Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2016

Of the 8-1 first-reading vote in favor of the height change, Owens said: “It’s a

good sign, but I hope that it continues.”

Owens has not been shy about sharing his opinions on growth, which

apparently caused an employer to part ways with him in 2014 after it emerged

that the company was working on the office building/parking garage that Owens

and others opposed. However, Owens’ steadfast outspokenness and commitment

to his ideals won the adoration of a large group of residents who turned out on

election day and eventually put him and like-minded candidates into office at

the expense of every at-risk incumbent.

The Mill and Coleman site again served as a flashpoint for Owens toward

the end of the election and his first months in office. Owens at one point

claimed he would invoke eminent domain to stop the project. Later, he and

fellow Council members Joe Bustos and Will Haynie staged a press conference

nearby – to quash claims they intended to take land from local businesses – that

nearly ended in a physical confrontation, according to media reports at the time.

Owens, Bustos and Haynie say those descriptions were overstated.

“Political rhetoric takes place all the time. You’ve got a presidential campaign.

Every candidate I heard said they’re going to repeal Obamacare. Does that mean

they’re going to or they can?” Owens asked. “You’re one voice; you’re one person.

I would take political rhetoric with a grain of salt, particularly during the time

that it was said.”

Going forward, Owens hopes the town implements lessons learned on

past projects such as The Boulevard, which has been widely viewed as a

disappointment and sparked much of the furor surrounding growth. The same

holds true for infrastructure projects such as Highway 41 and affordable housing,

an issue which Owens said is “of grave interest” to him.

“At least have the foresight to realize the mistakes of the past and do

something about them in the future,” Owens said. “We have to pick up the

pieces and go on.”

Still, Owens believes in what Mount Pleasant was, what it is and what it can be.

“I couldn’t think of another town where I would have rather grown up, where

I would rather raise my family,” he said. “It was an extraordinary town then, and

it’s even more so now. We’ve got a lot of great opportunities.”

This is the view of Shem Creek that will be available to the tenants in the office building/

parking garage currently under construction at Coleman Boulevard and Mill Street.

Photo by Brian Sherman.

MPBM