As we celebrate and admire the remarkable homes .in our community in this edition, let’s take a minute to reflect on the nature of Mount Pleasant and what makes this one of the most desirable communities in the nation.
I have had the privilege of observing Mount Pleasant in every phase of my life: childhood, young adulthood and middle to senior age. I have seen it grow beyond what anyone could imagine and yet the essence of what makes it unique still exists. True, it is not the small, quaint fishing village it was when my family first moved here and yet the tight-knit fishing community still exists with all its quaintness. The attendance of thousands of people at our annual Blessing of the Fleet celebration gives testimony to the importance of the local shrimping/fishing fleet among all our residents.
We now have exquisite homes, both old and new, all the way from the Old Village to the farthest reaches of the municipal limits. This shows that interest in living here and building remarkable residences has remained strong over several centuries.
As a member of your local government, I see it as our job to continue to protect the uniqueness of our town, its natural resources and its livability. The question is, how can that be accomplished?
These are some of the issues Mount Pleasant is identifying and addressing to keep our community livable and vibrant:
- Safety: Because of our excellent police, we have one of the lowest crime rates in the state and our fire department is as good as they come. Two state-of-the-art fire engines have just entered service and more are on order and fully funded.
- Resiliency: We were one of the first Lowcountry municipalities to establish a standing Flood Resilience Committee to address flooding and drainage, ensuring protection of your property and its value. Flooding disclosures have become increasingly important in real estate transactions and your local government must be highly proactive. We also established a GREEN Commission comprised of credentialed professionals to guide us in ways to reduce and mitigate flooding and protect natural resources.
- Livability: We are constantly addressing issues such as traffic flow, increasing and improving green space and affordability. Homes near green space appraise as much as 30% higher and it also adds flood resiliency. Affordability is a huge issue as we have the distinction of being the most expensive non-resort residential real estate in South Carolina. Our goal is to be a true community – not a resort – so that multiple generations of families can afford to live here and enjoy life together.
My wife Suzette and I have four grown children and have just moved my parents here into a senior living community. We wish our children could live here, but lack of affordability prevents it. We know that we are not alone in that. As your mayor, I continue to work with the council and affordable housing groups to find solutions. Our future as a healthy, complete community depends on it.
By Will Haynie
Mayor of Mount Pleasant
Leave a Reply