Huge Impact on Sullivan's Island

Sullivan's Island Town Council has called a special Town Council meeting for Thursday, January 29th, to brief residents on The Atlantic, a high density mixed- use project that would have a tremendous impact on Sullivan's Island. The project would be located just across the Ben Sawyer Bridge, on the old Channel 4 site.  The Atlantic would be similar to the controversial Boulevard apartments on Coleman Boulevard.

Current plans call for 246 residential units and 14,000 SF of retail space, on 15 acres of land. (That amounts to 30 units per acre!) The Town of Mount Pleasant is recommending that a new roundabout be constructed on Ben Sawyer Blvd, at the driveway to the project.  

Only imagine the bottleneck that will create in the summer months! And what if an emergency vehicle needs to get through? And how would a project of this magnitude impact overall congestion and traffic on Sullivan's Island? What about the impact to SI's already strained infrastructure? The proposal also calls for the removal of a number of live oaks on the site.

Here is the link to the development application for The Atlantic, including comments on the project from the Town of Mount Pleasant planning staff.  Although this information was only made public around January 15th, Mount Pleasant Town Council is expected to vote on the project in early February. 

It is indeed interesting that SI Town Council is only just now informing residents about this significant development right on our doorstep, that has the potential to seriously impact the quality of life for all Sullivan's Island residents.

Has SI Town Council ever communicated any concerns about the project to the Town of Mount Pleasant? Has SI Town Council ever asked for consideration from Mount Pleasant Town Council or from the project owners? Project owners are shown on the application as Middle Street Partners, located at 2113 Middle St., Suite 309, Sullivan's Island.

The traffic study that was done does not take into account the strong increase in beach traffic in the summer months, nor have there been any studies on the impact of this project on Sullivan's Island.

Why is the Town of Mount Pleasant in such a big rush to approve this project without fully assessing the impacts on the surrounding neighborhoods, and without fully informing the residents that would be affected? That vote should be delayed or deferred, pending more information.

Please make plans to attend the meeting tonight night if at all possible!

The meeting is at 6:00, at SI Town Hall, 2050 Middle Street.

For more information about what is happening on Sullivan's Island and the impact on the entire community, go to sicommunityimpact.com.

Is this any way to park?

What to do about visitor parking continues to be a major issue on Sullivan's Island. Posted below is a letter on that topic  from islander Mike Walsh, including his observations and suggestions. Also attached are some interesting photos Mike took a few weeks ago during the Polar Bear Plunge, that perfectly illustrate his point. Here is Mike's letter:

As I was out shooing away a car that on New Year’s Day had parked partially obstructing my driveway to attend the Polar Bear Plunge…or maybe it was when I was treated to an “F*** bomb” by one of the car’s occupants…it suddenly struck me. Town Council is in the midst of considering this new parking plan for the Island filled with high-tech aspects like online applications and computer based enforcement by our police. But, what about the “old” parking regulations?

Don’t we already have laws and ordinances that say you can’t park on certain sides of the streets, or within a certain distance of an intersection or a fire hydrant? Isn’t there a requirement that parked cars have all four wheels off the pavement?

If that’s all true, why aren’t we starting with enforcement of the old rules before laying down the new rules? And it’s not just New Year’s. It’s St. Patrick’s Day, the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, or really any busy summer weekend. I’m sure one of the answers as to why we’re not is manpower.

On a day like New Year’s or St. Patrick’s I know our officers are busy keeping peace and order in the business district or on the beach. Still, even a superficial look at what happens with parking at these busy times would say that just an occasional pass through by an officer with a citation book in hand would yield enough in parking fines to make it well worthwhile, possibly to balance the Town’s annual budget!

Maybe there is a cadre of Island residents who would be willing to be deputized as a type of “meter maid”. Give them an official looking shirt, a parking enforcement sign to go on their car or golf cart, and a radio to call for back-up in case someone gets belligerent over being ticketed, booted or towed.

Lest you think this is a silly overstatement of the current situation, I took my camera out on New Year’s and made a dozen or so photos just within a couple of blocks of my house. They are included in this posting. The total disregard for our current parking regulations is obvious.

If visitors so completely ignore the current laws, why do we think they will pay any attention to new ones? As you think about the new parking system I urge you to at least consider this as a corollary to that discussion. Start enforcement now. Thanks.

Mike Walsh

Car parked over driveway

Car parked too close to fire hydrant

No parking this side of street?

Wheels not off the street (Kentucky)

Wheels not off the street (Virginia)

Many wheels not off the street

Parking Damage

Speaks for itself

Sign doesn't matter (?)

Wheels almost halfway in street (New York)

Wheels not off of the street

Parking on corner of intersection

Wheels not off the street

Who cares when you own an Audi?

Sullivan's Island Town Council meeting tonight!

SI Town Council is meeting Tuesday, January 20th, at 6:00. First item on the agenda: Mayor-elect Pat O'Neil will take the Oath of Office. Congratulations again to our new mayor!

St. Patrick's Day is also on Town Council's agenda. Town Council will be voting on changes to the 2015 festivities. These changes were unanimously recommended by the SI Public Safety Committee on January 13th.  

Also on the agenda is a motion to approve the sale of yet another Town-owned property, and an Executive Session to discuss three other Town-owned properties that are currently on the market. 

There will also be a public hearing about the Charleston Urban Entitlement Program.

Should all be interesting! Come to the meeting if you can. There will be a public comment period before Town Council votes on any motions at the meeting, as well as opening remarks by Mayor Pat O'Neil.

Here is the link to the agenda: http://bit.ly/1xOwsCJ. 

The meeting is at 6:00 at Town Hall, at 2050 Middle St.

A Very Positive Development

Significant changes are in store for this year's Saint Patrick's Day festivities on Sullivan's Island. For starters, the event will be celebrated on only one day--Tuesday, March 17--from 10 a.m. until dusk. Holding the event on only one day, and only during daylight hours should make an enormous difference. 

In addition, only Dunleavy's will have outside alcohol sales (beer trucks) and only Station 22 1/2 between Middle St. and I'On Avenue will be closed to traffic for the event. SI Police supervision will be increased this year. 

Each restaurant will provide its own security. The popular and successful Childrens' Day Festival will take place in Stith Park on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day--March 14th--from 10 - Noon. (In previous years, the Children's Day Festival has been held on the same day as the other St. Patrick's Day festivities.)

Only one business has applied for a permit for a street party so far, and the recommendation by the Public Safety Committee was that no more applications be accepted. Individual establishments may have St. Patrick’s Day festivities inside their properties, but the crowd will be limited to the maximum legal occupancy of the buildings, as set by the fire marshall.

 
Town Council will vote on the recommendations at the regular Town Council meeting on Tuesday, January 20.

Although the Public Safety Committee meeting was held at a very inconvenient time for many islanders (4:30on a Tuesday), and had been rescheduled from December 3rd, 20-25 residents attended the meeting. Representatives of Dunleavy's, Home Team, and Poe's were in attendance, and spoke emphatically about getting the mayhem out of the St. Patrick's Day Festivities. They said they want islanders to see them as being sensitive to residents.

The islanders at the meeting reacted positively to the many changes recommended by the Public Safety Committee, and were gratified to see that the restaurant owners had made significant concessions. Only time will tell if this event will return to the low-key festivity that it used to be.

Bravo to the restaurant/bar owners for acceding to the wishes and interests of residents!

Karen and Barbara

sicommunityimpact.com

Long-awaited Public Safety Committee meeting Tuesday at 4:30

Tuesday is your opportunity to let Town Council know how you feel about the St. Patrick's Day celebration on Sullivan's Island, and what changes you would like to see this year, to make sure there is not a repeat of last year's debacle. 

The Sullivan's Island Public Safety Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 13, at 4:30 at the Fire Station on Middle Street. The St. Patrick's Day discussion is the only item on the agenda.

The Fire Station is located at 2050 Middle Street, in front of Town Hall. The meeting will be in the Training Room on the 2nd floor.

The Public Safety Committee originally scheduled the St. Patrick's Day discussion for December 3rd, but at the last minute, announced it was changing the meeting agenda and rescheduling the discussion for January 13th. The large group of attendees at the meeting was clearly disappointed with the delay. But January 13th is now here, and islanders will at long last have their chance to let Town Council know what changes they would like to see for the St. Patrick's Day celebration this year. 

So come to the SI Fire Station on Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 and make your voices heard! 

Karen and Barbara
sicommunityimpact.com

P.S. No one issue on Sullivan's Island has generated more anger and consternation among islanders than the 2014 St. Patrick's Day celebration. Irate islanders filled Town Council meetings in March and April last year to demand that Town Council make changes before the 2015 event. 

Here is the link to a letter to the editor, written last April by former Mayor Carl Smith, describing what went on, based on police reports about the St. Patrick's Day event, and also, what changes could be made to improve the situation going forward: http://bit.ly/1DQIBw.

Pat O'Neil elected Mayor of Sullivan's Island

Congratulations and very best wishes to our new mayor, Pat O'Neil! Here are the numbers: 

Keith Blandford: 31 votes  

Jerry Kaynard: 270 votes

Pat O'Neil: 542 votes

Vote for Sullivan's Island mayor today!

Today is Election Day on Sullivan's Island! If you have not yet voted, go to Sunrise Presbyterian and VOTE! This election is critically important to the future of our historic residential community. Your vote is your voice!

Polls are open until 7:00 tonight. Call your neighbors and make sure they have voted. Or offer to take a neighbor to vote.

Make sure every voice is heard! EVERY VOTE COUNTS!!! 

Former Mayor Carl Smith Endorses Pat O'Neil for Mayor of SI

It is hard to believe that election day on Sullivan's Island is just a few days away--this coming Tuesday, January 6!  In the interest of getting information out to Sullivan's Island voters about the election, SI CI is encouraging islanders to send in comments and candidate endorsements. 
Below is a letter from former council member and Mayor Carl Smith, endorsing Pat O'Neil for mayor:

          A letter to the voters of Sullivan’s Island

When I vote for the next mayor of Sullivan’s Island on January 6^th, 2015, I WILL VOTE FOR COUNCILMAN PAT O’NEIL. I will not vote for Councilman Jerry Kaynard for several reasons, listed below.

In 2007 the town was in the process of hiring and paying consultants a large sum of money to provide a development plan for our Commercial District, I was Mayor at this time and suggested that Councilman Kaynard, might want to recuse himself from taking part in the development plan since he owned commercial property on the Island. 

When he refused it became necessary for me to appear before the South Carolina Ethics Commission in Columbia, who issued a formal advisory opinion on January 16, 2008. In this opinion the commission concluded that Councilman Kaynard should not vote or participate in drafting or amending ordinances that affect the Commercial district. 

Had Councilman Kaynard done the honorable and right thing to begin with, the Ethics Commission opinion would not have been needed. As Mayor, I did not want the town to spend its money on a plan only to have it challenged and rejected due to a conflict of interest on the part of one of the council members.

During the mayoral public forum, Councilman Kaynard talked about the need for transparency in government. Yet, it was he who engineered the amendment to our ordinances that changed a process that required three readings and ratification (usually a two to three month process) to a process that can create or amend an ordinance in seven days. 

If transparency is important to councilman Kaynard, then why shortcut a process that limits public review. What was his motivation for this?

For the past several years Councilman Kaynard has received what amounts to an $8,000.00 to $10,000.00 a year income from the town by way of paid Health insurance benefits, the same afforded town employees. He has made no overture to repay the town and in effect, his actions have cost the taxpayers from $8,000.00 to $10,000.00 each year. During the mayoral public forum Councilman Kaynard told us he did not receive any compensation from the town.  

 In my 26 years on the town council we always rejected the idea of any income. Instead, we took pride in just serving the Island selflessly.

I have always believed in community service, not community self-service.

Please join me and VOTE FOR PAT O’NEIL, our next mayor, on January 6^th.

Respectfully yours,

Carl Smith