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Thursday, May 22, 2003 |
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Posted on May 18, 2003 County is facing serious challenges to manage growth, sprawl
Growth represents the greatest challenge that Spartanburg County faces in trying to maintain and improve the quality of life for its residents. The county's population now exceeds 250,000 and continues to increase at the rate of about seven people per day. Land in the county is being developed at the rate of more than 10 acres per day, which is the equivalent of a brand new WestGate Mall every six days. It is the highest rate of land development in South Carolina. One thing is certain: The county is going to continue to grow and develop. The fact is that by 2015, there will be 39,000 more county residents. They will need 14,000 more homes, will drive 26,000 more cars and will discharge 5.6 million more gallons per day of wastewater. The momentous questions that Spartanburg County must address are: Where will all of these new residents live and work? How will their needs be met without degrading the quality of life for everyone? Will Spartanburg County become like "Anywhere USA," or will it continue to be a truly special place? Spartanburg County is not alone. Many fast-growing counties in South Carolina must address the same questions -- a fact recognized by none other than the new governor himself. During his campaign and in his first State of the State Address, Gov. Mark Sanford emphasized the urgent need to face the challenges posed by rapid growth and development. He even mentioned the "S" word (sprawl), the first governor in the history of South Carolina to use the word in the State of the State Address! We have come a long way! Shortly after he took office, Gov. Sanford appointed a Quality of Life Task Force to consider these important issues and make recommendations on what needs to be done. It is a broad-based group of people from around the state, with nearly every viewpoint represented. The task force unanimously approved its report and delivered it to the governor in February. It provides an inspiring blueprint on how our state and local governments can accommodate the dramatic growth that is taking place while protecting and improving the environment and quality of life for all. Some of the recommendations relate primarily to policies and changes needed at the state level, but there are others that local governments like Spartanburg County Council could implement right now, such as: * Support and fund programs to protect environmental and historic resources. * Require that major projects be consistent with local land-use plans. * Favor the restoration and construction of community-based small schools over the construction of new mega-schools. * Designate "priority investment areas" for future growth. * Public agencies should "plan where they build, and build only where they plan." * Give preference to maintaining existing highways over building new ones. * Integrate transportation planning with land-use planning. * Remove legal impediments to traditional neighborhood designs and provide incentives for such developments. * Provide incentives for infill development and redevelopment of brownfield sites. It is a terrific report that hopefully will inspire Spartanburg County's leaders to take action today so that the county will be ready for tomorrow. If they do, it should be comforting to know that the governor will be on their side. Brad Wyche is the executive director of Upstate Forever. He can be reached at 864-250-0500 or bwyche@upstateforever.org. Upstate Forever's Web site address is www.upstateforever.org. |
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All material ©2003 Spartanburg Herald-Journal | |
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