Singleton and her neighbors are among about 19,000 people who live
within a half-mile of Folly Road, which runs 8 miles across James Island
from the Wappoo Cut to the beach.
Folly’s average daily traffic ranges from 43,000 vehicles at the north
end to 9,300 near the beach, officials said. But during beach season,
the few miles next to the beach can be even more crowded, said Carolyn
Sotka, a resident of the Secessionville area of James Island.
“The southern end of the island is already struggling with intense
summer traffic,” she said. “At what point are we going to say enough is
enough?”
But not everyone is as concerned. Some say The Lively would not
necessarily be a bad thing for the island. Carol Edney feels that way
even though her home is behind the location of the proposed project.
“My fear is that this (The Lively) doesn’t go in,” she said. “It’s gotta be better than what it looks like now.”
Edney said The Lively also would be better than a gas station or
fast-food restaurant. She described the corner of Folly and South
Grimball roads, which has been home to a light industrial use, as an
eyesore.
County Councilwoman Anna Johnson, who represents the district where
The Lively would be located, said the developer should be given a chance
to present his plans.
“It could be a good project,” she said. “It didn’t sound so bad to me, and I want to hear more about it.”
Johnson noted that a stop light and crosswalk are approved for Folly
at South Grimball Road which will help with traffic management. And
there are plans for a new CARTA bus stop there.
“Let the people decide if that’s a good project or not,” she added.
Plans for The Lively will be presented to the county’s Planning
Commission in May, said McFaddin Blanding, president of real estate
developer Orange Capital Advisors of Orangeburg.
“We’re continuing the work on our planned development and look forward to sharing that in the near future,” he said.
County Council ultimately will decide whether to approve The Lively,
which was discussed at a recent Planning Commission workshop. The
project would have as many as 350 apartments, up to 20,000 square feet
of artist studios and as much as 30,000 square feet of market space.
Buildings could be as tall as 55 feet or four stories. About 14 percent
of the apartments would be affordable housing, while the rest would rent
from $1,300 to $2,300 a month, the developer said.
The Planning Commission will make a recommendation on the project to County Council.
“It’s going to be fully scrutinized and vetted,” said Councilman Joe Qualey of James Island.
The proposed development comes at the same time as governments are trying to address Folly Road’s congestion.
A recently completed, $500,000 analysis “Rethink Folly Road: A
Complete Streets Study” found room for improvement. It said the road
needs sidewalks, more bike lanes and better bus stops. Some residents
polled for the study said the road was dangerous.
The study looked at a possible park-and-ride “Folly Trolley” with a
dedicated lane to the beach, as well as new roundabouts where Folly
intersects with Fort Johnson and North Grimball roads.
Meanwhile, the county is beginning work to improve the intersection of
Folly and Camp roads, a project funded by its half-cent sales approved
in 2004. That work, which began Friday, will include more dedicated turn
lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks.
The complete streets study suggests consideration of an additional
half-cent sales tax to pay for further improvements to Folly and other
area roads.
Reach Prentiss Findlay at 843-937-5711.
