North Charleston ready to settle
By Warren Wise
The lengthy squabble over how the massive Watson Hill tract will be developed might be coming to a close.
North Charleston City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to authorize its attorney to negotiate a settlement with the town of Summerville over the contentious 6,600-acre parcel.
Officials on both sides were tight-lipped about what it meant for the undeveloped tract on two-lane S.C. Highway 61 in Dorchester County, which has found itself in the middle of an annexation battle.
"I cannot talk about it," North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said of details of the city's negotiation.
"Our council has not authorized anything," Charlie Miller, Summerville
director of planning and economic development, said late Wednesday.
Summey said he was told that Summerville Town Council would take up the matter in a closed-door meeting Wednesday, but the council did not meet behind closed doors and the item was not discussed during its meeting, Miller said.
"We were at the table several different times, but our council has not authorized anything," Miller said.
Summerville Town Councilman Ricky Waring said he was not aware of any recommendation from the legal staff over Watson Hill.
"I think we need to look at it a while longer," Waring said. "I ain't ready to throw in the towel yet."
Summerville tried to block North Charleston's annexation of Watson Hill by annexing a small parcel known as the Barry tract on the Ashley River between North Charleston and Watson Hill. Summerville favored a less dense development than North Charleston would allow.
North Charleston annexed the Barry tract, along with Watson Hill, a few days later. The two municipalities sued each other.
The state Supreme Court ruled unanimously in May that Summerville's annexation missed the required 30 days' notice on its annexation hearing by 12 hours, a ruling North Charleston hailed as a victory.
The case is not over. The circuit court still must decide whether missing the requirement of the notice invalidates the annexation.
The original development called for 5,000 homes and hotel rooms around a golf course. A scaled-down version was proposed later.
Reach Warren Wise at 745-5850 or wwise@postand courier.com.
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eyecantspel (anonymous) says...
Is there really a rush to build houses at this point? NC is fighting for nothing at this point, even if they win.
Summerville is fighting for pride and honor... basically to say they aren't going to be any closer to NC than they already are.
I can see the buses of NC criminals and homeless shipped over into the new hoods they would establish where ever they gain control over. Any NC loss is a victory for what is good and decent.
September 11, 2008 at 1:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mkris (anonymous) says...
Pave it over. Make some developers big money, crap in the backyard and leave the community to clean it up.
September 11, 2008 at 10:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
icbmman (anonymous) says...
Missing the notification period by 12 hours should not invalidate Summerville's claims. The audacious nit-picking that the north city is doing only reveals the city's true agenda: to constantly grow and expand at the expense of Summerville and the metro area's primary city (Chas) in order to become the primary city itself.
The city of Chas better start annexing EVERYTHING West Ashley before it gets boxed in here by the north city. The immense land mass shows the true scope of what the north city's boundaries could do to West Ashley.
September 11, 2008 at 11:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Reality101 (anonymous) says...
Seems to me everyone's REAL problem is with NC not development and traffic. Funny how no one has a problem with Joe's Long Savannah development, I guess putting 5000-6000 residential units on 3100 acres won't cause those traffic problems? Wonder if that "growth boundary line" Joe moved to develop Long Savannah would even be there if the threat of NC wasn't upon them. I say leave NC alone. You should be afraid of a city and uncontrolled development, but I don't believe it's NC. If there is such an effort with SV and NC to resolve the Watson Hill issue - good for them. My thoughts........they should team up together against the real enemy that threatens them both!
September 11, 2008 at 12:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
guidedbystewart (anonymous) says...
Watson Hill will cause HWY 61 to become a parkinglot, but North Charleston does not seem to bothered by this....why should they, it not like 61 goes into North Charleson?
September 11, 2008 at 12:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eyecantspel (anonymous) says...
If NC has zoning on this area, you can expect mobile home parks with 30 mexicans per home and 200 homes per acre to spring up in weeks. That is the only kind of housing going up in NC right now.
September 11, 2008 at 12:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
icbmman (anonymous) says...
Reality101, I think you must live in some alternative reality and universe with those comments. Another anti-Riley poster...really, do you guys have a cult or something?
NC is the enemy, especially when you look at how the city's growth has been managed. It has a huge high rate of crime, EVEN in its Charleston Farms and Wescott Plantation neighborhoods. NC is a prime example of how a city should NOT grow, and its ambition can be clearly seen where it eventually wants to gain power over its founding city. I really do feel that Summey wants his SUBURB to be the primary city in the metro area. Look at his unprofessional reaction/temper tantrum when his city was not being considered to be the HQ for the CHARLESTON Metro Chamber of Commerce. If his city got that entity, I have no doubt that he would be demanding for the county seat to be eventually moved.
This politician, of course, isn't going to verbally state these goals, but his and his city's actions speak volumes. This Watson Hill dispute is another example. People in S'ville and Chas (West Ashley) do not want the rampant, unmitigated development that NC is well-known for.
The Long Savannah development is actually well-planned and needed west of the Ashley. While I think the plans for the Glenn McConnell extension are absolutely idiotic, the neighborhood itself will hardly be similar to the massive development that the owners want to build in Watson Hill. Why do you think the owners sought NC annexation and not S'ville? S'ville would demand to scale the project down...NC would allow it to be built as large as possible, while there would be NO infrastructure.
Reality is exactly what you need to take a hard dose of.
September 11, 2008 at 3:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tc1 (anonymous) says...
"but North Charleston does not seem to bothered by this....why should they, it not like 61 goes into North Charleson?"
gbs, you hit it on the head. NC will collect the taxes and fees(tax) but the ashley river separates them from all the headaches and infrastructure costs. Good deal if they get away with it.
September 11, 2008 at 4:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
newbattleaxe (anonymous) says...
Driving up 61 this morning at 6:15 am towards Summerville, I noted the steady stream of vehicles inbound to Charleston.
Reading this article, I remembered that the Watson Hill Tract is in Dorchester County. This means Dorchester District Two Schools. These schools are already overcrowded, even with the new schools that just opened, so I understand.
NC wins, Charleston wins, Summerville loses.
September 11, 2008 at 7:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
a_set_love (anonymous) says...
"People in S'ville and Chas (West Ashley) do not want the rampant, unmitigated development that NC is well-known for."...
So says icbmman as the the "LITTLE" dictator "CRAMS" housing and people into as "MANY" places as as possible.
This is one of the LEADING factors to the traffic CONGESTION so many of you experience WEST OF THE ASHLEY, JAMES AND JOHNS ISLAND.
Lets all stand and give a big cheer for the "TINY" little jerk, Mr. Riley.......NoBAMA-08
September 11, 2008 at 7:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
icbmman (anonymous) says...
A_set_love...if you cannot see the blatant differences between Summey's management of development and Riley's management, I will not even explain it to you. Why do you think NC is known as one of the fastest growing municipalities in the state? The reason is that NC allows anything and everything to be built within its limits.
People who live West Ashley know that NC will allow Watson Hill to be built to its maximum potential, causing nothing but infrastructure congestion. S'ville residents know it too. But considering the SLOW growth of the city of Chas, comparing Riley as the equivalent of Summey is laughable.
September 12, 2008 at 8:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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