Talking Charleston

In the third episode of Talking Charleston, Mayor William Cogswell sits down with Councilmember Mike Seekings, who represents District 8, which covers downtown Charleston south of Calhoun Street and the southeastern corner of Daniel Island. The conversation was recorded on October 19th, the day before Daniel Island's State of Our City event.

Seekings, the senior member of City Council, and the mayor walk through the flood protection projects underway on the peninsula, including the Battery Extension and the city’s partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Knee Wall (Lockwood Flooding Protection Project), and the North and South Market redevelopment. They also explain how the new franchise agreement with Dominion could speed up burying power lines, and why the city is replacing its parking meters with pay-by-phone parking.

The conversation also covers how the city is planning for growth and tourism through the Charleston Standard (Tourism Management Plan) and the Peninsula Plan, the zoning rewrite, the first all-pedestrian crosswalks coming to Charleston, and the Daniel Island e-bike ordinance. They also discuss the Brumley tract donation, a new public safety and public works site on Clements Ferry Road, and how Lowcountry Rapid Transit will connect the medical district to the rest of the region.

Talking Charleston is a brand new monthly podcast from the City of Charleston that focuses on issues that affect all of us every day. Every month, the Mayor sits down with a different Charleston council member to go over what is happening in their district and beyond.

Watch or listen to Talking Charleston wherever you get your podcasts!

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0346CDe7AOhWZcBf5UKYf9

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW4POECQG_hQ

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-charleston/id6815488372

Chapters:

(00:00) Intro

(00:53) How council districts are drawn

(02:40) Growth on the peninsula and Daniel Island

(06:07) How the Battery Extension came to be

(09:30) The Army Corps' work with the Battery Extension

(12:54) Burying power lines and the Dominion franchise agreement

(19:11) Seekings' thoughts on relationships with other governments

(20:52) Clements Ferry Road, I-526, and "choice lanes"

(25:29) Inflation's impact on infrastructure

(28:17) Affordability and housing

(29:53) MUSC and Lowcountry Rapid Transit

(32:20) The Knee Wall (Lockwood Drive)

(34:08) Improving North and South Market

(35:33) The Tourism Management Plan and the Peninsula Plan

(41:43) The zoning rewrite and short-term rentals

(43:22) All-pedestrian phases at downtown intersections

(46:57) Replacing parking meters with pay-by-phone

(49:57) The State of Our City and Daniel Island

(51:29) The E-Bike ordinance

(54:29) The Brumley tract

(55:46) New public safety site on Clements Ferry Road

(59:58) What’s next for Mike Seekings?

Intro Music:"Cool Intro" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In the second episode of Talking Charleston, Mayor William Cogswell sits down with Councilmember Jim McBride, who represents Johns Island and a portion of James Island. The conversation was recorded on October 9th.

McBride and the mayor dig into how John’s Island got to where it is today: how developments were zoned with the assumption that the 526 extension was going to happen and how the city, county and state are working together on solutions. They also explain why even straightforward road projects can take years, from federal permitting requirements to funding timelines, and what recent changes could mean for the future.

The conversation also covers what’s coming to the island, including the Maybank Highway widening, plans for a safer Riverland Drive and Maybank intersection, burying power lines along the municipal golf course, a new fire station, and the new John’s Island Recreation Center. They also walk through the November county transportation sales tax ballot question, so listeners can get informed before they vote.

Talking Charleston is a brand new monthly podcast from the City of Charleston that focuses on issues that affect all of us every day. Every month, the Mayor sits down with a different Charleston council member to go over what is happening in their district and beyond.

Watch or listen to Talking Charleston wherever you get your podcasts!Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0346CDe7AOhWZcBf5UKYf9YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW4POECQG_hQApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-charleston/id6815488372

Johns Island "Town and Country" Plan:https://www.charleston-sc.gov/892/Johns-Island-Community-Plan

Chapters:

(00:00) Intro

(00:33) Who is Jim McBride?

(03:34) How the 526 Extension impacted zoning

(07:20) City, county and state working together

(09:30) The Maybank Highway widening

(11:43) Why do projects take so long?

(15:05) The zoning rewrite and the November sales tax

(17:21) Greenbelt, conservation and the urban growth boundary

(20:09) The River Road and Maybank "pitchfork"

(20:39) Maybank as a "Main Street"

(23:54) Sidewalks on Maybank?

(26:03) Stronger TRC review and traffic impact studies

(28:40) Infrastructure before growth

(33:19) Fixing Riverland Drive and Maybank

(36:29) The new John's Island Recreation Center

(38:10) Other projects on Johns Island

(39:08) 2028: The Year of Jubilee

Intro Music:"Cool Intro" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In the debut episode of Talking Charleston, Mayor William Cogswell sits down with Councilman Ross Appel, who represents parts of West Ashley and James Island. The conversation was recorded September 18th.

Appel and the mayor dig into Charleston's growing pains: why the city doesn't control most of its own roads, how state and county funding structures shape local traffic solutions, and what "concurrency" legislation could mean for future development.

They do a deep dive on the Riverland Oaks property on James Island, explaining how decades-old zoning and the city's strengthened stormwater manual have already cut the project from 153 to 95 units, and what other options are still at our disposal.

The conversation also covers recent happenings in Appel's district, including the Fort Pemberton Park ribbon cutting, the Windermere stormwater project, signal retiming in West Ashley, an upcoming pothole repair partnership with SCDOT, and the plan to bury power lines along the municipal golf course.

Talking Charleston is a brand new monthly podcast from the City of Charleston that focuses on issues that affect all of us every day. Every month, the Mayor sits down with a different Charleston council member to go over what is happening in their district and beyond.

Watch or listen to Talking Charleston wherever you get your podcasts!

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0346CDe7AOhWZcBf5UKYf9

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW4POECQG_hQ

Apple:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-charleston/id6815488372

Chapters:

(00:00) Welcome to Talking Charleston!

(00:48) West Ashley and James Island overview

(01:11) Traffic and Growth

(01:53) Why SCDOT owns most of our roads

(03:06) How are roads are funded?

(06:45) How "Concurrency" laws could help

(13:04) Riverland Oaks

(14:40) "Why can't the City say no?"

(16:52) "Why can't the city buy out Riverland Oaks?"

(21:16) How Stormwater regulations cut units

(23:54) Using Greenbelt funding to cut units

(30:11) Red tape getting in the way

(35:05) State of the City West Ashley

(39:26) What does it mean to be from Charleston?

(45:59) What's coming to West Ashley/James Island?

(48:59) Closing time!

Intro Music:

"Cool Intro" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/