By Danielle Seat | September 29, 2020 at 6:59 AM EDT - Updated September 29 at 7:39 AM
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Residents in James Island will have two opportunities Tuesday to give input into the 10-year comprehensive plan being developed for the city of Charleston.
Charleston City Council member Carol Jackson, who represents James Island, says the issues being discussed are important because they are the ones that matter to your drive to work, when your home is flooding, and when you sit in traffic for an hour just to get a few miles down the road.
The City of Charleston’s Comprehensive Plan will guide all of the decisions the city makes for the next 10 years.
Jackson says several new components could bring big changes to the James Island community if the community takes the opportunity to speak up.
Flooding, likely one of the main topics at Tuesday’s meetings, may be an obvious issue. But Jackson says there are ways to start improving this aging infrastructure now before it’s beyond repair. The majority of the drainage infrastructure was built between the 1950s and the 1970s, and Jackson says this 10-year comprehensive plan could be a good opportunity to address that and set aside money in the city’s budget for some changes.
Some pipes on Janes Island are too small, and some were set to drain into fields that are now subdivisions.
This will be the first comprehensive plan to address climate concerns.
Jackson says they will also likely discuss bringing in a new transit system, specifically one that runs down Folly Road.
Jackson says community members often spend hours in their car on the weekend getting to and from the beach.
By partnering with CARTA and the Council of Governments, the city can look at how much money needs to be allocated to change these drive times. But without being included in this comprehensive plan, Jackson says right now there just aren’t resources for it.
There will be two meetings on Tuesday:
- 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Click here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvcOurqjkoGdDE_atYPthpEaQQfna58atG
- Conference Call#: 1-312-626-6799 Meeting ID#: 872 7234 2234
- 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Click here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUsfuCvrTosHtMMUiZk3gNbKtT9ZuZr23LC
- Conference Call#: 1-312-626-6799 Meeting ID#: 811 9973 1647
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