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The Need for Regional Planning
Addressing challenges while preserving quality of life

June 21, 2005- We have all felt the effects of growth in our community: traffic, congestion, sprawl, etc. The question remains: what can we do about it? Rotarians listened to Rep. Ben Hagood and his ideas about regional planning as a means of tackling the growing pains we are feeling in the Lowcountry.

Rep. Hagood began his talk by thanking all those who have served or whose families have served the public, which he paralleled to our Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.” He then talked briefly about how he became involved in politics because he wanted to serve the area where he is from. His district currently includes parts of Mt. Pleasant, Sullivan’s Island and the Isle of Palms. His district, Mt. Pleasant in particular, is one of the fastest-growing regions in the state, and Mt. Pleasant is, by some accounts, the 4th largest municipality in SC. Hagood quoted reports that forecast growth of 250,000 people in the next 30 years!

Obviously, we have to be thinking of how to plan for this many people and where they are going to live, work and raise their families. We feel the effects of this growth everyday when we drive Johnnie Dodds Boulevard or take our kids to overcrowded schools. But how can we address these challenges while maintaining the quality of life that draws so many people here in the first place? Hagood believes the answer lies in regional planning.

So what does that mean for our region? The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester region (BCD) currently has 35 arms of local government, each creating and implementing their own plans and ordinances. To think regionally, we must not worry only about what our municipality is doing, but what others are doing and how they might affect us. Hagood stated he is working on several initiatives at the state level to assist local governments in planning with more of a regional focus. He favors a “bottoms-up” planning approach, meaning that local governments and citizens make their own decisions (such as land use), but they are coordinated at the regional level with the assistance of Hagood has worked on the Infrastructure Priority Investment Act (IPIA), which is intended to alleviate conflict between local governments over land use decisions. The IPIA has the following tenets: 1) to coordinate with adjacent jurisdictions and other relevant jurisdictions such as school districts, public service districts, utilities and transportation agencies; 2) to identify priority infrastructure investment areas where development and community facilities are recommended to be directed; and, 3) to include a specific transportation element in the local comprehensive plan.

The bill allows local governments to continue to plan on their own, but requires that they coordinate with other governmental entities. The bill stalled and was re-filed with some provisions added for incentives for developers who build Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND) projects, and incentives for affordable housing.

Another tool mentioned by Hagood that may assist with regional planning includes “donut hole zoning authority,” where comprehensive zoning plans deal with pockets of municipalities that remain in one jurisdiction while the surrounding area are part of another. This is prevalent East of the Cooper where parts of the community are within Mt. Pleasant’s jurisdiction and parts remain in Charleston County. Other tools include annexation law reform and user fees.

Although many questions are left to be answered, Hagood believes that the only way to get the dialogue started is to address these issues and start planning for our future now. Hagood also reflected on his time in the State House, and let us in on his “Five P’s of Politics” which stands for People, Principles, Policies, Pork and Power. All of these are necessary for politics to work the way it is supposed to, but never forget the most important is People.

Submitted by Amy Riley, Keyway Editor