Winslow's Word: February 2024

As late winter transitions to early spring—with the fruit trees and saucer magnolias blooming—key planning projects around the city are ramping up as well. While we have been consistently representing the community at workshops and listening sessions for the Peninsula Plan, Water Plan, and Union Pier Master Plan over the last several months, these important (and intertwined) projects will begin to coalesce around substantive concepts and designs in the very near future. As is typical for these complicated planning processes, the roll-out of potential design and land use concepts will accelerate quickly and we all need to remain fully informed and engaged so that our feedback can be collected in the early stages before inappropriate approaches can gain too much momentum. If substantive engagement is delayed, it becomes more difficult to gain traction with more community-oriented ideas.  The Peninsula Plan serves as a huge opportunity to lay the foundation for a broad vision for how we want the peninsula, all the way up the Neck to the city limits, to grow over the next 20 years. We are hopeful that the new city leadership will engage with a bold vision for where it’s appropriate to encourage more development and density, identify key areas that require more sensitive infill development, accommodate better transit and improved connectivity, advance attainable and “missing middle” housing, and push opportunities for enhanced parks and open space. Issues around water management and the regulation of tourism need to be layered on top of this land use policy focus.

With the coming of spring, we also have the arrival of a completely rebooted festival, now called The Charleston Festival. Our largest educational program, spread out over four weeks, features a new lecture series, music concerts, and themed tours. We are very proud of the range of programming for this year and truly hope that many locals and visitors will take this opportunity to explore Charleston’s incredible history, architecture, and culture—the funds raised over the Festival power our mission at our house museums, in our advocacy efforts, and for important programs like the Common Cause Loan Fund.

Learn more about the Common Cause Loan Fund on YouTube HERE and see the Festival's full Calendar of Events HERE.Watch the full video on YouTube

Browse The Charleston Festival 2024 brochure, below.