Mount Pleasant Magazine Jan/Feb 2015

Story by Brian Sherman.

half century ago, Mount

Pleasant was no more than a sleepy

suburb of Charleston, a tiny dot on

the map along Highway 17 with a

population barely tickling the 5,000

mark. Today, the fourth largest mu-

nicipality in South Carolina and the

ninth fastest-growing town in the United States is home to

more than 75,000 people who sometimes take for granted

decent roads, varied recreational opportunities and effi-

cient water, sewage, fire, police and sanitation services.

As the town’s employees and elected officials strive to

strike a balance between continued growth and the qual-

ity of life Mount Pleasant residents have come to expect,

someone has to decide what’s going to be built and what

isn’t. Some people might think that task falls under the job

description of the Department of Planning & Develop-

ment, but they would be wrong – or at least imprecise –

according to Department Director Christiane Farrell.

“Our staff doesn’t make recommendations to approve

or deny,” said Farrell, who has been with the Planning De-

partment for 15 years and in her current job since 2009.

“We just figure out how a project can be better. We’re try-

ing to make sure we’re planning and not just processing.”

“The job of the Planning Department is to manage and

advise to maintain the long-term prosperity of the commu-

nity,” Mount Pleasant Town Administrator Eric DeMoura

commented. “Its primary function is to protect the health

Assembling

the Puzzle

The Department of Planning & Development

Photo by Brian Sherman.