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Forest Owner Seeking Input

• Wednesday, September 12, 2007

  Katy Stech
  The Post and Courier

  County Line Road bisects the rural East Edisto tract. Its owner, MeadWestvaco Corp., is gearing up for a second round of public forums under its effort to develop a master plan for the property.

  

  If you go

  The next meeting for the general public to discuss the East Edisto project with MeadWestvaco Corp. representatives is set for Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Charleston Area Convention Center, ballrooms A and B.

  Prior to that, the company is organizing meetings in smaller settings for specific communities:

  • Summerville: Sept. 19, 6:30 p.m., in Summerville High School auditorium, 1101 Boone Hill Road
  • Givhans and Ridgeville: Sept. 20, 6:30 p.m., the Ridgeville Town Hall gym, 105 School St.
  • Clubhouse, Geddisville, County Line Road and Ravenwood: Sept. 24, 7 p.m., at Sand Hill United Methodist Church gym, 1961 Summers Drive.
  • Adams Run, Hollywood and Ravenel: Sept. 25, 6:30 p.m., at Baptist Hill High School gym, 5117 Baptist Hill Road, Hollywood.
  
  

  MeadWestvaco plans public forums on East Edisto site

  MeadWestvaco Corp. is gearing up for a second round of public forums under its effort to develop a master plan for its East Edisto property, a 72,000-acre expanse of forestland between Ravenel and Summerville.

  Four meetings are scheduled for residents of neighboring communities over the next two weeks. A fifth meeting, set for Oct. 9 in North Charleston, will be held for the general public.

  Consultants for the proposed project will present what feedback they've received so far and then take suggestions about what should be included in the plan, which will spell out numerous details, such as the number of homes to be built on the property.

  

  These meetings differ from those held in late June and early July, said spokeswoman Donna Cox.

  During the initial sessions, residents met with company executives and land planners from EDAW Inc., a San Francisco-based consulting firm that is working on the East Edisto project. The upcoming meetings will feature a wider range of experts.

  "We're going to bring together all of the consultants we have working on the project and not only let them report to people what they've been hearing but allow them to interact (with attendees)," she said.

  In May, the company announced plans to partially develop the massive tract, which is on the Charleston side of the Edisto River, straddling the border between Charleston and Dorchester counties.

  Like many publicly traded paper companies, MeadWestvaco has been under pressure from Wall Street to sell timberland it no longer needs to feed its mills, thanks to manufacturing advances and other factors.

  The East Edisto tract has long served as a natural buffer against development, and many residents in the area have called for the company to preserve the site.

  Officials have said they're open to suggestions but that they want to become a part of the "growth solution" in Charleston's developing suburban areas.

  Cox said the first version of the master plan will likely be unveiled in late fall.

  It is expected to address conservation. Also, the plan will look at the need for roads and other infrastructure, as well as traffic, homes, employment, shopping, recreation, entertainment, schools and health care, the company has said.

  MeadWestvaco has set up a new business unit, MeadWestvaco Land Management, to oversee the planning and development of East Edisto, which it has estimated could take 20 to 30 years to complete.