Greenbelt advisory board directs county staff to build mapping database, unveils new public project dashboard

Charleston County Greenbelt Advisory Board members voted to direct staff to pursue a county-scale mapping and geodatabase analysis to help revise Greenbelt program goals and to form a technical advisory committee to assist with that work, the board said at its March meeting.

Board staff reported that the program has approved about 230 projects to date, protecting more than 26,000 acres and awarding just under $167,000,000 in Greenbelt funds. The staff presentation said those projects have leveraged roughly 140% in match (about $232,000,000). The program’s minority-lands funding totals were described as just under $60,000,000 covering nearly 3,900 acres. The staffer reported the lifetime projected remaining funds for the first and second half-penny transportation sales tax program as about $162,000,000 and noted approximately $13,000,000 currently available (about $8.8 million rural, $4.1 million urban), with the amount expected to increase after July 1.

“With the approval…