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Councilman McBride urges action on Johns Island roads, growth and planning tools
Summary
Councilman McBride presented maps and data showing rapid population growth and a shortage of safe, connected roads on Johns Island, recommended revisiting a Municipal Improvement District and adding roadway safety and level-of-service criteria to planning reviews, and asked staff for follow-up on six specific requests.
Councilman McBride presented a detailed review of infrastructure challenges on the city portion of Johns Island, urging the council and staff to identify funding and policy tools to address narrow two-lane state roads, limited shoulders and sidewalks, and stormwater hazards.
McBride told the council the city portion of Johns Island has seen sharp population growth — citing figures he said were drawn from census and permitting data: about 5,266 residents in 2010, roughly 11,884 a decade later, and an estimated 14,819 in 2025 — and that the island’s road network has not kept pace. “But as of right now, we’re far behind,” Councilman McBride said, pointing to repeated roadway failures, shallow shoulders and recent crashes on Maybank Highway.
Why it matters: McBride argued that more people are using the same constrained, largely state-owned corridors (Maybank Highway, River Road, Brownswood, Murraywood and Main Road), producing bottlenecks that affect evacuation routes, emergency response and day-to-day travel. He referenced regional planning data from the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCD-COG) and SCDOT reports that show recurring shortfalls in maintenance and projected capacity through 2045.
Recommendations and staff direction: Councilman McBride asked the mayor and staff to examine six actions: (1) ask legal and planning to explore adding BCD-COG roadway level-of-service measures to planning commission decision criteria; (2) include roadway level-of-service in Technical Review Committee (TRC) decision-making; (3) add the police department to TRC reviews for traffic-safety input; (4) assess the feasibility of an “adequate public facilities” ordinance similar to North Augusta’s; (5) reexamine the Johns Island Municipal Improvement District (MID) for transportation and other improvements; and (6) have planning and transportation staff define tangible connectivity projects that could be funded when funds become available.
Council reaction and next steps: Members praised the presentation and asked staff for follow-up. Councilwoman Parker reminded colleagues that a prior MID effort on Johns Island lacked community support; Councilman Waring suggested broader geographic approaches such as TIF-like options that might produce larger revenue pools. Mayor Cogswell and other members emphasized the multi-jurisdictional nature of many roads (SCDOT responsibility) and said coordinated discussions with county and state partners and potential TST (transportation sales tax) funding would be necessary.
What the council asked staff to do: McBride requested written feedback from planning, legal and transportation staff on the six items he proposed and noted he would work with the mayor’s office and county partners to explore funding options. The council did not adopt a new ordinance or take formal action on any of the specific funding tools during this meeting; the discussion concluded with directions for staff follow-up and further committee consideration.
