A few more rounds on the roundabout extends DINA meeting, squeezes guest

Meeting provides updates on school safety, island developments, and crime

How do you know when a town meeting topic has struck a nerve? When a guest speaker, addressing one of that town’s most highly-anticipated cultural enhancements, bumps herself to a subsequent meeting so that the hot button conversation can continue.

At 8:05 p.m. on Tuesday, February 2, Daniel Island Performing Arts Center champion Mary Gould took the podium at the Daniel Island Neighborhood Association (DINA) meeting. It was 65 minutes into a one-hour gathering, and trailing a spirited, extended discussion about changes to a key island intersection - a proposed roundabout at the corner of Seven Farms and Daniel Island Drives. “I have too much information that is too exciting and too wonderful to tag onto the end of something like this when you guys have something else on your mind,” Gould graciously offered.

For full coverage of the roundabout traffic discussion, see the story beginning on page 2. Below is an update on school safety, island developments, and crime.

The meeting began innocuously enough, with DINA president Glenn Williman welcoming what appeared to be a record number of members in attendance for the first meeting of 2016. He reminded guests that the association was conducting a survey, outlining the objectives for the coming year, and soliciting ideas for other DINA and City of Charleston initiatives as well as volunteers for the various association committees.

Turning to new business, Williman reported that the City of Charleston’s project to construct a shelter with restroom facilities at Freedom Park behind Daniel Island School, originally slated to begin in the fall 2015, had hit some issues with permitting. However, he had been told by officials that the project would commence that same week, with erosion control and tree protection efforts slated as first steps.

New life breathed into school zone safety

Williman then invited to the podium Carina Buckman, a resident who is resurrecting efforts to make safer the drop-off and pick-up process at Daniel Island School (DIS). The issue garnered attention in March 2014, when a student was struck and injured just blocks from the school shortly after dismissal, but plans to tighten up and reinforce safety guidelines stalled over the months that followed. Then, just weeks ago, another child was hit by a car while biking to school.

Buckman acknowledged there is a long list of issues, but said just a few infrastructural changes that could be made with relatively little effort for significant improvement. Among these adjustments are establishing a defined “school zone,” restricting parking within that zone, changing the sequencing of the traffic light at Seven Farms and Daniel Island Drives, and intermittent police patrol to ensure yielding to pedestrians at crosswalks. Buckman has volunteered to partner, as a project manager, with DINA on these safety efforts, but is asking those interested in assisting to contact Williman through the DINA website, dineighborhoodassociation.org. To that end, Williman pointed out that the association’s safety committee is in need of a chairperson, and any members interested in that board position are asked to email him.

More apartment projects just ahead

Alerting the crowd to two new developments on River Landing Drive, DINA’s land use and zoning chair Clyde Rush provided some pertinent details. Two properties were sold on September 29, 2015 to Connecticut-based Daniel Island Apartments LLC. Rush suspects that, based on the price paid for the two parcels ($1,900,000), the new owner has plans to quickly develop these properties.

The first parcel is located on the west side of River Landing Drive next to the BB&T building (across River Landing from Ristorante LIDI). This site plan (see image labeled “Four Corners Apartments”) was first proposed in 2006 but put on hold, likely due to the economic downturn. The buyer is moving forward with the development of this property using the original site plan as a basis for requesting the removal of one grand live oak tree (which Rush joked was “not very grand”) and an impervious setback variance for seven other grand trees.

Based on this original site plan, it appears that this project would erect two four-story apartment buildings with a pool amenity. The building closest to River Landing Drive will have 52 units and the smaller building farther back on the property will contain 16 units. The entrance to these apartments uses the same driveway as that used to enter BB&T from River Landing Drive. The ground level of the buildings will be utilized for parking with three floors of apartments above, and surface parking will also be provided. “While the developer is using the original site plan to request the variance pertaining to the grand trees,” Rush explains, “I was told that the developer is making some changes to the original plans in terms of the building’s design and thus, the design will need to be submitted to the Board of Architectural Review for approval as well as the Technical Review Committee.”

The second parcel is the vacant lot across from the new Simmons Park Apartments, between Phase II River Landing Condos on River Landing Drive and the 225 Seven Farms Building at the corner of River Landing and Seven Farms. The site plan (see image labeled “Housing 2000”) was originally submitted for this property back in 2006, and covered the entire footprint of the property with the ground floor being six store/office fronts facing River Landing Drive and covered parking for approximately 59 vehicles. Above the ground floor were plans for three floors of apartments, likely 50 to 60 units. “While the new developer is aggressively moving forward with the development of the ‘Four Corners’ project,” reveals Rush, “I was told that the ‘Housing 2000’ project is currently on hold.”

Discouraging theft and acknowledging hoverboards

Introducing one of City of Charleston Police Team 5 patrol officers, Sgt. Charlie Coggins, the Daniel Island squad’s commander, Lt. James Byrne, took a moment to clarify that Team 5’s coverage includes not only Daniel Island, but also the Clements Ferry/Cainhoy corridor, and even up into Francis Marion National Forest. Lt. Byrne went on to issue reminders to keep valuables out of vehicles, keep both vehicles and homes locked, and use the Charleston County dispatch number (843-743-7200) to reach Team 5 for non-emergencies.

He also spent a moment speaking to concerns voiced about the safety of personal motorized scooters, such as hoverboards, on the island. With a classification of “toy vehicles” (those not exceeding 15 mph), there are no age restrictions for the use of these devices, and they can be used on sidewalks and roads with posted speed limits of 25 mph or less. Riders may cross streets with higher speed limits at crosswalks.

“As parents, we have obligations to ensure they are wearing helmets, that they understand right-of-way and know what they need to do to yield,” expressed Lt. Byrne, “and if we don’t think that they can comply with that, we have obligations as parents to deal with it. If they are not operating in a reckless manner, there’s not much that the law allows us to do.”

The next DINA meeting will take place at Church of the Holy Cross on Tuesday, April 5, and Mary Gould will return to speak about the progress of the Daniel Island Performing Arts Center project.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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