Pine Trace approval likely Wednesday

SUMMERVILLE — Town Council is set to clear the way for another 930 houses, despite the objections of those who say the town already has approved more houses than roads and schools can handle.

The agenda for council's Wednesday meeting includes final approval to annex 332 acres behind the S.C. Coastal Rehabilitation Center on Miles Jamison Road. The proposed development is called Pine Trace, and plans include 930 houses.

Council's planning committee voted 3-0 for final approval last week. Mayor Berlin Myers has been backing the project and is expected to cast the swing vote on the seven-member council.

Most of the opposition has come from The Bridges of Summerville, the neighborhood beside Pine Trace. Residents interviewed before the meeting said they don't expect to stop the project and are trying instead to get the developers to leave more trees and put in more sidewalks.

The IDEA Real Estate Group, which has offices in Charleston and Farmington Hills, Mich., is the developer. Construction wouldn't start for two years.

Councilmen who favor Pine Trace argue that the town needs the money. Revenues have plummeted as construction has slowed, prompting the town to freeze hiring and pay raises until further notice.

Opponents have argued that roads can't handle the extra traffic and more new houses will make it harder to sell existing houses that become empty.

The developer is donating land for a school. A new school at Pine Trace would get 500 or 600 students out of mobile classrooms at Spann, Fort Dorchester and Oakbrook elementary schools, officials estimate.

The developer also will pay $500 from each house toward a school, which would add up to about $450,000 of the $30 million cost. The 930 houses include 200 townhomes for senior citizens, who typically don't have children in school.

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