Waterfront park agreement under fireBy Prentiss Findlay (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
MOUNT PLEASANT — Town Councilman Gary Santos charged Monday that a proposed agreement up for a vote tonight regarding the Memorial Waterfront Park has not had a public hearing, even though it could shape the future of the park. "This is kind of under the radar screen. It's a done deal before the public ever has a chance to talk about it," Santos said. If you goWHAT: Town Council meeting WHEN: 7 tonight WHERE: Town Hall, 100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant Town Council is scheduled to vote tonight on the agreement that conveys about 10 acres of land from the state Department of Transportation to the town, provided it is used for phase one of the park, which includes a 1,200-foot pier, a visitor center, a war memorial, a playground and a sweetgrass basket center. As currently designed by a town consultant, the park project also includes a phase two on about another 10 acres for passive park uses, such as a dog park, which is not included in the DOT agreement. Without that agreement on the land, the door is open for commercial development, Santos said. Councilman Nick Collins said the land now identified for phase two of the park could better be used for a tax-revenue-producing hotel or convention center. "I'm against using that tract for a dog park because it's such a valuable piece of land. We have not explored all the options for a better location for a dog park," Collins said. Councilman Billy Swails said that his opinion and that of Town Attorney Allen Young is that the resolution up for consideration tonight will not limit the town as to what it can or can't do with undeveloped land adjoining the park. "If it's a dog park, that's OK. If it's a first-class office building for Town Hall, that's OK, too. I just don't want this to become a political football," Swails said. Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@postandcourier.com. |
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Comments
This article has 4 comment(s)
Posted by wjhamilton3 on May 13, 2008 at 9:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Every square yard of the land under the bridge is owned by the people of the State of South Carolina and should be preserved for public use forever. Without quality green space and water access, the Town cannot compete for investment and talent in the future.
The pier at Waterfront park is still under consideration for use for community sailing access some time in the future. The Town's new sailing committee met Monday evening for the first time. Nobody knows what they'll decide, but it's pretty clear to everyone that every square yard of public waterfront property remaining in Mt. Pleasant is precious and irreplaceable now. The town just spent five million dollars for a few acres on Shem Creek. Why give away land owned by the people for another hotel somewhere else? Private property near the park is available for commercial development now. A convention center would have to compete with three facilities in Charleston (including a new one), the massive complex in North Charleston and facilities at Wild Dunes and Kiawah Island. It would likely lose money.
Park land is not wasted in terms of producing taxes because it increases the value of the surrounding property over time. Without access to green space and the waterfront, Mt. Pleasant won't be able to compete with other communities for employment and investment which have preserved quality waterfront space for community use. It's very clear that having quality, walkable green space near where people live will be a critical quality of life factor in the future. As development on Mt. Pleasant's Northern Fringe slows to a near halt, Mt. Pleasant's future will be found in redeveloping its older areas as denser, multiuse landscapes. Shared green space is an essential part of the equation as yards shrink and vacant lots disappear. The Town's failure to take any public action to preserve the ball fields at Remley's Point a few years ago indicates the lack of interest some of our elected representatives have in preserving green space in the older parts of Mt. Pleasant. Currently the Town has plans to develop over a hundred acres of parks in the Northern part of Mt. Pleasant and the Mayor has informed dog owners all they need to do is drive 14 miles to find a place to walk their dogs. Clearly the Mayor and his friends on council are completely out of touch with the pressure on people's time and the cost of gas. People locating employment and investment won't be when those decisions are made.
I know everyone’s tired of throwing rocks at the stone wall that is town hall, but if they mess this up, it will be messed up forever. Hundreds of people participated in the planning of this park. The design was approved by Town staff and town council. To abandon those plans for what will probably be a dysfunctional attempt to build a money losing convention center that benefits somebody’s nearby hotel, which will probably be subsidized as well.
Posted by wpc3iop on May 13, 2008 at 11:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here comes the "doggie park"...
Posted by bigwhip on May 13, 2008 at 12:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The original purpose in having the DOT cede the land to the TOMP was for PUBLIC USE, and PUBLIC USE ONLY!!!
Posted by RTC on May 13, 2008 at 5:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Santos and all of his cronies need to go.
Liars, every single one of you.
It doesn't matter that you open any of your meetings to the public, as you all are going to do what you want, no matter what the citizens have to say.
Stpo pretending that you care about the town, as that has been proven false long ago.