbaggers" raping the land and building their "cracker jack" homes on "postage stamp" size lots with no regard for what effects these blogs have on local residents that have lived in the area for decades. I'm one of those residents and I'm tired of destroying tires with nails and other road hazards caused by the enormous construction vehicles. I'm tired of the noise and the dust and dirt from these construction sites. I'm tired of receiveing a notice from the Public Works that I now have this enormous financial burden being forced on my budget to use their services. If the new homeowners of these new neighborhoods had to pay this kind of money for impact fees, the "carpetbaggers" couldn't sell their homes. We know what's going on and since you obviously don't live here, try writing about something you are up to speed on!
September 13, 2007 at 10:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mggoose2000 (anonymous) says...
Wayne,
Well said!
September 13, 2007 at 10:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
icbmman (anonymous) says...
Sorry, Wayne, I think your comment is way off the mark. Talk about the sprawling suburbia that is Greenville! You've got plenty of growth there, my friend. However, you know why traffic is less of a hassle there? Look at your infrastructure. Good night, you have 3-4 major interstates that flow throughout the city. Look at how many major arteries Charleston has: 1-2. And yet, the metro areas are virtually identical in population!
The Greenville metro area has had considerable investment brought into their infrastructure while the Chas metro area has remained stagnant. You can put alot of the blame for Chas problems on organizations like the "Hysterical" Chas Foundation, Dorchester County Council, and the Coastal Conservation League. These obstructionists have "paved" the way for virtual gridlock in the city.
September 13, 2007 at 10:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jeffyoung007 (anonymous) says...
Mr. Ford says the adequate facilities ordinance will raise home prices, and that is bad. Well Mr. Ford, if the value of my home goes up, I think it is good! Your propaganda clearly indicates that you do not give a flying flip about the current residents, whose town and county you are destroying.
September 13, 2007 at 11:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
A number of coastal areas are experiencing problems with providing enough fresh water to support the explosion of growth. As I recall, Hilton Head, which uses well water, has had problems with salt water intrusion into their wells and has had to come up with other solutions - will we be able to support infinate growth from a fresh water standpoint?
September 13, 2007 at 12:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Native_Ink (anonymous) says...
Neponset, I believe that aquifer is the same one that supplies most of coastal Georgia and much of Florida. I was reading an article about how it is extremely overtaxed. Many of the natural springs that dot Florida have dried up and the numbers of new sinkholes has gone up year by year. Interesting stuff. It's amazing how development can literally leech these ancient underground rivers out of existence.
September 13, 2007 at 4:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
newbattleaxe (anonymous) says...
Neponset and Native_Ink, Summerville does draw a great deal of its water from Lake Moultrie.
Now, if Summerville/Dorchester County could just get their electrical power from Santee-Cooper as well, they could attract more/better industries. Look where Alcoa, Nucor, etc. chose to build. Not anywhere SCE&G provides power.
SCE&G seems opposed to providing incentives to industry in the Lowcountry.
And, look at all the empty apartments near Summerville High School. Are there more empty apartments around Summerville? There are many houses for sale and/or rent. These houses range from modest "starter homes" to very nice homes in the pricier neighborhoods.
The DD2 schools are overfull again. There are stories of classrooms without books 4 weeks into the school year.
And there are plans to build more developments?
September 13, 2007 at 7:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jammer (anonymous) says...
John I used to live downtown across from Hampton Park many years ago, the city started to get too crowded so I moved West Ashley
the City back then ended at the Ashley River Bridge
they kept creeping the border out until it passed my neighborhood behind the Sofa Super Store so again I moved, this time to the Creek
then the Creek started filling up so I moved to Summerville before all the four lane roads that are all over now
now Summerville's getting crowded so I bought some land out past Bonneau
point being some of us are looking for a certain quality of life and every time we find it it only last a few years until thousands more head our way and crowd us out again
they come because of price, maybe we need to raise the prices in areas that aren't as populated to stall people from following yet again and crowding every area in the tricounty
kudo's to Mr. Feltner and Mr. Rosebrock !!!
stop the building !! at least until you can build the infrastructure to support it so it doesn't take an hour to go seven miles
and all council members that support Mr. Feltner and Mr. Rosebrock will get my vote
enough is enough already, and as Nepon said, why are they trying to build so many more empty neighborhoods that there's no one to fill anyway??
we citizens should ban together and take those parking spaces before the housing builders get there... make them walk a half a mile or more because there's so much "congestion" that they can't park close... and then so there's so much "congestion" inside the meeting that they can't even get in !!
September 13, 2007 at 10:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jammer (anonymous) says...
btw I believe Summerville also has an 800 ft deep artesian well to feed most of the area too if I remember correctly
September 13, 2007 at 10:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Postandcourier.com is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Postandcourier.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by signing up!
Full terms and conditions can be read here.