Economic Development Committee
Regular MeetingMount Pleasant, SC · July 1, 2019
Minutes
TOWN OF MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Monday, July 1, 2019
Municipal Complex, Committee Meeting Room, 3rd Floor
100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
MINUTES
Members Present: Kathy Landing, Chair; Bob Brimmer; and Joe Bustos
Members Absent: Rick Crosby (MPW)
Staff Present: Eric DeMoura, Town Administrator; John Holladay,
Business Development Manager
Ms. Landing called the meeting to order at 2:24 p.m.
1. Approval of Minutes from the June 3, 2019 meeting
Mr. Brimmer moved to approve; seconded by Mr. Bustos. All present
voted in favor.
2. Public Comments
[None]
3. Review of development/redevelopment potential properties map
Mr. Holladay reviewed a map that was presented to the Mayor’s
Economic Development panel. He stated that this map included business
leaders to help guide the Town’s economic development efforts. This
includes properties that are available on the market through the
commercial multiple listing service (CMLS), and his intent was to link the
Town’s geographical information system (GIS), to the CMLS. He said;
however, that the CMLS system already serves this purpose which is
designed to be provided to licensed commercial real estate brokers. He
said this map may also contain properties that are not currently for sale.
This map was developed with the assistance of the Town’s Planning
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July 1, 2019
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Department and the properties in blue are the development
opportunities.
He said they would like to have properties identified, even if those
properties are not on the market. He said when a business wishes to
locate to Mount Pleasant, they are looking at the fastest means to go
from concept to ribbon-cutting. He said this is why his initial focus has
been to identify the redevelopment properties in yellow.
Economic Development Committee
July 1, 2019
Page 3 of 11
He stated that the permitting process can be faster, and the impact fees
will typically not be as great since the fee is based on the difference
between the former business and the new business. He stated that he
focused on properties with redevelopment potential that are closely
located to the bridge as this provides a prime location for the Town’s
targeted economic development businesses such as Information
Technology, Specialty Logistics, Software Development, Project
Management and Corporate Headquarters.
Ms. Landing stated that she was advised that the Harbor Point
Apartments is now down to a 50% occupancy. She said it may be more
run down and would be nice to be redeveloped into something that may
be more competitive in pricing for young people with a great location.
Mr. Holladay reviewed the potential planned development at Patriots
Point by Bennett Hospitality, which is a mixed use development.
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July 1, 2019
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Ms. Landing stated that this also includes the land where the National
Medal of Honor site was to be constructed. She asked if this site was part
of Mr. Bennett’s lease.
Mr. DeMoura stated that his understanding was that since it fell through
with the National group, the site reverted back to Patriots Point
Development Authority. He does not believe there was an option in the
larger agreement with Mr. Bennet that would allow this land to go to
him, under his agreement, if it fell through with the National
Congressional Medal of Honor. He added that he believes it is still
retained by Patriot’s Point Development Authority.
Mr. Holladay stated that the Town recognizes significant economic
development opportunity and the relocation of the South Carolina Ports
Authority headquarters to the Wando Welch Terminal. He said the port
has a $53 billion annual impact to the State of South Carolina and has
been named the most productive port in the US. He said with companies
desiring to locate near and around this area, it creates a competitive
advantage that the Town has not experienced previously.
Economic Development Committee
July 1, 2019
Page 5 of 11
He said shown are some of the parcels near the Port that could
potentially be available. He said there are quite a few parcels that are in
unincorporated Charleston County.
Ms. Landing asked about the property in blue to the right where the
Chick Filet is currently located. She stated that they are clearing this
property.
Mr. DeMoura stated that he is not aware.
Mr. Ulma stated that there are some Design Review Board approved
development plans that are currently in process.
Mr. DeMoura stated that until the sewer issue there has been resolved,
he believes that they are simply doing general clean up.
Mr. Brimmer stated that in the center of the illustration there are two
parcels of property that are proposed to be opportunities for future
development. He asked what differentiates those parcels from others in
that area.
Mr. Holladay stated that because of the size, an office space can be built
there. He said these are vacant parcels and may be built upon.
Ms. Landing stated that identifying these properties and being aware may
help when having discussions with developers and potential businesses.
Economic Development Committee
July 1, 2019
Page 6 of 11
Mr. Holladay stated that he would like to show potential businesses the
redevelopment opportunities and will get them in business quicker.
Mr. Brimmer stated that he has discomfort discussing an apartment
complex as a potential redevelopment opportunity when they are
currently still operating. He asked Mr. Holladay how he communicates
with potential business developers about existing businesses that are still
viable.
Mr. Holladay stated that everything has a value and if, for example, the
apartment complex has a low occupancy, they may be motivated to sell.
Ms. Landing added that the existing business may want to partner.
4. Continued discussion regarding business licenses and impact fees
a. Review of home based businesses and business licenses
b. Impact fees for large employers versus small businesses
Mr. Holladay stated that in July 2017 the impact fees were
implemented with a 50% discount, which was reduced in January 2018
to 35% with a final discount of 20% in July 2018. He said impact fees
do not have any impact on home based businesses because they do
not pay impact fees. He said home based businesses have steadily
increased over the years.
Economic Development Committee
July 1, 2019
Page 7 of 11
He said the larger businesses with ten employees or more has a steady
number of business licenses over three years, which happened over
three different increments of impact fees.
Economic Development Committee
July 1, 2019
Page 8 of 11
Mr. Holladay stated that the small businesses would likely be
impacted more than the large economic development projects,
because there are programs available to offset some of the impact
fees for the economic development projects. He said he cannot see
how impact fees are causing a shrinking business economy in Mount
Pleasant.
Mr. Holladay stated that when looking at all the businesses, they are
all trending in a positive direction.
Economic Development Committee
July 1, 2019
Page 9 of 11
Mr. Brimmer stated that it appears that the 2019 numbers in all of the
charts had a downward trend. He asked if this decrease was a cyclical
decrease based on the time of the year or something else. He said
2016, 2017 and 2018 show increases; however he believes 2019 will
have a different trend line. He is concerned from a budget standpoint
that if the Town is seeing a downward trend, the Town needs to
intervene instead of waiting.
Ms. Landing stated that she has been approached by businesses that
stated that they are not being put in the correct category.
Mr. DeMoura asked that if questions such as this come to Council to
have them call the Town. He said the code the Town operates in is
nation-wide. He said there have been times where they found a
company that was misplaced and acted immediately to correct it. He
said in relation to some of the business licenses, construction is a
major portion of the local economy, which has been down for the
Town. Reports show that single family housing, townhomes, and
commercial are down. He said budgetarily, staff has accounted for a
slowdown. He said in the construction industry, subcontractors are
not pulling business licenses, because there is less work.
Mr. Brimmer requested that Mr. Holladay send him the file with the
information so that he is able to look at it more closely. He believes
this will show the beginning of a downward trend.
Ms. Landing stated that when you have a business that employs the
residents close to home, it decreases the impact of vehicle trips, but it
does not appear that this is being accounted for.
Mr. DeMoura stated that it is not tracked.
Ms. Landing stated that businesses do not create the same impact on
the roads that residential does.
Mr. Bustos stated that businesses do create car trips to the
businesses.
Economic Development Committee
July 1, 2019
Page 10 of 11
5. Discussion regarding band width needs and Wi-Fi coverage for
businesses
Mr. Holladay stated that Mount Pleasant is a competitive market for
wireless broadband providers. He said 100% of Mount Pleasant’s
population and geographical area is covered by 4G network, which allows
download speeds up to approximately 50 megabytes per second.
In the near future, the Town will have 5G access as the latest step
forward in cellular network evolution. The technology which is designed
to supplement rather than replace 4G networks, may accelerate cellular
data transfer to 1 gigabytes per second and beyond.
Economic Development Committee
July 1, 2019
Page 11 of 11
6. Adjourn
There being no further business, Committee adjourned at 3:07 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Ashe
July 1, 2019
Agenda
MOUNT PLEASANT COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL
MEETING NOTICE
Municipal Complex, Committee Meeting Room, 3rd Floor
100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
Monday, July 1, 2019
Bids and Purchases Committee 8:30 a.m.
Public Services Committee 8:45 a.m.
Police, Judicial, and Legal Committee 9:30 a.m.
Education Committee 10:30 a.m.
Finance Committee 11:00 a.m.
Planning and Development Committee 12:30 p.m.
Economic Development Committee 2:00 p.m.
The following Committees will not meet:
Fire Committee
Human Resources Committee
Recreation Committee
Transportation Committee
Water Supply Committee
Title VI Notice: The Town of Mount Pleasant fully complies with Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and
Telephone (843) 884-8517 - Fax (843) 856-2180
www.tompsc.com
related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. Town
meetings are conducted in accessible locations, materials can be provided
in accessible formats, and provided in languages other than English. If you
would like accessibility or language accommodation, please contact the
Title VI Coordinator one week in advance of the meeting, at the Town of
Mount Pleasant at 843-884-8517.
Telephone (843) 884-8517 - Fax (843) 856-2180
www.tompsc.com
MOUNT PLEASANT COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
BIDS AND PURCHASES COMMITTEE
Monday, July 1, 2019
8:30 a.m.
Municipal Complex, Committee Meeting Room, 3rd Floor
100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
AGENDA
1. Approval of Minutes from the June 4, 2019 meeting
2. Public Comments
3. Award of a contract for traffic signal preemption software and
hardware to support fire response
4. Award of a contract for stormwater repair and rehabilitation for
Mallard Lakes, The Heritage, Shemwood II, and Shem Drive
5. Adjourn
Title VI Notice: The Town of Mount Pleasant fully complies with Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and
related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. Town
meetings are conducted in accessible locations, materials can be provided
in accessible formats, and provided in languages other than English. If you
would like accessibility or language accommodation, please contact the
Title VI Coordinator one week in advance of the meeting, at the Town of
Mount Pleasant at 843-884-8517.
Telephone (843) 884-8517 - Fax (843) 856-2180
www.tompsc.com
MOUNT PLEASANT COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE
Monday, July 1, 2019
8:45 a.m.
Municipal Complex, Committee Meeting Room, 3rd Floor
100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
AGENDA
1. Approval of Minutes from the April 1, 2019 meeting
2. Public Comments
3. Employee service recognition
4. Discussion and potential action regarding e-waste
5. Update on phase II of roll cart distribution
6. Adjourn
Title VI Notice: The Town of Mount Pleasant fully complies with Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and
related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. Town
meetings are conducted in accessible locations, materials can be provided
in accessible formats, and provided in languages other than English. If you
would like accessibility or language accommodation, please contact the
Title VI Coordinator one week in advance of the meeting, at the Town of
Mount Pleasant at 843-884-8517.
Telephone (843) 884-8517 - Fax (843) 856-2180
www.tompsc.com
MOUNT PLEASANT COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
POLICE, JUDICIAL & LEGAL COMMITTEE
Monday, July 1, 2019
9:30 a.m.
Municipal Complex, Committee Meeting Room, 3rd Floor
100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
AGENDA
1. Approval of Minutes from the June 3, 2019 meeting
2. Public Comments
3. Police matters
a. Employee years of service recognition
4. Judicial matters
No agenda items
5. Legal matters
a. Discussion and possible action with regard to Forms of Government
and Election Method of Council Members
6. Adjourn
Title VI Notice: The Town of Mount Pleasant fully complies with Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and
related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. Town
meetings are conducted in accessible locations, materials can be provided
in accessible formats, and provided in languages other than English. If you
would like accessibility or language accommodation, please contact the
Title VI Coordinator one week in advance of the meeting, at the Town of
Mount Pleasant at 843-884-8517.
Telephone (843) 884-8517 - Fax (843) 856-2180
www.tompsc.com
MOUNT PLEASANT COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Monday, July 1, 2019
10:30 a.m.
Municipal Complex, Committee Meeting Room, 3rd Floor
100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
AGENDA
1. Approval of Minutes from the February 4, 2019 meeting
2. Public Comments
3. Discussion and potential action regarding the formation of a Youth
Council
4. Adjourn
Title VI Notice: The Town of Mount Pleasant fully complies with Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and
related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. Town
meetings are conducted in accessible locations, materials can be provided
in accessible formats, and provided in languages other than English. If you
would like accessibility or language accommodation, please contact the
Title VI Coordinator one week in advance of the meeting, at the Town of
Mount Pleasant at 843-884-8517.
Telephone (843) 884-8517 - Fax (843) 856-2180
www.tompsc.com
MOUNT PLEASANT COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Monday, July 1, 2019
11:00 a.m.
Municipal Complex, Committee Meeting Room, 3rd Floor
100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
AGENDA
1. Approval of Minutes from the June 4, 2019 meeting
2. Public Comments
3. Employee recognition
4. Discussion and potential action regarding a referendum for open space
5. Discussion and potential action regarding parking meters at Memorial
Waterfront Park
6. Update on Wando Docks
7. Adjourn
Title VI Notice: The Town of Mount Pleasant fully complies with Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and
related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. Town
meetings are conducted in accessible locations, materials can be provided
in accessible formats, and provided in languages other than English. If you
would like accessibility or language accommodation, please contact the
Title VI Coordinator one week in advance of the meeting, at the Town of
Mount Pleasant at 843-884-8517.
Telephone (843) 884-8517 - Fax (843) 856-2180
www.tompsc.com
MOUNT PLEASANT COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Monday, July 1, 2019
12:30 p.m.
Municipal Complex, Committee Meeting Room, 3rd Floor
100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
AGENDA
1. Approval of Minutes from the June 3, 2019 meeting
2. Public Comments
3. Discussion of tree trimming near power lines
4. Old Business
a. R-13-19, Request to rezone one parcel from R-1, Single Family
Residential District, to CC, Community Conservation District, located
at 1570 Mathis Ferry Road and known as Grace Bible Church. TMS
No. 559-00-00-080
5. Review of Planning Commission recommendations from the June 12,
2019 Special Meeting and the June 19, 2019 meeting
a. Proposal to amend chapter 156 of the Mount Pleasant Code of
Ordinances by adding a new section entitled Short Term Rentals.
The purpose of this new section is to define and regulate the use of
residential units as short term rentals in order to protect the
integrity and character of the Town’s existing neighborhoods, as well
as the health and safety of occupants of short term rental units.
b. R-16-19, Request to amend the Belle Hall PD, Planned Development
District Ordinance, and Conceptual Plan, pertaining to the Seacoast
Parcel (Ordinance No. 13034 adopted in 2013 and subsequently
Telephone (843) 884-8517 - Fax (843) 856-2180
www.tompsc.com
amended), to remove the requirement for a 5-foot pervious mulch
trail located within the wooded buffer along I-526, located at Tidal
Walk/Seacoast Parkway.
c. Proposal to amend Chapter 156 of the Mount Pleasant Code of
Ordinances by changing the Coleman Boulevard Overlay District
Development Guidelines Table, as provided in Section 156.318(P)(4),
as it relates to the maximum heights in subarea B2 of the district,
along with any associated provisions in Section 156.318(P) which
might affect the measurement of and allowance of building heights
and stories within the overall overlay district.
d. Proposal to amend Chapter 156 of the Mount Pleasant Code of
Ordinances by amending the requirement of a minimum of 160
caliper inches per acre be retained on site, as provided in Section
156.225(E)(5). Proposed is to reduce this minimum requirement for
certain land uses, such as civic and park uses. Also proposed is to
amend the language in Section 156.225 to clarify that the minimum
caliper inches required is a development standard that must be
provided on site and/or covered by a payment into the tree bank.
6. Proposed Ordinance 51.013 Change – Public Right of Way Planting and
Replacement
7. Adjourn
Title VI Notice: The Town of Mount Pleasant fully complies with Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and
related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. Town
meetings are conducted in accessible locations, materials can be provided
in accessible formats, and provided in languages other than English. If you
would like accessibility or language accommodation, please contact the
Title VI Coordinator one week in advance of the meeting, at the Town of
Mount Pleasant at 843-884-8517.
Telephone (843) 884-8517 - Fax (843) 856-2180
www.tompsc.com
MOUNT PLEASANT COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Monday, July 1, 2019
2:00 p.m.
Municipal Complex, Committee Meeting Room, 3rd Floor
100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
AGENDA
1. Approval of Minutes from the June 3, 2019 meeting
2. Public Comments
3. Review of development/redevelopment potential properties map
4. Continued discussion regarding business licenses and impact fees
a. Review of home based businesses and business licenses
b. Impact fees for large employers versus small businesses
5. Discussion regarding band width needs and Wi-Fi coverage for
businesses
6. Adjourn
Title VI Notice: The Town of Mount Pleasant fully complies with Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and
related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. Town
meetings are conducted in accessible locations, materials can be provided
in accessible formats, and provided in languages other than English. If you
would like accessibility or language accommodation, please contact the
Title VI Coordinator one week in advance of the meeting, at the Town of
Mount Pleasant at 843-884-8517.
Telephone (843) 884-8517 - Fax (843) 856-2180
www.tompsc.com
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