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City takes steps to make Beaufort more walkable Making downtown Beaufort a better and safer place for people to walk took a positive step forward this week with installation of improved crosswalks at the key intersection of Carteret and Port Republic streets downtown. The crossing is used daily by hundreds of people moving between shops and restaurants, and also is a primary crossing for residents of The Point neighborhood as they head to jobs, to shops and restaurants, and to the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. While simple, the pedestrian crossing signs in the middle of Carteret Street reinforce to drivers the message of the painted crosswalk lines: “Be careful — people may be crossing the street.” Crosswalks to the east and west of Port Republic, at Bay Street and at Craven Street, both have traffic lights with pedestrian “walk/don’t walk” signals. The Craven Street signal includes a countdown timer to inform pedestrians how much time remains to safely cross an upgrade that will be featured at Bay and Carteret when the new traffic signal mast is completed. The pedestrian crossing signs now seen at Carteret and Port Republic
New crosswalk signs at Carteret and Port Republic streets intersection.
have been used with success along the commercialized three blocks of Bay Street. “As we continue to work to make Beaufort a better, more walkable small town, we are looking at ways to help the pedestrians without tying up vehicle traffic on Carteret Street,” Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said. “The City Council and Beaufort Redevelopment Commission, working with the public, are trying to recruit new businesses and residents to the city,
and making our crosswalk areas safer remains a priority — this truly is a town best enjoyed on foot,” Keyserling said. During recent small group meetings looking at ways to make Beaufort a better place as it celebrates its 300th birthday and prepares for its fourth century, a number of residents spoke of the need for improved crosswalks, said Jon Verity, chairman of the Beaufort Redevelopment Commission. “Some of the things we heard are going to take years to put in place,
and probably a sizable investment. Upgrading the crosswalk at Carteret and Port Republic, which is between two very popular restaurants, was an easy and inexpensive fix,” Verity said. The city recently started a two-year process to jump-start Beaufort’s future through solid and creative planning, redevelopment and infill, all based on the Beaufort Vision Comprehensive Plan of 2009 and new public input. The goal: Create new opportunities to transfer good planning into good redevelopment and investment in Beaufort. “We’ll continue to work with the city and the (traffic) engineers to see what else we can do to make Beaufort a better town for people to walk to work and to play,” Verity said. As part of the improved pavement markings on Carteret Street, the S.C. Department of Transportation repainted the crosswalks last year. At Bay and Carteret, the traffic signals soon will hang from a new mast rather than strung across on wires. Recent bad weather delayed the work, but the intersection’s traffic signals should be done by the end of the month, Beaufort City Manager Scott Dadson said.
County preserves rural land Beaufort County Council saved three valuable parcels of agricultural land on St. Helena Island from future development through the County’s Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program at prices well below appraised values. The council unanimously approved the purchase of conservation easements on a parcel near the Penn Center campus and others at Orange Grove Plantation and Eddings Creek. The Penn Center parcel is owned by Penn and totals 92 acres, It is used for hay production and livestock grazing. It lies near the site of the future Beaufort County library and, if developed, could have accommodated 30 homes. The total cost of the easement was $484,500, with half the money coming from the county and the other half from the US Department of Agriculture. The cost represents 75 percent of the $646,500 appraised value. The 801-acre property, owned by the Trask family at Orange Grove Plantation, lies partially on Wallace Creek and is the largest remaining agricultural operation on St. Helena Island. The total cost of the easement is $3.75 million and has an appraisal value between $7.5 and $8 million. The county agreed to pay $1.25 million or 25 percent. The USDA will pay half the cost and the landowner will pay the remaining
25 percent. If developed, the property could have accommodated 200 homes. The 28.3-acre Eddings Creek property, owned by Tree Hope Investments and Robert Sample, will cost the county $206,625. Again, the USDA will pay 50 percent of the total cost which is $409,250 — less than half of the $987,000 appraised value. The easement will protect the headwaters of Eddings Creek by serving as a buffer against a large-scale agricultural operation nearby. It will allow for construction of two homes and one dock but would retire 20 home sites and one dock permit. It also lies adjacent to Henry Farm, where 300 acres were protected last June through the county’s land preservation program. All three parcels are located in district 5, represented by Beaufort County Councilman William McBride. “St. Helena Island is a beautiful, special place. We love our rural landscape, culture and history and strive to protect it. The conservation easements will ensure that these properties remain forever undeveloped and will protect their traditional agricultural uses.” The acquisitions were negotiated by the county’s land purchasing partner, the nonprofit organization, Beaufort County Open Land Trust.
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the island news | april 14-21, 2011 | www.yourislandnews.com
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