Latest DINA meeting provides big updates for development and insfrastructure
The February 5 Daniel Island Neighborhood Association meeting saw a sizeable crowd at the Church of the Holy Cross. Several big updates were provided, including a proposed name for “Daniel Island Park 4,” information on the Beresford Creek Bridge after its shutdown in January, and a construction timeline for the roundabout at the intersection of Seven Farms Drive and Daniel Island Drive.
NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
First on the agenda were some island announcements from DINA President Marie Delcioppo, beginning with a call to end frequent instances of residents painting street lamps black to stop light shining into their residences.
“[This] is the inappropriate way to mitigate light coming into your home,” Delcioppo said sternly. “I am currently working with SCE&G and the City of Charleston on replacing all of those blacked out lights. It’s a multi-six figure repair.”
Delcioppo implored residents to contact her directly if they have any problems with light intruding through their windows.
The president also announced that the survey to name Daniel Island Park 4 concluded and the title residents decided upon was “Fallen Oak Park.”
“That will go through the City’s approval process to officially be named such,” she said.
Next was a request for residents to not access the south end of the island owned by the South Carolina Ports Authority. “We know it has spectacular views of the Ravenel Bridge and the Cooper River, [but] it is not stable land,” said Delcioppo. “People have gotten stuck out there and emergency personnel and law enforcement cannot get out there to help them because of the quality of the land.”
PUBLIX UPDATE
Finally, Delcioppo addressed the expansion of the Publix on Daniel Island. The lack of space in the store is a frequent complaint for residents, who report they are constricted in the relatively small, and single, grocery store on Daniel Island. Delcioppo read a statement that Publix provided to her about the calls for a larger shopping center. According to the grocery store chain, they “do not have a timeline to share at this point in time, but are actively working on our plans.” Their full letter to the community appeared in last week’s Daniel Island News.
CITY OF CHARLESTON PROJECTS
DINA Community and Recreation Center Committee Chair Frank Walsh and Marsha Miller took the stage after Delcioppo to provide an update on the new facility planned for Governors Park.
Walsh assured the crowd that on March 4, the City of Charleston will go through the permitting and review process, and construction will begin in May. Construction is estimated to take 18 to 20 months.
“Possibly by January 2021, we should be able to access that building,” Walsh said.
City of Charleston Councilman Gary White appeared next to give an update on the Beresford Creek Bridge and the intersection between Fairchild Street and Island Park Drive.
The Beresford Creek Bridge and Nowell Creek Bridge have been among the sources halting the Thomas Island bike path, a cycling and walking trail to make parts of the island more pedestrian- and biker-friendly. The city was required to go through the long Local Public Agency process to get past the Nowell Creek Bridge.
“The consultants that we hired— we asked them to also look at the feasibility of it,” explained White. “And they came back and said, ultimately, from a cost perspective, it would probably be more prudent for the city to consider replacing Nowell Creek Bridge.”
The city asked the consultants to also look at the Beresford Creek Bridge, leading to the realization last month that the bridge was structurally unstable.
“It’s structurally sound to the degree that we do ask that no truck traffic go on it,” said White. “It’s safe for now, but that’s not a permanent fix.”
White added that a long-term repair will be $50,000 and could take two to three days to fix once construction begins.
If the bridge needs to be replaced, continued White, it will cost between $800,000 and $1 million, and would be a two- to three-month process.
The councilman also announced that a lighted traffic signal will go up at the intersection of Fairchild Street and Island Park Drive. According to White, all of the design work is complete, and one piece of the light needs to be constructed and shipped to the city. He did not provide a timeframe for when construction will begin.
ROUNDABOUT COMING SOON
Berkeley County Councilman Josh Whitley and County Supervisor Johnny Cribb gave a project timeline for the planned roundabout at the intersection of Seven Farms Drive and Daniel Island Drive.
On Feb. 25, a final approval by County Council is expected. If it is given the go-ahead, major construction will begin in the last two weeks of May. Construction is required to be completed 90 days from the start date, putting the estimated completion date at August 1, 2019.
The plan will begin before school starts in an effort to minimize impacts to school traffic. The project is budgeted for $2.4 million.
“The project is a single-lane roundabout,” said Cribb. “The good news is that it’s gone through permitting, everything’s been secured. The construction for the project we’re trying to balance between the Family Circle Cup (Volvo Car Open) ending and school beginning, most importantly school beginning.”
Cribb explained to the audience that data suggests that collisions can decrease at roundabouts. “What happens at these roundabouts is you’re forced to slow down,” he said. “You pay a lot more attention. You really can’t be doing anything else.”
ISLAND DEVELOPMENT IN ‘NINTH INNING’
The last speaker of the night was DI Development Company President Matt Sloan who provided a brief history of the island, from its time as open space to its modern look, and offered a little information about where it’s going.
“In terms of baseball, we’re moving into the ninth inning,” said Sloan.
According to the Sloan, the DI Development Company could reach the end of their construction responsibilities on Daniel Island by the end of the year.
“We are fast running out of property,” Sloan stated.
Currently, a Woodfield Apartment complex near I-526 and a Marriott Courtyard next to the Starbucks are in the proposal phases. Sloan also showed plans for a mixed-use waterfront village with condominiums clustered in small scale buildings. Plans for the project, known as River Landing Village, include retail, dining, enhanced public park space, and access to the water. Residential land on the south side of the island should be complete by the end of 2019.