Economic Goals and Policies

INTRODUCTION

Background

The basis of the comprehensive planning process is in the South Carolina Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act of 1994 (SC Code §6-29-310 through §6-29-1200), which repealed and replaced all existing state statutes authorizing municipal planning and zoning. The 1994 Act establishes the comprehensive plan as the essential first step of the planning process and mandates that the plan must be systematically evaluated and updated. Elements of the plan must be reevaluated at least once every five years, and the entire plan must be updated at least once every ten years. The Town of Moncks Corner is approximately 33 miles from downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Moncks Corner is the county seat of Berkeley County and is also part of the Charleston-North Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). This MSA has experienced rapid growth over recent decades; from 2000 to 2010, the population swelled from 549,033 to 664,607, a 21.1% growth rate. As the Charleston region is growing rapidly, Moncks Corner has begun to experience significant population growth. According to the U.S. Census, the Town’s population grew from 7,885 to 9,307, from 2010 to 2016, which represents an 18.0% increase in less than a decade.

Outside the Town, Berkeley County is poised to add to current growth in the Charleston MSA with the arrival of the Volvo manufacturing plant, expected to be completed in 2018. Other manufacturers, such as AudioTechnica, an audio manufacturing company, have recently opened distribution centers near Moncks Corner. As of June 2016, Berkeley County has recruited $1.1 billion in new economic investments with more than 4,100 jobs announced in only 18 months. Since Moncks Corner last updated its Comprehensive Plan in 2012, the Town has undergone a significant amount of growth – both residential and commercial. Based on recent and anticipated continued growth, the Town is taking proactive steps to nurture, guide, and direct future growth to maintain its high quality of life for Moncks Corner residents.

A comprehensive plan provides a vision, clearly stated and shared by all, that describes the future of the community. It protects private property rights and also encourages and supports economic development. The plan inventories the Town’s existing conditions and amenities and assesses their functionality and relationship to one another. This inventory enables the Town to take stock of where they are today (strengths and weaknesses) and where they want to go (opportunities and challenges). This plan was developed through a collaborative effort involving the Moncks Corner Planning Commission, community leaders, citizen input, and data research and analysis. Based on a study of existing conditions and public workshops, the Town has identified and defined its vision, goals, policies, priorities and implementation strategies.

Purpose

The comprehensive plan provides a primary basis for evaluating all future development, redevelopment and land use decisions in Moncks Corner, and assists the community in achieving the development patterns it desires, such as traditional neighborhoods, infill development, and those creating a sense of place, providing transportation alternatives, permitting mixed uses, protecting natural resources and accommodating