JOHNS ISLAND - About two dozen residents gave up part of their Tuesday evening to lay plans to fight an interstate extension many fear will ruin their island. The Johns Island Preservation Coalition is simply an early step in what many expect to be a protracted, contentious fight over plans to build the $420 million last leg of the Mark Clark
Expressway.
Island farmer Tom Legare talked about an anti-expressway Web site that should go online in a week, bumper stickers to rally opponents of the road, and visits to churches and neighborhood groups.
The committee is expected to get new fuel Thursday, when consultants publicly present their final report on how the project could affect the island. Their draft report indicates the Mark Clark, also known as Interstate 526, could turn Johns Island into the next Daniel Island, a formerly hard-to-reach place now consumed by suburban development.
Supporters say the road will improve traffic flow around the Charleston area, help with hurricane evacuations and boost the Lowcountry's economy, but they were difficult to find at Tuesday's coalition meeting.
Johns Island resident George Jarriel said if the Mark Clark extension is built, there will be four major bridges to the island within a five-mile stretch.
'I don't want to see this ruralness turned into another Daniel Island,' he said. 'I moved to Johns Island to be in the country.'
An early draft of the study shows that Johns Island will see 20 percent to 40 percent more growth than now forecast if the $420 million extension is built. Johns Island's population, which some now place at about 18,000, could double by 2030 with the new highway.
Meanwhile, growth would slow in the East Cooper, Goose Creek-Hanahan, North Charleston and northwestern Berkeley County areas.
The draft also said home values would rise sharply, which could hurt those who have lived on the island for generations and are less wealthy.
The study noted while the Mark Clark project would help island residents get to evacuation routes more quickly, those routes themselves have suffered from bottlenecks 'so increasing access to these major arteries is only a partial solution to the problem of hurricane evacuation.'
Megan Desrosiers of the Coastal Conservation League said islanders could encourage state lawmakers to stop funding the project, partly because it will dry up money for new highway projects elsewhere.
'The question is: What do we want the future of Johns Island to be?' she said. 'If you want Johns Island to be rural, it will be much harder to achieve if you build the Mark Clark. If you want it to be the next Daniel Island, fine, build the Mark Clark.'
The debate about the Mark Clark is not confined to Johns Island, however.
Louise Maybank of Wadmalaw Island, who also served as chairwoman of the county's greenbelt advisory group, said she questions whether the project is justified and plans to forward that message to County Council.
Some think so. James Island resident and Charleston Planning Commissioner Barbara Ellison said the highway extension is needed because of projected traffic increases from developments already on the drawing board. Last year, the city said it has approved developments that could add 5,000 new homes, while the county was looking at development plans for about 1,000 more. Even under the strict new zoning ordinance County Council passed several years ago, it would be possible to build about 22,000 more homes in the unincorporated part of the island without a single zoning change.
Still, Legare said Tuesday that Johns Islanders successfully fought previous plans to build the last leg of the Mark Clark and can do so again.
'We're not going to roll over and play dead on this,' he said. 'I think we do have a chance.'
IF YOU GO
Charleston County will have a public presentation of the Mark Clark Expressway impact study at 1 p. m. Thursday in County Council chambers, 4045 Bridge View Drive in North Charleston.
The study, done by EDAW Inc. of Atlanta, examines how the Mark Clark completion project could affect land use and open space on Johns and James islands, and it discusses what can be done to lessen these effects.
Thursday's presentation also will be made to members of the county's transportation and greenbelt advisory boards. For more information, call 202-7204.
