Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2016

recent post in the river

of Facebook content related to

Mount Pleasant’s ongoing evolution

stood out for the visceral reaction it

described.

In it, a middle-aged woman

detailed how she “burst into tears”

at the sight of the office building/parking garage under

construction at the corner of Coleman Boulevard and Mill

Street. To many, that may feel like an

overreaction. The picture of an adult

weeping because of a new building seems like a bit much –

not to mention that it’s unsafe to cry while driving.

Yet here we are after years of contention surrounding

growth issues, the formation of an influential grass-roots

group and last fall’s testy election cycle. Palpable personal

angst has risen alongside the The Boulevard apartments,

Earl’s Court and the aforementioned parking structure,

leading to social media rants, packed Town Council

meetings and more than a few hurt feelings.

Now, against a backdrop of heightened emotions,

progress must be made on a host of issues that come

with governing a fast-growing municipality. Quite

simply, town leaders – both elected and administrative

– still have business to which they must attend, some

of which involves attracting business to Mount Pleasant

and the growth debate’s ground zero along Coleman

Boulevard.

CounCil Finds Common Ground

Fundamental discrepancies persist on the Town

Council, particularly on the residential growth front, and

Mount Pleasant continues to be tied up in lawsuits as

the result of action taken by Councils past and present.

However, there is common ground in other places, such

as economic development, an area in which the town is

surging, with 521 businesses opening their doors since

the first of the year.

Already in 2016, the Council has voted unanimously

on major projects such as the Shem Creek Park Phase 3, a

$26-million Capital Improvements Plan – which includes

Memorial Waterfront Park Phase 2 – the town’s annual

special events lineup and the creation of the Shem Creek

Task Force. Those votes were made, in part, to foster the

quality of life that high-paying employers find attractive,

town officials said.

The Council’s harmonious track record is similar

when it comes to key economic growth policies such

as the expansion of the town’s Economic Development

Incentive Grant program and the allocation of funds for a

$2-million port area study.

“Mount Pleasant is ‘Open for Business,”’ said

Councilman Mark Smith, who chairs the Economic

Development Committee. “We as a Council are united on

this front.”

Last September, the town hired Amy Livingston as

its first business development officer. She’s been tasked

By Daniel Brock

1825

a survey by robert

Mills denotes a road

between Georgetown

and charleston as

Georgetown road, an

old indian “broad path.”

1890

a ferry service brings

tourists from charleston to

Mount Pleasant, where they

board a trolley that takes

them to Sullivan’s island

and what is now called isle

of Palms, a new resort.

1900

ocean Highway is created by designating

existing roadways along the east coast

for motor vehicles. The route runs

from new Brunswick, new Jersey, to

Jacksonville, Florida. in South carolina,

where the road turns inland to the village

of Mount Pleasant, it is known as route 40.

1958

Plans call for a second

bridge across the cooper

river and for route 17 to

bypass coleman Boulevard.

it will later connect to

route 17 near the present

day Dick’s Sporting Goods.

1927

ocean Highway is

incorporated into route 17,

a north-south federal road

that runs along the coast

from Porta Gunda, Florida,

to Winchester, Virginia.

1929

The cooper river Bridge opens,

and route 17 joins with route

40 in Mount Pleasant by way

of a road across the charleston

peninsula, thus shortening the

route north.

MPBM