Full Court Press

The City of Charleston Police Department recently took on West Ashley High School’s varsity basketball team in an exhibition game as part of the city’s anti-bullying campaign.
But now there seems to be a very different kind of game being played between the City and West Ashley … and bullying might just part of the strategy.
For the second time in three months, members of City Council representing big chunks of West Ashley are pressuring Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. to keep his eye on the West Ashley goal.
In February, councilmen Aubry Alexander, Keith Waring, and Bill Moody entered a letter into council’s public meeting asking Riley for renewed focus on West Ashley traffic concerns and help raising $300,000.
It was a bit of a power move, as the traditional maneuver would be to simply send Riley the letter and discuss it later.
Compounding its impact were the names of four other councilmembers, including the signature of Kathleen Wilson of James Island, added to the letter at that meeting.
Last week, Alexander, Waring, and Moody were at it again. This time they sent another official letter, this time directly to the mayor.
This time, though, instead of asking for a renewed focus, they were asking for specific help to the tune of $150,000. The rest of the money could come from matching funds from the county’s half-cent sales tax raised for roads projects.
Alexander said that he, Waring, and Moody had contacted a consultant to find out how much it would cost to have a detailed urban design infrastructure assessment completed.
The assessment would focus primarily on the triangle formed by Old Town Road, and St. Andrews and Sam Rittenberg boulevards. As before, the plan would be to see what could be done to visually and structurally enhance those roads.
Alexander said that Savannah Highway could be added to the mix later.
But why does that triangle need a $300,000 study? Hasn’t the mayor and his staff, specifically city planning director Tim Keane and a new planner recently hired to look after West Ashley, been working for over a year on a plan to revitalize this part of town?
Haven’t there been tons of meetings and hearings and presentations and promises and plans for Citadel Mall, the Sam Rittenberg commercial corridor, the wonky intersection between the boulevard and Old Town Road?
Do these three councilmen doubt the great and powerful Riley?
In short, no. They’re just learning a lesson from the deceased former mayor of Mt. Pleasant, Harry Hallman, whom they said had a plan in place when the half-cent came online.
Public planning and expenditure will be critical in revitalizing areas like the Sam Rittenberg triangle, according to Alexander.
“We can’t revitalize the area, as I have said many times, without government investment in the area,” said Alexander. “We are not going to see the private sector step up until we do something here like was done on Upper King Street.”
Once fancy lampposts were installed, granite curbs were placed, and slate sidewalks were installed on Upper King, then and only, Alexander said, did business follow “in an area that not too long ago people would not walk in.”
Alexander said he hasn’t heard from the planning department about what it’s up to currently in the West Ashley plan.
Councilman Moody said that the $300,000 was not a slap in the face to the work done by Keane and others, but was an attempt to give the new West Ashley planner, Mandy Herring, “something to work on that has some meat on it.”
Councilman Waring said the need for a comprehensive plan is predicated on the success of Daniel Island.
“Daniel Island was a blank slate, that wasn’t supposed to ‘happen’ for 20 to 25 years,” said Waring. “But they happened to have a plan, and look how fast everything has grown out there.”
Waring said another reason to have a comprehensive plan in place for West Ashley is that “one of these years, the school district’s local option sales tax is going to drop off.”
That could create an opportunity for future local optional sales taxes to go for West Ashley’s rebirth, to Waring’s way of seeing things. “It’s 2015, and there is no reason why a road like Sam Rittenberg shouldn’t have sidewalks,” he said.
Alexander said that while he is not trying to ruffle Riley’s feathers, he added:
“We will continue to push for ideas to revitalize West Ashley. It’s why we were elected. It’s part of our jobs. We will continue to write letters, to ask for funding, to look for funding sources, and to stay engaged in the process of improving West Ashley.”