|
Census figures reveal tri-county area’s explosive growth
Summerville is the area’s fastest growing municipality; Mount Pleasant second
By Matthew French
Staff Writer
Speak to Lowcountry residents about the past 20 years, and they would be able to talk about the region’s massive growth during that time. But if asked which municipality is the fastest growing, each response would differ.
Mount Pleasant residents have long decried the growth of their town, as traffic woes on Highway 17 seem to worsen by the month. But residents of North Charleston and Summerville tell tales of hour-plus commutes on Interstate 26, which can become a parking lot between Charleston and Ashley Phosphate Road.
While there is little doubt that the tri-county region is experiencing growth at an eye-popping rate, no city from the region made the U.S. Census Bureau’s list of the top 25 fastest growing cities in the country.
The Census Bureau’s list includes cities with populations of 100,000 or more, so only the city of Charleston would have qualified, with more than 104,000 residents in mid-2004.
While Charleston saw a healthy population growth between 2003 and 2004 of 2.5%, it fell short of the list.
Had the Census Bureau taken into account the Charleston municipal area, which includes Mount Pleasant, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston and various other small towns, the Lowcountry would have made the list with about 3.3% growth over the single-year period.
Fastest growing town
Recent census data, released at the end of June, reveals that Summerville experienced the largest growth over a four-year period in terms of population percentage of any of the tri-county’s five largest cities and towns at 23.4%.
Mount Pleasant residents might complain that they are bursting at the seams with new residents, but the town’s 18.4% growth lagged behind that of its Dorchester County neighbor.
“I’m not surprised by the amount of growth; Summerville is a great place to live,” says Dennis Pieper, the town’s administrator. “There’s no doubt that we’ve seen enormous growth, but it’s amazing how the entire region has grown so fast.”
The town is looking at strains on infrastructure to best determine how it can keep abreast of the growth. Plans are already underway to build several new fire stations, and the extension of the Berlin Myers Parkway in Summerville is a “critical component to handle growth,” Pieper says.
“We’ve already gotten significant funding, and the environmental assessment has been completed,” he says. “The next phase will be construction of about a three-mile extension.”
Mount Pleasant has taken steps to slow its growth by imposing a building permit allocation system, which limits the number of permits that can be issued in a given year based on infrastructure constraints.
Permits to build are issued much more slowly than in Summerville, where more than 1,300 construction permits have been issued this year alone.
According to figures provided by the Summerville building department, 560 new houses will be built within the town limits this year. That figure is more than double the 203 new homes built in 2001.
“We are going to continue to work on our plans to address the needs of the citizens of Summerville,” Pieper says. “We’re a very proactive, pro-business community, and we will do our best to stay on top of the growth. The voters recognize the region is growing at a rate that must be checked with infrastructure growth and approved in November a one-cent tax increase that will go towards roadway infrastructure.”
Mount Pleasant’s future
While the Census Bureau figures show that Mount Pleasant grew by 18.4% over a four-year period, town administrator Mac Burdette says he thinks those numbers are a bit conservative. The town has commissioned a special census to get an accurate picture of its growth.
“I think, when we get the results back, we will be No. 1 in terms of percent growth and will be recognized as the fourth-largest municipality in the state,” Burdette says. “I think we’ll reach 60,000 residents and that the Census Bureau’s current estimates are 3,000 to 4,000 short.”
Regardless of the town’s size, Burdette says the permit allocation system is likely to stay in place until the town council feels the infrastructure has caught up with population growth.
If the town were to remove the restrictions on new construction, he says, the town would be incapable of providing services for the masses of new residents, he says.
“Before the allocation system, we were building 1,200 units per year,” he says. “If we were to go back to that, we would double in size in seven years, and there’s no way we—or any municipality—can sustain that kind of growth pressure.”
Burdette says the town is focusing not only on roads, but also recreation, fire and police protection, water and sewer, and a number of other infrastructure concerns, while still trying to maintain the quality of life that is closely tied to the town, Burdette says.
“Our goal is to get the infrastructure in place and eliminate the permit allocation cap,” he says. “We don’t want to be in the business of regulating a free marketplace.”
Matthew French is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail him at mfrench@crbj.com.
|
E-Mail This Article
Printer-Friendly Version