Mount Pleasant Open Space Inventory by East Cooper Land Trust

Open Space Inventory — Mount Pleasant, SC

NOTE ABOUT THIS REPORT Our organization was originally founded in 2002 by the Town of Mount Pleasant when the population of Mount Pleasant was nearing 48,000 people. The Town had grown significantly from a population of barely more than 14,000 people in 1980. The Town recognized, very wisely, a need to preserve open space as they continued to grow. In 2013, we became the East Cooper Land Trust and expanded our efforts to protect open space not only Mount Pleasant, but also the surrounding communities (Charleston County, Sullivan’s Island, Isle of Palms, Daniel Island, Awendaw, McClellanville and Cainhoy). We have expanded our collaborations with other land trusts, non-profit organizations, and government leaders. The characteristics that differentiate the East Cooper Land Trust from other land trusts in the area is our emphasis on integrating nature with urban and suburban areas and connecting you to natural areas with safe, multi-use trails. Our efforts will ensure that nature remains integrated with development. This in turn will provide residents with easy access to nature benefitting both their health and enjoyment. The East Cooper Land Trust in conjunction with the Speedwell Foundation conducted this Mount Pleasant Open Space Inventory so we could have an inventory of what we have today in Mount Pleasant. We are now working to prioritize and permanently protect critical areas in the East Cooper area. We rely on citizen support to sustain and expand our efforts. It has never been more important to save places for our children to play outdoors. Sincerely,

Catherine Main Executive Director, East Cooper Land Trust www.eastcooperland.org

EAST COOPER LAND TRUST — 2015

Open Space Inventory — Mount Pleasant, SC

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The U.S. Census Bureau recently cited Mt. Pleasant as one of the fastest growing municipalities in the country (1). In 1960, Mount Pleasant had a population of 5,716 living within 1.5 square miles (3,811 people per square mile). In 2010 the population was 67,843 living in an area of about 45 square miles (1,508 people per square mile). Estimates for 2015 place the population at over 84,000 as the Town continues to spread geographically. This rapid growth, with an influx of thousands of new residents and hundreds of acres of commercial development, dramatically increases the need for open space of all types. The main goal of this project was for East Cooper Land Trust to inventory both designed parkland (e.g. playgrounds, neighborhood parks, sports fields, and golf courses) and natural open space (e.g. wetlands and forests) within Mt. Pleasant. This provides an important base line for discussion of future open space needs in the East Cooper area and specifically for the Town of Mount Pleasant. In 2006, Charleston County adopted a Comprehensive Greenbelt Plan that established a goal of 30% open space (2). Currently just over 10 % of land area in the Town of Mount Pleasant is currently parks or natural open space, totaling 3,837 acres. To be in line with the County’s 30 percent goal, Mt. Pleasant would need 11,080 total acres of open space – an additional 7,243 acres more than we currently have. The 10 % existing Open Space was further broken down into the following categorizes: Public Active Recreation: 23 parcels totaling 253 acres comprised of built recreational facilities with public access for active use by Mt. Pleasant residents. Public Passive Parkland: 14 parcels totaling 2,107 acres comprised of predominantly natural open space areas with public access, but are not permanently protected. Small parks and open space within specific neighborhoods that are not open to the general public (intended for residents only) are not included in the calculations. Permanently Protected: 17 parcels totaling 1,479 acres comprised of lands that are protected forever under conservation easements held by land trusts and other conservation entities. Eight of the sites allow public access.

1- Cohen, T. “Population Trends in Incorporated Places: 2000-2013” (2015) U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/content/ dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p25-1142.pdf 2- “Comprehensive Greenbelt Plan.” (2006). Charleston County Greenbelt Program. http://charlestoncountygreenbelt.org/cgp.php

EAST COOPER LAND TRUST — 2015

Open Space Inventory — Mount Pleasant, SC

The Town of Mount Pleasant is an urban community within Charleston County, SC, and has been cited as the 9th fastest growing municipality in the U.S. (Census Bureau, 2013). With ever-increasing development pressure, the Town would stand to benefit from a current inventory of public parkland and natural open space that contains recreational and ecological value. In 2009, the Town planning area was extended beyond the 2003 planning area. This contains many land parcels that are not currently incorporated in the Town. “Unincorporated areas are included in the planning area to ensure continuity of land use policy between unincorporated and incorporated areas, and likewise, between the Town of Mount Pleasant and Charleston County” (Town of Mount Pleasant, 2009 Comprehensive Plan). The planning boundary is displayed in Figure 1, and contains approximately 36,932 acres. This entire area is used for statistics produced in this report, as Mount Pleasant residents benefit from any of the designed parkland and natural open space within this geographic boundary. Note: The planning area used in the 2014 update to the comprehensive plan was not used for in this report because it was determined that the 2009 planning area is a better representation of the geographic area of incorporated Mount Pleasant.

Figure 1: The Town of Mount Pleasant, SC planning area boundary as established by the 2009 Comprehensive Plan.

EAST COOPER LAND TRUST — 2015

Open Space Inventory — Mount Pleasant, SC

Waterfront Park, a public park owned by the Town of Mount Pleasant

Open space is natural land that has not been converted to residential, suburban, or commercial development. Open space traditionally includes forests, greenways, parks, meadows, fields, wetlands, and floodplains. This Open Space Inventory seeks to itemize and categorize all of the land within the Mount Pleasant planning area that is considered designed or natural open space, and does not face immediate risks from rezoning or development. These are areas preserved as public passive parkland, active recreational facilities, or for their cultural or ecological value. The lands serving the function as public parkland or outdoor recreational facilities are considered “designed open space” and have full public access. The lands preserved for their cultural or ecological value are considered “natural open space” and may be under conservation easement, which may or may not allow public access. This inventory contains all of the public parkland categorized by the entity that owns the land. Open space with public access that is owned by private entities and not under conservation easement is not included in this list, as it is currently not protected from rezoning or development. The Charleston County Parks & Recreation Commission (CCPRC) owns the most public parkland in Mount Pleasant at 1,813.4 acres, composed of two large public parks. Public parkland accounts for 6.4% of the total area within the planning area. This statistic includes both public passive parkland as well as active recreational facilities. Table 1 displays the inventory of all of the public passive parkland sites, and Table 2 displays the inventory of all public active recreational facility sites. EAST COOPER LAND TRUST — 2015

Marsh View Trail, a natural open space protected under conservation easementant

Open Space Inventory — Mount Pleasant, SC

Table 1: Inventory of Public Passive Parkland in Mount Pleasant, SC Site

Type

Owner

Palmetto Islands County Park

Passive Parkland

Charleston County Parks & Recreation

Area (acres) *943.0

Laurel Hill County Park

Passive Parkland

Charleston County Parks & Recreation

747.9

Future Rifle Range Road Park

Passive Parkland

Town of Mount Pleasant / CCPRC

245.0

Hamlin Park

Passive Parkland

Town of Mount Pleasant

61.3

Shem Creek Park

Passive Parkland

Town of Mount Pleasant

43.5

Charles Pickney National Historic Site

Passive Parkland

National Park Service

28.0

Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park

Passive Parkland

Town of Mount Pleasant

14.0

Dorothy B. Kearns Park

Passive Parkland

Town of Mount Pleasant

10.0

Mathis Ferry Road Passive Park

Passive Parkland

Town of Mount Pleasant

4.9

James B. Edwards Municipal Park

Passive Parkland

Town of Mount Pleasant

3.2

Otis M. Pickett Park (Pitt Street Bridge)

Passive Parkland

Town of Mount Pleasant

3.0

Patriots Point Nature Trail

Passive Parkland

Town of Mount Pleasant

2.5

Julian Weston Park

Passive Parkland

Town of Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant Pier

Passive Parkland

Charleston County Parks & Recreation

0.5 N/A

Inventory of all public passive parkland sites within the Mount Pleasant, SC planning area by owner (links to park info can be found by clicking the name). “Future Rifle Range Road Park” is a site that has been collaboratively purchased by the Town of Mount Pleasant and Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) using greenbelt funds. All parks listed have public access and contain predominantly natural open space, but are not permanently protected. Small neighborhood parks located within gated communities are not included in this table. The total acreage of this inventory is 2,106.8 acres. *Note: All acreages are approximate only and provide order of magnitude level information only. Also note that many parcels contain significant wetlands including marshes, creeks, swamps, and isolated freshwater wetlands (either jurisdictional or nonjurisdictional). In most cases these wetland areas and not “useable” from a development standpoint but may contribute to visual corridors or scenic vistas as well as providing wildlife habitat and significant native vegetation. In addition, some wetland areas could possibly contain walkways or boardwalks or provide access to waterways. Due to their general contribution to the overall open space of the area they were not excluded from the area calculations.

Shem Creek Park, a public park owned by the Town of Mount Pleasant EAST COOPER LAND TRUST — 2015

Open Space Inventory — Mount Pleasant, SC

Table 2: Inventory of Active Recreational Facilities in Mount Pleasant, SC Site

Type

Owner

Area (acres)

Carolina Park Sports Fields

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

77.0

Park West Recreation Complex

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

59.0

R.L. Jones Center

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

23.0

Cheryll Woods-Flowers Soccer Complex

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

15.0

Mount Pleasant/Mugsy Kerr Tennis Complex

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

15.0

Joe Gawrych Baseball Complex / Sloan Park

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

11.0

Wando High School

Recreational Facility

Charleston County Schools

7.5

Duffy Complex

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

5.0

Alhambra Hall & Park

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

4.0

Town Hall Gym/Track

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

4.0

Laing Middle School

Recreational Facility

Charleston County Schools

3.0

Moultrie Middle School

Recreational Facility

Charleston County Schools

3.0

Cario Middle School

Recreational Facility

Charleston County Schools

3.0

Speight’s/Reid Street Fields

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

2.3

Wando South (Old Wando)

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

2.1

James B. Edwards Elementary School

Recreational Facility

Charleston County Schools

2.0

Whiteside Elementary School

Recreational Facility

Charleston County Schools

2.0

Remley’s Point Community Center

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

1.9

Green Hill Park Community Center

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

1.1

T. Stokes-Marshall Senior Services Center

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

1.0

Miriam Brown Community Center

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

0.8

G. M. Darby Building

Recreational Facility

Town of Mount Pleasant

0.5

Inventory of all public active recreational facilities within the Mount Pleasant, SC planning area by owner (links to facility info can be found by clicking the name). All facilities listed have public access for active use by Mount Pleasant residents. The total acreage of this inventory is 247.7 acres. These statistics represent similar methodology to The Trust for Public Land’s “2015 City Park Facts Report” (http://www.tpl.org/2015-city-park-facts). This report does not inventory protected open space that is not considered “parkland.” In this open space inventory, we seek to account for all acreage that has been set aside for active/passive parkland as well as natural open space conservation. Table 3 displays sites of permanently protected natural open space and include both sites that have public access and sites that do not. While they may have trails and occasional benches, they are not developed for any recreation activities beyond walking, running, and cycling. The land that is conserved as natural open space accounts for approximately 4.0% of the total area of the Mount Pleasant planning area.

EAST COOPER LAND TRUST — 2015

Open Space Inventory — Mount Pleasant, SC

Table 3: Inventory of Conserved Open Space Sites in Mount Pleasant, SC Permanently Protected Site

Protected By

Area (acres) Public Access?

Wando Farms

Ducks Unlimited

558.4

Sewee Preserve

Ducks Unlimited

381.0

Wingswood

Lowcountry Open Land Trust

153.0

Oakland Plantation

East Cooper Land Trust

132.6

Parkers Island

Lowcountry Open Land Trust

99.0

Marsh View Trail

East Cooper Land Trust

57.0

Yes

Gold Bug Island

Lowcountry Open Land Trust

30.0

Fort Palmetto

SC Battleground Preservation Trust

26.0

Yes

Rivertowne Wetland

East Cooper Land Trust

21.0

Yes

CAGE Property

East Cooper Land Trust

6.0

Yes

Shem Creek Headwaters

East Cooper Land Trust

3.4

Yes

Bayview Acres

Lowcountry Open Land Trust

3.0

Candy’s Cove at Shemwood II

East Cooper Land Trust

2.0

Yes

Rivertowne Island

East Cooper Land Trust

2.0

Moultrie Park

East Cooper Land Trust

1.8

Yes

Phillips Community

East Cooper Land Trust

1.8

Yes

Buzzard Island

SC Department of Natural Resources

1.1

Inventory of all permanently protected open space sites within the Mount Pleasant, SC current urban growth boundary by entity who is responsible for the permanently protected status. These sites are not publiclyowned and not characterized by the municipality as “parkland,” however, they contribute to the overall open space within the municipality. The total acreage of this inventory is 1,479.1 acres. *Note: All acreages are approximate only and provide order of magnitude level information only. Also note that many parcels contain significant wetlands including marshes, creeks, swamps, and isolated freshwater wetlands (either jurisdictional or non-jurisdictional). In most cases these wetland areas and not “useable” from a development standpoint but may contribute to visual corridors or scenic vistas as well as providing wildlife habitat and significant native vegetation. In addition, some wetland areas could possibly contain walkways or boardwalks or provide access to waterways. Due to their general contribution to the overall open space of the area they were not excluded from the area calculations.

Oakland Plantation, a natural open space protected under conservation easement EAST COOPER LAND TRUST — 2015

Open Space Inventory — Mount Pleasant, SC

Table 4: Sites by Land Owner or Conservation Easement Holder and as Percentage of Mount Pleasant, SC Area Population 2014 Estimate^

Mount Pleasant, SC Charleston County Parks & Recreation Commission (CCPRC)*

Land Area (acres)

National Park Service Charleston County Schools

SC Battleground Preservation Trust SC Department of Natural Resources Percentage of Total Mount Pleasant Area

Permanently Protected Land (acres)

Total Park & Protected Acres

243.2

2,106.8

1,479.1

3,836.2

1,813.4

Lowcountry Open Land Trust East Cooper Land Trust

Public Passive Parkland (acres)

77,796

Ducks Unlimited Town of Mount Pleasant*

Active Recreation Facilities (acres)

222.7

1,813.4

939.4

265.4

939.4 488.1

285.0

227.6

28.0

20.5

27.6

26.0

1.1

4.01%

10.39%

100%

0.66%

5.71%

Statistics from within the Mount Pleasant, SC planning area boundary. Only publicly-owned land set aside for active and passive recreation as well as land that is permanently protected through means such as conservation easement is displayed. The entity that owns the land or is responsible for the permanently protected status is displayed in descending order of total acres. The Future Rifle Range Road Park acreage is split equally between CCPRC and Town of Mount Pleasant to represent co-ownership. “Percentage of Total Mount Pleasant Area” displays the percentage of open space out of the total area within the Mount Pleasant, SC planning area boundary. “Percentage Designed/Percent Natural Open Space” distinguishes the total area of open space as either designed parkland or natural habitat. ^ 2014 Census Population Estimate statistic from: http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml * “Future Rifle Range Road Park” from Table 1 is co-owned evenly by Town of Mount Pleasant and CCPRC. The Total Park & Protected acres shown here on Table 4 contains half of the total acres (122.5) of this park in each entity’s total.

Figure 2: Pie graphs displaying the percentage of open space within the total acreage of the Mount Pleasant planning area, as well as the percentage of public active recreation facilities vs. public passive parkland vs. permanently protected land within the 10.4% of total area. EAST COOPER LAND TRUST — 2015

Open Space Inventory — Mount Pleasant, SC

Table 5: Square Feet of Open Space per Mount Pleasant Resident Total Acres

Site Type Active Recreation Facilities

Square Feet per Resident

243.2

136

Public Passive Parkland

2,106.8

1,180

Permanently Protected Land

1,479.1

828

Total

3,836.2

2,148

This table displays the total acreage taken from Table 4 of each active/passive recreational site as well as permanently protected open space. The third column shows how many square feet are available to each of Mount Pleasant’s residents to benefit from in recreational or other ways. Although not all of the “Permanently Protected Land” sites provide public access, residents benefit from the ecological value of the land.

Table 6: Public Facilities per 10,000 or 100,000 Mount Pleasant Residents Public Facility

Number in Mount Pleasant

Residents Served per Facility

Playgrounds

7,072

Ball Diamonds

4,094

Tennis Courts

2,881

Multi-Purpose Fields

2,288

Off-Leash Dog Parks

38,898

Skateboard Parks

77,796

Inventory of certain public facilities within the Mount Pleasant, SC planning area. The inventory was taken from only from the Active Recreational Facilities properties listed in Table 2. These types of facilities were also inventoried in the Trust for Public Land’s “2015 City Park Facts Report” (http://www.tpl.org/2015-city-park-facts). The third column displays how many residents that each of the existing facilities serves (Total Mount Pleasant Population / number of facilities). Inventory of certain public facilities within the Mount Pleasant, SC planning area. The inventory was taken from only from the Active Recreational Facilities properties listed in Table 2. These types of facilities were also inventoried in the Trust for Public Land’s “2015 City Park Facts Report” (http://www.tpl.org/2015-city-park-facts). The third column displays how many residents that each of the existing facilities serves (Total Mount Pleasant Population / number of facilities).

This report provides statistics and facts that can be used in comparison to the Town of Mount Pleasant to the cities included in The Trust for Public Land’s “2015 City Park Facts Report.” However, the discrepancies between the data sources should be noted. Both reports use population estimate data taken from the 2010 U.S. census (http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml). The “2015 City Park Facts Report” uses the 2013 annual population estimate as of July 1, 2013 for each of the cities included. This report uses the 2014 annual population estimate as of July 1, 2014 for the Town of Mount Pleasant, which is simply a more up-to-date statistic.

EAST COOPER LAND TRUST — 2015

Open Space Inventory — Mount Pleasant, SC

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Speedwell Foundation Michael and Jenny Messner

Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission Matthew Moldenhauer, Land Resource Manager, Planning Division

Town of Mount Pleasant

Mayor Linda Page, Mayor Eric DeMoura, Town Administrator Katherine Hendricks, Assistant Town Administrator Christiane Farrell, Planning Director Mount Pleasant Town Council: Bob Brimmer Joe Bustos Elton Carrier Paul Gawrych Will Haynie Jim Owens Gary Santos Mark Smith

East Cooper Land Trust

Board of Directors Richard Morrison Chair, Consulting Forester, Doe Hall Creek Timber Company Lawrence Middaugh Past Chair, Prof. Emeritus of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science, and of Neuroscience, MUSC Kevin L. Rourk Vice-Chair, City Executive Commercial Banking, South State Bank Robert (Scott) Schlau Treasurer, Certified Public Accountant, Baldwin & Associates William T. Eubanks Secretary, Creative Director, Urban Edge Studio of SW+A Justin T. Craig, Project Professional, SCS Engineers Richard L. Habersham, Owner/Operator Trucker Mary Martinich, Landscape Architect, Thomas & Hutton Alys Anne Wiedeke, Retired, College of Charleston Advisory Council John C.L. Darby, Chief Executive Officer and President, The Beach Company Kyle W. Ferrell, President, Spartina Farm Services James C. Thompson, Retired, Entrepreneur Michael Veeck, President, Charleston RiverDogs George K. Wood, Retired, Director, College of Charleston Sailing Foundation Staff Catherine M. Main, Executive Director Alison Geer, Development Coordinator Alex Smith, Land Protection/GIS Specialist

East Cooper Land Trust P.O Box 2495, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29465 info@eastcooperland.org

EAST COOPER LAND TRUST — 2015

(843) 224-1849