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MeadWestvaco wraps up first meetings on development plans
By Kathleen Dayton
Staff Writer
MeadWestvaco officials said once again at a public meeting Thursday night they intend to protect the environment and rural character of former timberland as they move toward a master plan to develop some of the 72,000 acres the paper company owns in Charleston and Dorchester counties.
The meeting wrapped up the first series of public meetings the company scheduled as a way of gauging public opinion on the company’s plans for pristine timberland it owns along the eastern edge of the Edisto River. More than 200 people attended the event at the North Charleston Coliseum.
Meetings began June 20 in Ravenel and continued in Ridgeville, Geddisville and Summerville, drawing residents from surrounding communities that would be affected by future development.
The company in April announced long-term plans to develop some of the land, referred to as East Edisto. The land has been in the paper company’s charge since the 1920s, but the company needs less timberland now as a result of technological advances at mills as well as genetic and horticultural advances in timber production.
MeadWestvaco has partnered with EDAW, a San-Francisco-based land planning firm, to drive a conservation-inspired plan for the area.
Ken Seeger, MeadWestvaco vice president and president of the company’s Community Development and Land Management Group, said the masterplanning process is a good opportunity for the company to take a portion of its land and put it to permanent use for recreation and conservation.
He also said the company would select strategic, small tracts to sell for commercial and residential development as well as conservation.
“We have heard an awful lot from this region about the need to find a solution for the growth problem,” Seeger said.
Seeger said development is moving up the Interstate 26 corridor into Dorchester County and MeadWestvaco’s property is right in its path.
“It might be logical to think of a master plan as a solution to the growth problem,” he said.
MeadWestvaco’s Chairman and Chief Executive John Luke said growth cannot be stopped and so it must be planned.
“If you’re creative, you can create more value for your shareholders while creating value for your community,” he said.
As in earlier meetings, MeadWestvaco held break-out sessions at Thursday’s meeting and asked small groups what they most would like to see as the land is developed and as well as what they don’t want to see.
“Make sure you conserve history,” said Pat Craven, a West Ashley resident. “There’s so much history in this community. We don’t need to bulldoze it.”
Other issues that concerned participants were traffic, affordable housing, and infrastructure costs.
Some participants seemed skeptical of MeadWestvaco’s plans and said they would rather the land be left alone.
Mary Walters DeAntonio said her family has had property in the East Edisto area since the 1700s.
“I want to see this whole tract sold to us, the community,” she said. “I don’t want any development.”
DeAntonio said she is concerned that MeadWestvaco officials are not really listening to residents in the meetings.
“It’s like it’s a done deal,” she said.
Wayne McDonald, a Hilton Head Island Realtor, said he has attended several meetings because he is interested in what happens to undeveloped land in the Lowcountry.
“It’s a beautiful tract of land and I have an affection for it,” McDonald said. “When we developed Hilton Head, we did a lot of things wrong, but we did a lot of things right. MeadWestvaco has been a good steward of the land and I think they will continue to be good stewards. This is the right approach.”
MeadWestvaco intends to introduce planning concepts at another series of meetings early in the fall and hopes to unveil a preliminary plan by late fall. More information on the company’s plans can be found online.
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