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Changing Times: Part One of a Three-Part Series
Counties’ councils facing growth pressure
By Sarah G. McC. Moise
Staff Writer
No doubt about it, the Charleston region is one of the top places in the country to live, relocate and work.
Most recent statistics bear this out. The value of all construction in the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester region in the third quarter of 2004 rose by $95 million to $473 million—or 25% over the third quarter of 2003. The total number of construction permits increased by 6.8% to 3,486 over the same period.
While construction creates more jobs and a healthy tax base, the potential equal and opposite reaction can be sprawl, congestion and stretched res-ources.
How can the tri-county area do better than just treading water? The top seat to affect change is in county leadership, and the area’s county councils have been diligent in creating land use plans, economic development organizations and marketing campaigns.
In recent years, economic development experts such as Ed Morrison and Michael Porter have issued reports demonstrating the benefits of regional collaboration over competition; what is good for Charleston is good for the whole state. That same attitude is beginning to manifest itself in the Lowcountry as well. Our three counties are not isolated—is there a way for each county to work with the others to both attract and balance growth?
In this issue, the Business Journal profiles Charleston County Council members and discusses how they anticipate working with other municipalities to managing expansion pressure and encouraging economic development. The members of Berkeley and Dorchester counties will be featured in upcoming issues.
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