A standing-room-only crowd of more than 350 turned out last night at the “Redesigning The Future of Lady’s Island” community forum sponsored by the Sea Island Corridor Coalition and the Coastal Conservation League.
The overflow crowd occupied every available seat in the cafeteria of Lady’s Island Elementary School. Town Planner Victor Dover walked the group through principles of sound neighborhood planning, and afterwards, attendees had a chance to work in groups on maps detailing where they believed growth on Lady’s Island could or should be accommodated, and what kinds.
More than a dozen city and county officials attended the three-hour session.
“This turnout of Lady’s Island residents sends a huge signal,” said Chuck Newton of the Sea Island Coalition. “For 350-plus to give up their evening to deal with development issues facing the island is testament to their concern about managing growth here. The community clearly wants to play a greater role in planning decisions than they have been accorded it in the past, and this was its first step in making this known to city and county officials,” he said.
The Sea Island Coalition and Coastal Conservation League are currently reviewing input from the meeting, and plan shortly to publish a report on meeting outcomes and next steps.
