by Jennifer Jordan
Every time another tract of trees comes down in Mount Pleasant, the same debate begins.
Residents blame developers.
Developers point to zoning approvals.
Elected officials often point to decisions made years—or even decades—ago.
Meanwhile, the community continues asking a different question.
Who is actually in charge of growth?
That question has resurfaced over the future of the town-owned 38-acre Faison Road property near Carolina Park, where residents are urging the Town of Mount Pleasant to think differently about what comes next. Rather than another collection of generic commercial buildings, many residents have expressed support for a destination that adds to the community’s quality of life—green space, recreation, family entertainment, restaurants, outdoor gathering places and civic amenities. Local officials have agreed to continue discussing those ideas through the town’s Economic Development Committee.
But the conversation extends far beyond one piece of property.
It raises a broader question about how growth has been managed across Mount Pleasant over the last 25 years.
Too often, developers receive the criticism while the public forgets an important fact: developers don’t determine what they are allowed to build.
Governments do.
Every subdivision, shopping center, office park and commercial corridor begins with zoning, development agreements, comprehensive plans and public approvals established by elected officials and planning commissions. Developers simply build within the framework government creates.
Mayor Will Haynie made that point during the recent discussion by reminding residents that many of today’s controversial commercial uses were approved decades ago under development agreements negotiated long before the current Town Council took office. Those agreements continue to shape what can be built today, regardless of whether today’s elected leaders would make the same decisions.
That doesn’t erase community frustration.
It simply illustrates how long planning decisions can affect future generations.
The Faison Road property presents a rare opportunity because the Town—not a private developer—controls the outcome.
Unlike most large tracts in Mount Pleasant, this land offers elected leaders the ability to determine what kind of community asset it becomes. Earlier planning documents envisioned a combination of economic development, recreation and community-serving uses on the site rather than simply maximizing commercial density.
Residents supporting the Friends of Faison initiative aren’t simply opposing development.
They’re asking for intentional development.
Many envision a place where families gather for concerts, outdoor dining, festivals, walking trails, recreation and community events instead of another collection of buildings that could exist almost anywhere in America.
It’s a conversation about identity as much as economics.
North Mount Pleasant has matured dramatically over the past two decades. Carolina Park is essentially built out. Dunes West, Rivertowne and Park West are established communities. Increasingly, residents are asking for investments that improve everyday life rather than simply adding more square footage.
That doesn’t mean every proposal should be rejected.
Mount Pleasant still needs quality employers, healthcare, professional offices and neighborhood-serving businesses. Economic development broadens the tax base, creates jobs and helps fund public services. The challenge is finding the right balance between fiscal responsibility, quality of life and long-term community character.
Perhaps the biggest lesson is this: growth itself isn’t the enemy.
Poor planning is.
When roads lag behind development, when schools become crowded, when flooding worsens or when residents feel they have little voice in shaping their community, frustration naturally gets directed toward the cranes on the horizon.
But those cranes didn’t approve themselves.
As Mount Pleasant considers the future of the Faison Road property, it has an opportunity to demonstrate what thoughtful planning looks like. If community input, economic development and preservation can coexist on one of the town’s last significant publicly owned parcels, the project could become a model for future growth throughout the Lowcountry.
The debate isn’t really about developers.
It’s about leadership.
Because long after today’s construction crews leave, the decisions made by elected officials will determine what future generations inherit.
Leave a Reply