Development Should Include Preservation
Monday October 1, 2007
Bob Bouyea
Charleston Regional Business Journal
Whenever I drive down Ashley River Road, I get a sense of traveling back in time. The live oak trees canopy the road and Spanish moss hangs from their branches as the road drops toward the ocean. The forest is thick on both sides of the road.
The setting is right for a James Fenimore Cooper novel. And if you let your imagination run away, you can picture his character Hawkeye, from "The Last of the Mohicans," stalking the Mohicans through the underbrush with musket in hand. Or is that the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion, battling the Cherokees during the French and Indian War?
And as I think about how little has changed in that area over time, I also believe there are certain areas of the Lowcountry that we need to stay that way. The property along the Ashley River Road is one of them. It is one of the region's greatest assets and must be preserved.
However, this is also an area at great risk, thanks to the proposed development of Watson Hill, a 1,200-home community.
Let me make clear that I am not anti-growth. (Although some who have heard me rant about the Lowe's being proposed for the front section of my neighborhood may question that assertion. That is only the NIMBY in me, however, combined with the fact that there are already two Lowe's and two Home Depots within 15 minutes of my home.)
Being smart
We do need to grow for the area to continue to prosper. We also need to have smart growth. By that I mean we need for infrastructure-roads, schools, etc.-to keep up with, or stay ahead of, development, which it typically doesn't. And we need to be somewhat selective as to where growth is allowed.
I don't think it is smart for this project to go forward if the plan is to have traffic dump onto Ashley River Road. This corridor is already overburdened at certain times of the day, with traffic flowing to and from developments farther up the road in Summerville.
And if commercial and retail typically follow residential development, will those types of establishments begin to line the roadway? I don't think anyone wants that, because then we start to lose some of the ambience that attracts people to the area.
Not original plan
This was not the plan when MeadWestvaco sold off this parcel. The company had an understanding with the original buyer that the land would be preserved for open space and conservation.
However, the property was subsequently resold to a developer who had other ideas for the use of the land-and now has a plan to build 1,200 units on the 6,000 acres purchased for $34 million. (The developer has shown some restraint by reducing the number of homes from the originally planned 5,000.) That developer, however, has also requested permission to fill in 138 acres of freshwater wetlands, which is not sitting well with conservationists. MeadWestvaco is not the bad guy here. Company officials understandably cringe at the mention of what's happening with the property and vow that it will not happen again. Actually, the company has a good track record of preserving historic property in the Lowcountry.
Just take a look at Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site, off Dorchester Road. This 325-acre property is the original settlement of the town of Dorchester. It was established as a trading town that flourished from 1697 through the Revolutionary War, after which it was abandoned. Today it is a rich archaeological site with remnants of the past hidden underground.
In the interest of land conservation, MeadWestvaco had decided to deed the Dorchester Road land to the state instead of selling it to the highest bidder.
And it probably would have fetched top dollar. It is a developer's delight-waterfront property. The company could have sold the property without a care for the environment or for the history of the settlement, and gotten away with it as people would have shrugged it off as typical corporate pillage of the land.
Good stewards
Another example of how MeadWestvaco has taken the high road is how it is currently dealing with 72,000 acres along the eastern side of the Edisto River that it is looking to liquidate. The land stretches from U.S. Highway 17 A near Summerville to U.S. Highway 17 and the Edisto River.
Of this land, the company has set aside approximately 25,000 acres along the Edisto River that will never be developed. MeadWestvaco is creating a long-term land management strategy that will include a conservation-driven master plan for the property, including development projects.
The company has also created a new business group, MeadWestvaco Community Development and Land Management, to oversee the regional planning. And the company is steering its efforts with an environmental planning firm-all in the effort to be a good steward of the land, a company official recently said. And MeadWestvaco is involving the surrounding communities in land-use discussions.
Protecting our land
This is the type of approach that needs to take place when our historic land is being developed. The Watson Hill developers need to take note of past successes and set aside enough land to create a buffer to protect the scenic Ashley River Road, the live oaks and historic plantations from encroachment.
And whichever community becomes the ruling municipality over the property-either North Charleston or Summerville, which are embroiled in annexation lawsuits-its leaders need to ensure that our assets are protected so that future generations can continue to imagine life as it was when the area was first settled.
There are plenty of other parcels that are ripe for development. Just ask John Knott of The Noisette Co. and Robert Clement Jr. of Magnolia Development. In other words, let's think infill.
