2015: The Year in Preview

One can never truly predict what the future may hold. But it’s a pretty safe bet that 2015 will be another big year for West Ashley. So for the first issue of the new year we peered into our crystal ball, broke out our Ouija boards, shook the magic 8-ball, and had our palms read.
Some people will say a lot of what has been foreseen was discussed at Monday night’s public forum at West Ashley High School. Unfortunately, we did not have the benefit of consulting this oracle before press time, so we had to sit down with some of our local fortunetellers to see just what was is in the cards for West Ashley in 2015.
No, there wasn’t anything definitive about a Trader Joe’s coming to West Ashley … sorry. But here is what they did see. Remember no oracle is perfect. These are simply predictions of what is on the horizon in 2015:
I. TIFs: “West Ashley will have its own TIF, or ‘tax increment financing’ zone to raise money for future civic improvements this side of the Ashley River.”
For years, Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., has been using TIFs to fund downtown projects, like the Horizon District development and others in the The Neck area of the peninsula.
TIFs are a specialized taxation tool that allows the city to raise money for specific projects by borrowing against future property tax collections in the area in which the projects will be constructed.
Riley said this week that his staffers have been hard at work on the parameters of the West Ashley TIF, figuring out how much money would be needed to fund what projects.
While the mayor couldn’t offer concrete numbers and plans at this point, he said that, with public input, he expected the TIF to focus on the Sam Rittenberg Boulevard commercial corridor, including the beleaguered Citadel Mall.
Riley said the money could go for streetscaping, new streets, and parking facilities in and around the mall. The city has made beginning a process to revitalize that stretch of West Ashley a major priority for 2015, Riley’s last in office. Also a new city council-approved economic development officer will come on line this year and perhaps make the process go faster.
II. Gateways: “West Ashley, and the city, will get better ‘welcome mats.”
City Councilman Aubry Alexander, who represents a large swath of West Ashley, said several “gateways” surrounding West Ashley have been identified for a general sprucing up.
The first would be near the In-N-Out Car Wash facility, then one over the viaduct that crosses over the rail lines on Hwy. 17 South near Carolina Bay, and then one at the still-new Northbridge Park.
Alexander said that the signs would be directed to travelers and tourists, alike, and would be completely landscaped with planting beds and the like, and feature sharp signs.
Alexander also said the city is close to signing a memorandum of understanding with Roper St. Francis Healthcare to begin construction on a new, multi-million dollar senior center on its hospital facility off Glenn McConnell Parkway.
III. Bike Lanes: “West Ashleyians will be able to ride a bike to the peninsula. And vice versa.”
County Councilwoman Colleen Condon said to expect county staffers in
March or April to present a plan to create a designated bike lane on the peninsula-bound Ashley River Bridge.
Condon said the bike lane would connect to the West Ashley Greenway near the former Turky’s site in a planned municipal park. From there, the bike lane would take cyclists and runners down along the city’s existing lane alongside the harbor on Lockwood Drive.
Condon pooh-poohed criticisms that one less lane for cars would be a traffic nightmare, saying that the project would include further renovations that would make it easier for cars to cross onto the peninsula, as well as change lanes.
In other projections, traffic nightmares could continue on Bees Ferry as the West Ashley Traffic Circle construction continues.
IV. Schools: “West Ashley will get some new stuff.”
Thanks to voters in the November election approving the extension of a special 1-cent local tax for schools, two major projects have already been added to the county school district’s construction plans, according to documents provided by newly elected Dist. 10 Constituent Boardmember Tamara Avery.
Initially, the county had budgeted $1 million apiece for plans for a new C.E. Williams Middle School on the campus of WAHS, as well as a news center for advanced studies on the grounds. The district has a goal of spring 2016 for those plans to be completed.
The middle school project, which includes an enhanced and shared bus parking lot, is slated to cost $43 million, while the advanced studies center is budgeted for nearly the same amount.
Both facilities are projected to be completed and ready to be occupied by the start of the 2018 school year.