Page 5-4

Chapter 5. Exis� ng Condi� ons and Environmental Consequences

Dra� Environmental Impact Statement

impacts of the Reasonable Alternatives. Th e refi ned study area will be used to evaluate the direct impacts of the new location alternatives on the natural and human environments adja-cent to the project corridor. Th ese impacts include noise, community impacts, environmen-tal justice, wetlands, threatened and endangered species, water quality, farmlands, cultural resources and hazardous materials.

5.1.6 What is the human environment?

Th e Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) states that the “human environment shall be interpreted comprehensively to include the natural and physical environment and the relationship of people with that environment” (40 CFR 1508.14). Evaluation of the human environment includes assessments of existing land use, socioeconomic characteristics and communities and potential changes as a result of the proposed project.

Th e eff orts of transportation agency activities – planning, project development, implementa-tion, operation and maintenance aff ect communities. Th e consideration of social and com-munity impacts help decision-makers understand how proposed activities will likely aff ect communities and provides opportunities for communities to give input. When public agen-cies and offi cials understand how decisions aff ect communities, they can more easily avoid or minimize negative impacts and promote positive impacts.2

5.2 Land Use

Land use patterns and growth trends are key components in understanding, developing and designing an effi cient transportation network. Maintaining a regional transportation network goes hand-in-hand with not only land use planning but the overall planning ef-forts of local and state entities. Com-munity and economic planning studies, along with land use and transportation planning, are initiated by local govern-ing entities and are integrated into guidance documents, including com-prehensive plans. Local plans are then integrated into regional transportation plans. When combined, both local and regional goals can be established to determine logical growth and development for an entire area. Th e study area is located in Charleston County, which is a part of the larger tri-county region that includes Berkeley and Dorchester Counties, see Figure 5-2. Th ese three coun-2 The CIA Website h� p://www.ciatrans.net/cia_faq.html#3

B The encyclopedia of earth h� p://www.eoearth.org/ar� cle/Land-useand%20land-cover%20change

Land

Use

Land Use can be defi ned as human activities such as agriculture, forestry and building construction that alter land surface. Social scientists and land managers defi ne land use more broad-ly to include the social and economic purposes and contexts for and within which lands are managed (or left un-managed), such as subsistence versus commercial agriculture; rented versus owned; or private versus public land.B

Page 5-5

Chapter 5. Exis� ng Condi� ons and Environmental Consequences Dra� Environmental Impact Statement

ties make up the Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG). Th e BCDCOG acts as the primary agency that coordinates activities associated with the comprehensive planning process for these three counties.

Charleston Area Transportation Study (CHATS) currently covers 800 square miles of urban area within the tri-county region. Th e CHATS Transportation Improvement Plan assists in establishing short- and long-term goals through de-velopment of the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).3

Transportation needs are developed into a LRTP and used as a guidance document for the region’s growth and pro-posed regional investments to the transportation system over the next 25 years. CHATS 2030 LRTP, adopted in 2005, includes the Mark Clark Expressway project.

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

Comprehensive planning provides the framework of development and preservation for a region over a specifi c period of time. Th is type of planning document assists various governmental agencies by providing necessary policies, regulations and budget decisions required to achieve the overall growth for the area. Th is includes decisions about land use, transportation, public facilities, eco-nomic development and other goals that are vital for maintaining a healthy community.

A comprehensive plan generally consists of three main parts: an inventory of existing conditions, a vision/goal and a plan to achieve that goal. Th e plan takes into account baseline conditions that include environmental constraints, existing infrastructure and public facilities while looking at the pro-

3 BCDCOG Transporta� on Planning and you…/ h� p://www.bcdcog.com/publica� ons/Brochures/chatsbrochure.PDF 3/30/2009

Comprehensive Plan A document used by local, county and regional bodies in the land planning process that contains a statement of objectives, projections and short- and long-term planning strategies and goals.

Page 5-6

Chapter 5. Exis� ng Condi� ons and Environmental Consequences Dra� Environmental Impact Statement

jected growth rates. Th is process helps determine the requirements necessary to meet predicted growth and maintain the quality of life for area residents.

Comprehensive plans help guide future development to the appropriate areas of a defi ned region based on available land types, existing or planned future infrastructure while preserving the natural, cultural and aesthetic resources of the area.

Key elements of developing a comprehensive plan include:

• Population and Housing Growth; • Economic Development & Opportunities; • Transportation; and • Vision and Goals.

5.2.1 What local planning documents contribute to existing land use planning within the study area?

Th e project study area is located entirely within the southwestern portion of Charleston County. Along with the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan, several additional community plans are associated with the study area, including the Johns Island Community Plan, the Town of James Island Comprehensive Plan and the City of Charles-ton Century V City Plan. Th ese plans were reviewed in order to establish the direction and goals of the communities within the study area, which would be used in identifying and analyzing the potential indirect and cumulative impacts of the project.4

5.2.1.1 What is the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan?

In 2007, Charleston County developed a comprehensive inventory of the existing land uses in the unincorporated ar-eas of the county. Th e inventory was used to update the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan, which was adopted in November 2008. Th e updated plan identifi ed nine land use strategies, which established goals to protect the natural environment, while providing opportunities for development and economic growth. One of these strategies states, “Coordinate land use patterns with transportation, housing, employment and retail development to provide commu-nities and neighborhoods where people can live and work.”5 Th e plan details the County’s intent for where and how future growth and development should occur.

Th e land use inventory noted that approximately 70 percent of the land area in the unincorporated county is either forested or regulated wetlands, marshes and other water features, this includes other land use types, e.g. agriculture, that falls into both category types. Other land uses in the unincorporated portion of the county consists of agricultural (12 percent); residential (9 percent); industrial (2 percent); vacant/undeveloped (5 percent); utilities/transportation (2 percent); and parks and recreation (2 percent).

An important component of the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan is the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). In 1999, the UGB created a distinct boundary between rural and urban/suburban areas, see Figure 5-3. Th e overall

4 NCHRP Report 466, Desk Reference for Es� ma� ng the Indirect E� ects of Proposed Transporta� on Projects, Step 2, page 15 Charleston County Comprehensive Plan

RIVER

LAN

D D

R

K

BOHICKET RD

DILC

OM

MO

OLD

TO

WN

E R

D

SAM RITTENBERG BLVD

CAMP RD

ASHLEY RIVER RD

MAYBANK HWY

FOLLY R

D

§̈¦526

§̈¦26

Stono River (AIWW)

Ashley River

WestAshley

ST. ANDREWS BLVD

oper River

JAMES IS

LAN

D C

ON

N

Wappoo Cut

MA

IN R

D

BEES FERRY RD

§̈¦526

JohnsIsland James

Island

US 17

WO

OD

LAN

D SH

OR

ES

CENTRAL PARK RD

RIVER RD

Dill Sanctuary

WEST A

SHLEY G

REEN

WAY

WEST ASHLEY GREENWAY

James Island Co.Park

Citadel Mall

Existing Condtions and Environmental Consequences Draft Environmental Impact StatementPage 5-�

Chapter 5.

0 0.9 1.8Miles μ

Legend

FIGURE 5-3URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY

Freeway/Expressway

Primary HighwayState/County RoadGreenway

Citadel Mall

Dill Sanctuary

Study AreaJames Island County ParkUrban Growth Boundary