The Beach Company’s request to the Town Council for an additional 60,000 sq. ft. of commercial space has been the subject of several meetings with town officials, the Beach Company and board members.  Because this is an important issue for Marais, the board wants to provide an update on the status of the proposal and the upcoming Planning and Development Committee and Town Council meetings.

To date, members of the board and several residents attended six meetings to discuss the proposed development’s impact on traffic. These meetings included the Planning and Development Committee, Town Council and a 90-minute working session with the Town of Mount Pleasant directors for Planning, Traffic and Engineering.

In our last communications to residents, we reported the Planning and Development Committee, on March 2, amended the resolution to approve the proposal with a mandate to complete a Full Impact Assessment before any portion of the 60,000 square-feet is developed. At the Town Council meeting [March 9], the discussion focused on the appropriateness for a Full Impact Assessment versus a Traffic Study.

What is a Full Impact Study?

Real estate and commercial development projects in excess of 40,000 square feet require a full impact assessment before approval.  The impact assessment gathers information on water supply, wastewater, drainage, education, police, fire protection, traffic, environmental resources, housing, et cetera.  With the exception of traffic, the Beach Company fulfilled all the impact considerations when the Seaside Farms development was approval several years ago. In the opinion of the Town, repeating the study would be redundant and unnecessary.

During the Town Council meeting, Mayor Swails asked the Marais board and residents, the Planning and Development Committee and the Beach Company to resolve the issues regarding a full impact assessment versus a traffic study including a discussion on drainage.  Acceding to the Mayor’s request, the Marais board members devoted considerable time to the traffic study and drainage issues.

The traffic study:  According to Brad Morrison [Transportation Department], traffic studies are based on a quantitative model to develop a magnitude rating for traffic. The study includes forecasting the impact of new projects on traffic, data and analysis. The results are sent to the Planning Commission for review. The model will determine how many intersections to analyze and recommend areas for mitigation that the Beach Company must address.  The model forecasts highway improvements and projects 3 to 4 years ahead to predict traffic flow on Rifle Range Road and the IOP. The study would include an assessment of the next 50,000 square feet of construction [approved] and the requested 60,000 square feet [proposed].  It is interesting to note a traffic study was not conducted when the Seaside Farms development was brought into the Town from the County.  Four years ago a warrant study for the traffic light at Rifle Range Road and Long Point Road was conducted.. However, a warrant study only examines the need for a traffic light at a particular location.

The Drainage Issue:  Kevin Mitchell [Staff Engineer] provided the board with the overall drainage plan conducted in 2000. The plan encompasses the areas from Route 17, Towne Centre, Hidden Lakes to Seaside Farms. In general, the Seaside Farms commercial area was based on approximately 90% of the surface covered with buildings, roads and parking. Consequently, the initial design can handle an additional 60,000 square feet of development. The Town of Mt. Pleasant is responsible to ensure all projects comply with the current drainage plan.  Further, Mayor Swails voiced his priority to evaluate the drainage issues between Rt. 17 and Seaside Farms.

Regarding the surface water that settles at the Rifle Range Road/Long Grove intersection, according to Mr. Mitchell, the problem is not an issue for Seaside Farms or the Beach Company, but rather a Town responsibility.  The engineer assured us the Town will monitor the problem.

What is the next step in the process?

Acting on information we gathered during several meetings, the Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the following changes to the Town Council resolution:

• The resolution be amended to include a Traffic Study as part of the approval process. We believe the full impact assessment is not an appropriate vehicle to move forward with the 60,000 square foot request.

The Marais Board of Directors supports the Mayor’s priority to evaluate and mitigate drainage issues identified in the area defined between Route 17, Towne Centre, Hidden Lakes and Seaside Farms.

A member of the Board will attend the April 2010 Planning and Development Committee and Town Council meetings to answer questions and provide support for a change to the resolution. Marais residents may attend these public meeting to voice their opinion.