Pressure Washing in Mt Pleasant, SC

Most every city in America has a once-vibrant mall or shopping street or other retail center that is struggling as retail trends have evolved and more people purchase goods online without ever stepping foot into a store.

There's not a lot elected officials can do to alter these economic forces, but there are actions they can take to help ensure the fallout doesn't leave a lingering scar.

Mount Pleasant Town Council has such an opportunity, and we urge it to take advantage of it.

The owners of Towne Centre — one of Mount Pleasant's largest retail hubs and a complex whose name has become increasingly apt given the town's growth northward along U.S. Highway 17 — are seeking zoning changes that would allow new residential construction on parts of its surface parking lots.

Such changes have the potential to do a lot of good things, including addressing the town's significant housing affordability problem by adding hundreds of new units, at least half of which would have affordable rental rates. That also would ease growth pressures at the rural edge of the town. And also importantly, the new residential component would help keep Towne Centre a lively, desirable place — one that continues to dodge the downturns.

Council's Planning Committee is right to take a measured, thoughtful approach to the proposed changes, and it makes sense that the group voted Monday to defer the rezoning request to next month as it tries to ensure it makes the correct decision.

Most of the committee's questions were about the additional height sought by the owners. With two exceptions, Towne Centre's current zoning limits building heights to 35 feet; the owners have asked for up to 75 feet in spots. The town's Planning Commission has recommended allowing up to 55-foot-tall buildings on no more than 20% of the site.

Ultimately, what's most important is not how tall the new buildings are but how tall they look to those driving by or approaching the vast, 45-acre complex. Height can be masked by setbacks, and Town Council is wise to consider how best to assure any new construction avoids a tall, jarring look that clashes with the existing, familiar buildings.

The current zoning is a planned development created uniquely for that site, and the owners are seeking to amend it to allow four residential units per acre, plus another four units per acre priced at an attainable level, according to the town's formula. This is the most important and should be the least controversial part, as Mount Pleasant's affordability challenges might be among the worst of any city in the state. Unlike Charleston, Mount Pleasant has pledged few public dollars to help address this; at the very least, it can and should look at zoning changes to enable more affordable housing to be built.

The issue of parking is important, too, but Town Council should consider revising the standard here from one space for every 250 square feet of building to a more flexible standard adopted by the Urban Land Institute, which essentially recognizes that retail stores and residential buildings can share parking spaces because one use needs them during business hours and the other mostly needs them after hours. We agree with Councilman Jake Rambo's comment Monday: "The last thing I want to see are a lot of empty parking spaces."

When Towne Centre first opened, it distinguished itself from most other modern shopping centers with a more traditional design that harkened back to the era when shop owners lived a floor above their store. Its architecture resembled a more traditional shopping venue, such as King Street.

The proposed zoning changes could make Towne Centre more closely resemble these popular, historic shopping streets, not just in appearance but also in use.

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The results of an $108 million referendum to bring Charleston County libraries into the 21st Century back in 2014 were made manifest at the July 9 Mount Pleasant Town Council meeting.

On hand to show and discuss improvements yielded with those public monies was Charleston County Public Library (CCPL) Executive Director Angela Craig, who walked public officials through recent upgrades at Mount Pleasant's three branches.

The CCPL spokesperson began by highlighting the Wando Mount Pleasant Library's fifth anniversary, while also mentioning the numerous amenities at the 40,000 square-foot "jewel of a complex."

The Carolina Park venue — one of five new library edifices added with referendum funds — currently features a 250-seat auditorium, two editing labs, two creative studios, dedicated areas for children, teens and adults, along with a storytime room, study spaces and learning labs.

The auditorium in particular, according to Craig, has served the community well, as astronaut presentations and summer reading sessions have taken place inside the spacious quarters.

"Right now, we are thriving with summer reading. Wando Library has some of the highest completion rates for several reading programs, we are proud to say," added the University of South Carolina grad and avid reader of all genres.

Craig went on to showcase slides of recent events at the Wando Mount Pleasant branch, including scenes of a fishing program in progress, as well as a teen information session on the dangers of opioid use.

When shifting her focus to the Mount Pleasant Library on Mathis Ferry Road, Craig shared that the location has retained more shelves since its 2021-2022 renovation due to producing the highest checkout rates countywide.

The smaller Village Library on Whilden Street, conversely, experienced a more efficient use of its floor plan during the site's 2022-2023 remodeling, which also furnished the public venue with updated carpeting and new furniture.

"We are very, very thrilled to have our three libraries here in this town that we love serving because it's a wonderful place to live and grow," said the married mother of two. "Our five focus areas are: literacy, workforce development, educational success, community engagement and equity. That is the center of everything that we do for our services, our partnerships."

At the conclusion of Craig's rundown, Councilmember Howard Chapman lauded the County's Public Works department for improving and maintaining the aesthetics of the three local libraries in question.

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The first time I “heard” Meg Mauro I was waiting to have a mammogram. Always a little nervous before each bi-yearly screening appointment, I couldn’t help but relax as I listened to her playing Ave Maria on the piano at MUSC’s Mount Pleasant location. Six months later, I heard her again — this time in the form of Christmas carols. After my appointment I went up to the second floor and introduced myself to the woman who had brought me peace as I had been waiting.

I recently was able to sit down and talk more in depth to Meg Mauro, who moved to Mount Pleasant from Connecticut when her husband earned a job transfer. She began playing the piano at the hospitals of MUSC and Roper St. Francis in a roundabout way. A financial planner by trade, Meg grew up in a medical family and knew she wanted to eventually work in a hospital setting in some capacity. Around the same time Meg moved to Mount Pleasant, she welcomed a little Dachshund, Beasley, into her life. It was then that she decided to get involved in pet therapy as a volunteer and had Beasley certified.

“You bring so much healing and happiness to patients through pet therapy,” she said. “Beasley and I volunteered on the third-floor infusion unit and at MUSC children’s hospital downtown. We couldn’t visit with patients during COVID, so I had a cardboard cut-out of Beasley made during that time with a bark box. It barked when people walked by.”

Meg told me one of her favorite memories was visiting with a 4-year-old boy who was very sick and had been in the hospital for months. “One day I was surprised when he told me he was better and going home. But then he burst out crying because he said how much he was going to miss me and Beasley.”

Pet therapy transitioned into playing the piano when Beasley passed away. “Unfortunately he ruptured a disk in his back when he was only six-years-old and became paralyzed. He had surgery to correct it, but he later got an infection. Shortly afterwards, my husband bought me a baby grand to replace an old piano. Playing helped me to heal, so I thought maybe it could help others as well. And I realized I could reach more people through music.”

Meg began playing the piano when she was in fourth grade. She played for about two years, but then began to battle with her mother over practicing. She resumed playing when her kids began playing. “By then I had an appreciation for music and wanted to give my kids a musical foundation. I took lessons alongside them.”

Meg loves how music travels in the MUSC Midtown location throughout the first and second floor because it’s so open. In spring of 2022, a woman named Wendy Sharp donated the piano and Fox Music was kind enough to have it transported. It was dedicated to Beasley and her picture always sits on top of the piano as Meg plays. “When you lose a pet, they leave behind so many gifts. Beasley left me the gift of music and healing for others.”

Almost every single time Meg plays, people come up to her. Though she always opens up and closes with the same songs, some of her favorites to play are Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkle, Make You Feel My Love by Adele, What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong and You Lift Me Up by Josh Groban.

I asked Meg if she bought another dog after Beasley passed and she said yes. “Originally, we planned to get a labradoodle, but one day during COVID my husband looked at me and said, 'I’d really like another hotdog,' and I agreed. We now have Olive, who is one. ”

Though Meg and her husband love Olive just as much as Beasley, Meg says they have different personalities. She says Olive is still quite timid and Meg is not yet sure if she would make a good therapy dog. So for now, in between playing the piano, Meg trains other dogs to be therapy dogs at Roper St. Francis thorough a program called The Beasley Foundation.

Meg Mauro is a wonderful example of shining her light by donating her free time and generously using her gifts and talents. If you would like more information on either program, visit the MUSC Arts in Healing program at www.muschealth.org, or The Beasley Foundation at www.rsfhfoundation.org.

|Updated: Jun. 25, 2024 at 7:48 AM EDT

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - A project that has been in the works for about three years is another step closer to completion.

The $6.75 million project will bring several new amenities and updates to Memorial Waterfront Park and the project is now in phase three and reaching the last leg.

Crews have made a lot of headway this year. In May, they completed the ¼ mile walking path and installed the MoveStrong outdoor fitness equipment. This area includes a calisthenics and functional fitness area, as well as an obstacle course with fitness challenge stations. They have also completed the fenced-in dog park to accommodate both large and small dogs. They have also mounted a structure showcasing a piece of the original Grace Memorial Bridge.

Now, crews are actively working on installing a splash pad for community members to use that will feature a tower replicating the old water tower that used to stand in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant. They are also working on pouring the asphalt for the multi-purpose sports court. This court will accommodate two basketball courts and four pickleball courts. Crews have also almost completed the restroom facility. They are making improvements to parking and once these steps are completed, all that will be left is the addition of landscaping, signage and park furnishings.

Steve Gergick is the Director of Recreation for the Town of Mount Pleasant. He says they are looking forward to getting this project completed and bringing these new amenities to the community.

“We’re really excited about it, it’s been a long time,” he says. “This area has been just used for an overflow parking for a long time and to be able to take this big chunk of space and be able to put it to use for the community, both in additional parking but the dog park, the pickleball courts, the basketball courts, the splash pad, all those sort of things that people have been wanting this for a long time. So, it’s been about three years in the works and it’s coming to a close. We’re excited about it.”

Many residents in the area also shared their excitement for these new additions, especially as the town continues to grow and expand. Mount Pleasant resident Elton Carrier, says he is looking forward to the impact these new amenities will have on their growing community.

“Our community is 100,000 strong now so, back when this first was open, it was not near that, so any more capacity we can provide - or the town can provide - is terrific,” Carrier says. “It’s much needed. Our residents love this place, so anything they can add to it and enhance it would be terrific and the progress so far looks really good.”

Community members can enjoy all the new additions and updates very soon as this project is anticipated to be fully completed by September. For all project updates, you can go to the Town of Mount Pleasant’s website linked here or through the town’s Facebook, Instagram and X pages.

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