A Park that Struck a Chord
Land is at a premium in Mt. Pleasant, SC. The boom of this charming town began a couple of decades ago. It seems like yesterday when Snee Farm was “way out there” and Dunes West and Park West were just breaking ground. Mt. Pleasant gradually traded its beautiful, naturally-landscaped coastal small-town character, with sand and gravel parking lots for a more sophisticated and refined style. The polishing of Mt. Pleasant seemed to be occurring from both ends of the stick. At one end was a state of the art, architectural work-of-art being built to link Mt. Pleasant more safely and beautifully to Downtown Charleston. At the other end of the stick (AKA Highway 17), were large Master Planned communities that offered a variety of home styles, price-points as well as whole-lifestyle amenities. There was no stopping this growth!
Ravenel Bridge, Charleston SC
Mt. Pleasant has certainly seen plenty of differences in opinions over the years about the “right” and “wrong” way to develop or not-to-develop the lowcountry. There have even been mentions of “Go Back to Ohio” among area locals who simply wanted their old-town-feel back. Good thing Ohio people are generally pretty laid back and have a good sense of humor. You can certainly see the fantastic reasons Mt. Pleasant draws people from other areas of the country. With the beach only a short car ride away and the historic delights of downtown just over the gorgeous Ravenel Bridge, add in the sunshine and warm climate, you quickly see how and why Mt. Pleasant grew from 48,875 residents to 95,393 between 2000-2022. I am guilty as charged. Yes, I did not listen to the banter about going back to Ohio. I was sold from day one. Sure, we go back to Ohio for holidays to see family and to reminisce about a great upbringing in a family-focused town. However, every time we hop on Highway 526, the unmistakably stinky smell of the papermill and pluff mud wafting into our car is a sweet reminder that we love our Mt. Pleasant home even more!
Rifle Range Park Master Plan
As I mentioned, Mt. Pleasant has had its fair share of growing pains and with that, often comes strong, emotional opinions about how to keep Mt. Pleasant as wonderful as it has always been. Recently, a large wooded area full of wildlife and natural lowcountry habitat has been a hot target of opinions. Rifle Range Road Park is a proposed site with a long list of outdoor plans for sports and recreational activities. The property is around 245 acres of land consisting of wetlands, highlands, culturally significant areas and is partly owned by The Town of Mt. Pleasant and Charleston County Parks, each also include several acres of preserved parcel. The phases of the park plans are detailed below. The information was collected from The Town of Mt. Pleasant website.
Phase I
This project includes the construction of a 34,000 square foot recreation building with 2 court gymnasium with elevated walking track, and recreation rooms for youth and adult program offerings such as camps, dance, music, drama, and various recreation programs at the Rifle Range Road Park. This phase of the Rifle Range Road Park development will include required access roads, lights, parking, signage, and adjacent tennis courts, playground basketball courts, pavilion, and maintenance building.
Phase II
This project is for the continued development of Rifle Range Road Park and includes 2 multi-purpose fields, 2 baseball/softball fields, a large great lawn/meadow, outdoor volleyball courts, fishing dock, picnic pavilions, concession stand/restroom building, playgrounds, trails, disc golf course, pickleball courts, fitness stations, parking, access roads, all related water, sewer, drainage, irrigation, grading and site prep.
So, it all sounds wonderful! A park with a variety of options for the vastly growing area, right? No, it’s not that simple "It's about $6.67 a month on a $500,000 county tax-assessed home. Or about $ 80 a year. It sunsets, meaning in about 15 years (the tax) goes away," said John Iacofano, Mount Pleasant Town Council member. The age-old question continues. Here are some of the questions I’ve heard.
What about the growth and development of this land and what will it do to our wildlife?
What will happen to the sewage and drainage systems for the surrounding areas?
If we put in more cement, will it cause flooding?
Why can’t the land just stay untouched and like it is?
Why do we need another park when we already have several?
A tax hike when we are facing inflation?
My family is grown, why would I want to pay for a park?
I have children who play sports and must travel nearly an hour for a “home” field because Mt. Pleasant doesn’t have enough for all the teams.
Mt. Pleasant has grown by leaps and bounds and needs more outdoor space to help combat the use of technology with our youngsters.
Health and wellness is paramount and providing more space for such activities will ensure the importance of promoting a lifelong love of sports and human connections.
As you can imagine, the list goes on and on and on! I am not here to say which way is right or wrong because I certainly don’t want to be sent back to Ohio if my opinion differs from a local. 😊 By the way, I consider myself almost a local after living here for 22 years. Getting back to my point, I can actually see both sides of the coin. There are definitely pros and cons to most big development decisions and this project is certainly a hot topic! Sure, I would like to have more sports fields and beautiful places to play and enjoy the great outdoors! I only hope, and I honestly trust, that those researching and planning do it responsibility and with Mother Nature at the forefront of their strategies.
