I’On touted as pioneer of infill development

Cities battle sprawl by filling in the holes

By Prentiss Findlay , David Slade
The Post and Courier
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Mapping the future

Buy land on the outskirts of town, build hundreds of homes on roads that all lead to the same highway, and then watch the government scramble to deal with the traffic and the inevitable demands for recreational facilities, schools and public services.

Drive to the shopping center, drive to the school, drive to the park, and curse the cones from the latest road-widening project.

That’s the way development has played out for many years in suburbs throughout the Charleston area.

But it’s starting to change.

For the largest towns and cities in the region, the buzzword for new growth and development is “infill,” and it goes hand-in-hand with a push for interconnected neighborhoods in which homes are mixed with shops and offices.

The goal, which is expected to be re-emphasized as municipalities update their comprehensive plans, is to bring more homes and businesses into areas that are already developed, with a mix of uses that can reduce the need to drive everywhere.

The infill trend taps the desire to protect green spaces and reduce sprawl by steering re-development toward already-developed areas, typically in the heart of a town or city. An infill property might be an undeveloped area surrounded by development, or a property that was previously developed and could serve a better use, like an aging shopping center or an industrial site.

While there are certainly lots of people who still aspire to live on a leafy cul-de-sac on the outskirts of town, there’s growing consumer interest in driving less and living in town-like settings in which shops and offices are nearby, perhaps within walking distance.

“I think that everybody is seeing the national and international trends, with energy use and the kind of communities people want to live in,” said Christopher Morgan, Charleston’s Planning Division director.

Remaking Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant is investing in a $4 million re-development of Coleman Boulevard. Town leaders and planners envision a streetscape where people live, work and play. A new farmer’s market, sidewalk cafes, residences above retail businesses and a small-town sense of community is a goal. “Live near where you work. Work where you live,” said Christiane Farrell, Mount Pleasant Planning and Engineering Division chief

The same sort of planning process is happening with Johnnie Dodds Boulevard. Leaders plan a more pedestrian-friendly design for the town’s main commercial artery. The four-lane boulevard, which handles 45,000 cars daily, is slated to become six lanes but simulate a traditional main street with parks and medians, sidewalk businesses and bike and pedestrian paths. The catalyst for the Johnnie Dodds changes is the town’s $70 million share of the RoadWise half-cent sales tax money.

“Coleman and Johnnie Dodds boulevards are great examples of infill re-development opportunity,” Farrell said. The town also is building a new 14-acre park next to the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge on land provided by the state Department of Transportation. When finished next May, the Memorial Waterfront Park will connect with the re-vitalized Johnnie Dodds and Coleman boulevards and tourist attractions at Patriots Point.

Mount Pleasant encourages infill development that uses existing town infrastructure with incentives such as allowing smaller lot sizes and higher densities in designated areas.

The I’On development in Mount Pleasant is considered a pioneer of the sort of infill development cities and towns are now encouraging. The development broke many of the rules associated with suburban subdivisions by putting homes on small lots, installing sidewalks, relying upon on-street parking and including shops and offices in the development. Mount Pleasant opposed many aspects of I’On when it was first proposed and blocked plans to include multi-family homes, but today the town is working on redevelopment plans that rely upon similar planning principals.

Mount Pleasant and Charleston have created incentives for developers to include businesses and below-market-rate homes in some infill developments, encouraging the creation of densly-built housing and new commercial activity.

A better way to grow

Morgan said infill development is easier on the government and its taxpayers because roads and water and sewer lines are already in place.

“If we can fill in or redevelop these sites, that’s a better use of the land,” he said. “Typically with infill development, you would have infrastructure already around it.”

Morgan said Mount Pleasant’s attempt to revitalize Coleman Boulevard is similar in many ways to Charleston’s goals for some older shopping centers, which Charleston has identified as “suburban renewal zones.”

North Charleston also has encouraged infill development, including the I’On Group’s Mixon project at Park Circle, the Noisette project and the new Colony North extension. Ray Anderson, special assistant to North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, said improving the quality of life and reducing sprawl is part of the city’s mission.

“A lot of projects we started about five years ago looked at infill opportunities,” he said. The city encourages more self-contained neighborhoods, mixing different housing styles and some commercial uses. “I think the issue with fuel and energy consumption is going to change habits. You need to be a little closer in and not have to travel so far for a loaf of bread,” he said.

In Charleston, infill developments have been sprouting up and down the peninsula, ranging in size from a few buildings to the thousands of homes planned in the Magnolia and Promenade developments in the Charleston Neck Area.

The trend continues west of the Ashley River and on James Island, where the city is encouraging the redevelopment of shopping centers like Cross Creek on James Island and the creation of mixed use “gathering places” that are essentially mini-downtowns. Some of these gathering places, such as Angel Oak Village on Johns Island and Long Savannah in far West Ashley, have been controversial because they are dense developments at the edge of the city limits.

“We would define infill as anything within the urban growth boundary,” Morgan said.

Reach David Slade at dslade@postandcourier.com or 937-5552. Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@postandcourier.com.

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