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Growth ethic shapes regional planning
By Holly Fisher
Supplements Editor
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the mean travel time to work for people in Dorchester County was 28 minutes. It was slightly less for Berkeley and Charleston counties.
But anyone who has ever sat at the intersection of Interstate 526 and Interstate 26 at 5 p.m. on a weekday knows that 28 minutes can easily turn into 45 minutes or longer.
People who live in North Charleston work in Mount Pleasant, and people who live in Summerville work in downtown Charleston. For many, that decision wasn’t one of choice but of necessity.
The cost of housing in many Lowcountry areas has made it almost impossible for workers to live near their place of employment, making a traffic-filled commute part of everyday life.
It is that issue of workforce, or affordable, housing that, in part, prompted the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce to form its Developers Council three years ago.
From that council grew the Smart Growth subcommittee, established a year ago to create a definition of “smart growth” for the Charleston region.
Vince Graham, president of The I’On Group, co-chaired the subcommittee with Centex Homes’ Gordon Geer. Graham said the 12-member subcommittee started out by reviewing definitions of smart growth used by a variety of organizations, such as the Urban Land Institute and the Sierra Club.
Each group had its own definition, and the subcommittee quickly realized the concept was tough to define and could be politically charged, Graham said. Instead of a hard and fast definition, the subcommittee started thinking about the values important to the Lowcountry.
“What are the ‘life, liberty and pursuit of happiness’ (concepts) of smart growth?” Graham said.
The committee met monthly for six to seven months before settling on the basic principles of “choice, balance and stewardship.”
“Like ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,’ these are values people can get behind,” Graham said. “We’re seeking to develop a culture of what’s important in the tri-county area. As new people come in, how can we leverage that new population (so this area) becomes a better place for ourselves and future generations?”
Tony Woody, chairman of the chamber’s Developers Council, said the idea of workforce housing goes hand in hand with the growth ethic, particularly the concept of “choice.”
Woody, a principal with Thomas & Hutton Engineering Co., said his firm often hires engineers who are recent college graduates. Many college graduates, at Thomas & Hutton and elsewhere, may bring home $25,000 to $45,000.
With those entry-level salaries, they can’t afford to live near where they work, Woody said. Also few teachers, firemen or police officers can afford a $500,000 house.
Certainly, the Developers Council doesn’t have all the answers, Woody said. But he hopes the region’s local governments will embrace the growth ethic and adopt it is as their policy as they create zoning ordinances and growth plans.
After World War II, the trend was to separate land for commercial and residential uses, Woody said. The suburb and shopping center boom resulted in people having to drive everywhere.
That trend has shifted. There is a renewed interest in mixed-used developments, which allow for different types of housing or the mixing of residential and commercial spaces.
By putting grocery stores, dry cleaners or daycare centers near where people live, it cuts down on their drive time. It also affords people the opportunity to live near their work.
About two years ago, the city of Charleston implemented neighborhood district zoning, which requires a minimum of 30 acres as well as a mix of building types—multi-family and single-family housing along with commercial and retail space. Parks, streetscaping and centralized plazas are key components of this type of zoning.
Woody also pointed to the town of Mount Pleasant and its efforts to redevelop Coleman Boulevard, allowing for taller buildings that mix residential and commercial uses.
“They are creating a situation where people can live, work and shop without getting into their cars,” he said.
While there are examples of choice, balance and stewardship in the region, the chamber’s goal in the coming months is to promote the growth ethic and its principles.
Mary Graham, vice president of public policy/regional advancement for the chamber, said, “We will definitely begin pushing the issue over the next few months.”
A specific plan has not yet been established, but in general, it will involve promoting the growth ethic to other local chambers of commerce, civic clubs and organizations, Mary Graham said.
Overcoming the conventional mindset and the idea of segregating land uses will be key, Vince Graham said. Like a recycling or stop smoking campaign, it may require a few years of effort.
“We live in such incredible times economically that now is a good time to do something better for future generations,” he said. “Ideally, you want growth where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Sadly, the way we’ve grown is that the whole is less than the sum of its parts, and we end up with a fear of growth.”
Holly Fisher is the supplements editor for the Business Journal. E-mail her at hfisher@charlestonbusiness.com.
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