Charleston County News Release

MEDIA CONTACT

Name:   Jennie Davis, Charleston County Public Information Officer

Phone: 843.958.4012

Email:   jdavis@charlestoncounty.org

Release Number: 2971

Date: February 4, 2009

Maybank Highway Road Project Receives Guidance from Urban Land Institute on Feb. 5 and 6

In October 2008, Charleston County Council authorized the engagement of the Urban Land Institute-South Carolina to provide the consulting services of a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) regarding improvements to Maybank Highway.

The Urban Land Institute’s TAP will be working on recommendations for Maybank Highway improvements on February 5 and 6 in Charleston County. However, prior to coming to Charleston, TAP members were provided an abundance of information concerning the project including all of the previous engineering/traffic studies, the land use plans of Charleston County and the city of Charleston, public comments from previous public hearings, and additional pertinent information.

While in town, the panel’s activities will include:

• Interviews with Charleston County and city of Charleston staff, elected officials, engineers, community representatives and members of the public.

• Thursday, Feb. 5: tour of Maybank Highway

• Thursday, Feb. 5: the TAP will be available to hear from residents at the Johns Island Regional Library from 5:30 - 7 p.m.

• Friday, Feb. 6: the TAP’s recommendations will be presented to County Council and City Council members in a session at 4 p.m. at the Charleston County Judicial Center in downtown Charleston.

• After the presentation on Feb. 6, the panel will provide a written report within two weeks.

• Charleston County Council will take action on the recommendations at a later meeting.

The Maybank Highway improvements are to be funded from the proceeds of the County’s Transportation Half-Cent Sales Tax.

The Maybank Highway TAP is made up of 10 members from across the country with expertise in land planning, land development, landscape architecture, transportation infrastructure development, economic development and transportation planning and urban design.

The TAP was asked to evaluate the city’s “pitchfork” concept as an alternative to the previously prepared widening plans. The panel was asked to give advice regarding ways to improve Maybank Highway, while recognizing the city’s land use goals for the area, looking for ways to satisfy the requirements of the S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) process, and protecting the efficiency of the transportation system that serves the citizens of Johns, Wadmalaw, Kiawah and Seabrook Islands.

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) was asked to address the following questions:

The Problem Statement:

The mission of the ULI team is to evaluate the Hall Planning and Engineering concept for Maybank Highway Improvements, particularly in the context of the goals of the city of Charleston’s John’s Island Community Plan and the Johns Island SmartCode, which emphasize integrating land use and transportation as part of the transportation planning process. The team should also look for ways to satisfy the requirements of the SCDOT and the NEPA process, while protecting the efficiency of the transportation system that serves the citizens of Johns, Wadmalaw, Kiawah and Seabrook Islands.

Panel Questions:

·         How can Charleston County improve Maybank Highway to accommodate city of Charleston’s John’s Island Community Plan and the John’s Island SmartCode goals while still protecting the efficiency of the transportation system that serves the citizens of Johns, Wadmalaw, Kiawah, and Seabrook Islands?

·         How can Charleston County improve Maybank Highway to accommodate city of Charleston’s John’s Island Community Plan and the John’s Island SmartCode goals while still satisfying the requirements of SCDOT?

·         How can Charleston County improve Maybank Highway to accommodate city of Charleston’s John’s Island Community Plan and the John’s Island SmartCode goals while still satisfying the requirements of the NEPA process?

SIDEBAR: The Urban Land Institute

• The Urban Land Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity, founded in 1936. It has more than 40,000 members worldwide.

• The Web site describes its membership as “…representing the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines, working in private enterprise and public service.”

• The Urban Land Institute TAP service was established in 1947. It is a fee-based program, and has completed over 500 panels, in 47 states, 12 countries, and four continents.

• TAP panels are made up of volunteer ULI members, and follow guidelines which are intended to provide unbiased advice. No member of a TAP may have a real or perceived conflict of interest in the issue being studied, and they are not compensated for their time.

For further information, contact the Charleston County Transportation Sales Tax office at (843) 202-6140 or visit http://www.ccroadwise.org.