SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 MINUTES

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING

CITY OF GOOSE CREEK POLICE TRAINING ROOM

A. Attendance:

Committee Members Present: Rick Buckner, Paul Connerty, Jerry Glass, Nancy Hellstrom, Gayla McSwain, Tom Volkmar, Allen Wall, Barry Washington

Committee Members Absent: Joel Arenson, Jeffrey Smith, Jerry Tekac

BCD COG Staff Present: Alec Brebner, Rob Caison, Jessica Gillis

City Staff Present: Daniel Ben-Yisrael, Ryan Sigworth, Sarah Hanson

Mr. Wall called the meeting to order.

B. Approval of Minutes

The Committee reviewed the minutes from the August 17, 2009 meeting. The minutes were approved as submitted.

C. Committee Discussion – Economic Resources

Mr. Wall turned the meeting over to Mr. Ben-Yisrael. Mr. Ben-Yisrael introduced Mr. Jeff Molinari, Assistant City Administrator and primary Staff advisor to the City’s Economic Development Advisory Council.

Mr. Molinari stated he wished to provide an overview of the economic development of the city, beginning with the history of the city. He began with the 1970’s when the City’s infrastructure was incomplete and DHEC had placed a moratorium on new city water taps because of the questionable state of the water system. In the 1980’s Block grants were used to expand the water system, a professional staff was in place for the City, and development of Crowfield Plantation began. In the 1990’s the Charleston Naval Base and shipyard were closed. EDAC was developed as a response to the closing, to analyze the needs of the business community, and to serve as a conduit between the business community and City Council. Also during the ‘90’s the Crowfield Corporate Center was developed with Quoizel and Corning moving to the Center. Presently there are still undeveloped parcels within the Center.

He summarized the Downtown Redevelopment design. In the mid ‘90’s City council was grappling with the lack of a city identity and questioned how to address that need and also mitigate the effects of the base closure. In 1997 a TIFF district was created which required that a redevelopment plan be in place. He gave a brief explanation of what a TIFF district is. In 1999 a community Surratt was held with 150 people within the community, and a downtown redevelopment plan was created. An overlay ordinance was formed for a downtown business district with more restrictive design elements. Presently, the vision for creating a main street has not been completely abandoned, but in order to take advantage of what is actually achievable in the next several years a streetscape rehabilitation plan for Central Ave., Brandywine, and Thomason Blvd. has been designed. Curb and gutter, sidewalks, underground utilities, piping of ditches, landscaping, stamped crosswalks, decorative street lighting, brick columns, and landscaping along the CSX lines on Highway 52 have been included in this design, and work should begin on Central Avenue in the next several months.

GC continues to grow and is the 10th largest city in South Carolina. By the time the next census data is available the population should be approximately 40,000 people. Goose Creek is becoming a more affluent community. The housing market has continued to be very strong. Though there has been a housing downtown in 2009, it has not been as severe in Goose Creek as in other municipalities in our area.

He spoke about the upward trend in the local option sales tax figures for recent years as well as in business license fees.

Mr. Molinari discussed the conceptual plans for Carnes Crossroads which represents a good part of Goose Creek’s future. The Daniel Island Company will be developing 2300 acres with a mix of commercial, retail, multifamily, and single family homes. This mixed-use development should bring an entirely new dimension to the City of Goose Creek. He mentioned the Roper Hospital and Trident Hospital dispute which is affecting the development of the Roper unit at Carnes.

There was discussion of the multiple commercial areas within the City, including those now developed and those planned for future development. Mr. Molinari mentioned that the population from outside the city of Goose Creek will also impact these commercial areas. Ms. Hellstrom asked about the redevelopment of the Red Bank Road area. Mr. Molinari stated because the area was just recently annexed into the City there is still quite a bit of work to do in that area. Having to work within the parameters of existing infrastructure and existing design elements is one of the challenges.

Mr. Caison suggested the Comprehensive Plan must complement any existing plans and proposals which are currently in place for development. There was discussion about the considerations which have been given to the commercial areas aside from Carnes and Brickhope. Mr. Connerty spoke about the Trident Workforce Investment Board’s work and involvement in area economic development. Mr. Brebner asked what the Plan can do to support and add value to the City’s economic development plan. Ms. McSwain questioned what type of businesses the City wished to attract and spoke about the Charleston Regional Development Alliance and their possible assistance with the recruitment of potential employers. Mr. Buckner and Mr. Molinari spoke about the challenges posed with the Alliance’s policies and its website. There was discussion about the Alliance’s website and how it could assist in marketing our available properties to potential industries and employers. Mr. Caison asked what type of assets and characteristics Goose Creek can market to attract these potential employers. Ms. Hellstrom asked for a plan for recreation on the Red Bank Road side of the City, as well as a vision for redeveloping the area, stating that without these it will be difficult to market that area of the City.

There was discussion about the barrier of the railroad tracks and how to remove the psychological barrier. It was suggested that redevelopment issues other than recreation also must be incorporated. There was discussion concerning redeveloping the area with retail and mixed use businesses to enhance the intersection at the railroad track. There was discussion about the infrastructure limitations in this specific area and the challenges of qualifying for grants for redevelopment. Mr. Ben-Yisrael suggested putting that type of vision into the Plan, as it is a long term vision for the City. He stated the area could be designated in the land use plan with economic visions for multi-use redevelopment centered around a multimodal transit plan.

Mr. Ben-Yisrael asked what other opportunities we had for maintaining a competitive advantage in the region, to provide employment opportunities, sustain our tax and fee bases; what can the City do to make sure it remains strong? Ms. McSwain mentioned the status and perception of the schools within Goose Creek and the effect that has on recruiting employers and residents to an area. Mr. Caison stated that one of the results from the visioning meetings was a desire to cater to small businesses. Mr. Molinari stated that small business development is the focus of the EDAC. Mr. Ben-Yisrael explained some of the steps the City has taken toward explaining and simplifying the process for doing business with the City such as applying for building permits, development reviews, and business licenses. He mentioned the maps that have been placed on the website for the community’s use. He stated that all the characteristics of a community influence the economic development, and that is something to incorporate into the Plan when focusing on the overall vision of the City.

Mr. Glass discussed the recreation focus for the city as a whole, particularly as to how the recreation plan for the Red Bank Road has and has not been developed and the need for recreation resources in that area on the East side of the railroad tracks. He suggested that there is an exceptional opportunity for sharing recreational facilities within the Naval Weapons Station, but until recently these have not be available due to security issues. The Naval Weapons Station offers salt water access as well, and there was discussion about what this area could offer to the city in the future. It

was mentioned that recreational resources will be discussed more completely in a separate Cultural Resources Plan Element.

Mr. Brebner suggested consideration be given to include the Red Bank Road area in the Land Use discussion and that a vision be created for use of this corridor.

D. Committee Discussion – Planning Area

The committee continued the discussion begun during the August meeting about the buffer area preferred for the land use consideration for the Plan. Mr. Ben-Yisrael mentioned coordinating the planning area with City Council’s strategic plan for incorporating the areas they target for annexation. It was suggested that the more comprehensive the planning area the more guidance provided for future development regardless of the municipality involved. Mr. Ben-Yisrael suggested that from a planning standpoint it would be best to have a plan or a vision for future development of properties; if a parcel does become a part of the City limits Staff is then able to guide the development toward our land use visions and the overall objectives of the City as well as determine the impact on present development. It also provides the opportunity to look at what the other municipalities are considering in their Comprehensive Plans. It was suggested using a two mile buffer so that the Sheep Island Road and Alcoa properties are included in the Planning Area.

E. General Comments

Mr. Caison announced that he was leaving the COG, and Jessica Gillis will be assuming the leadership role for the COG’s preparation of the Comp Plan. He advised that the time line has been revised, and he shared a copy of the new schedule with the members.

F. Adjournment

Mr. Buckner made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Quinn seconded. The meeting was adjourned at or about 7:10.