IslandVibesIOP.com 9 NEWS WELCOME TO 16 LAKE VILLAGE LANE If you are looking for a nice quiet peaceful location inside Wild Dunes, this is the house for you! Home is located at the end of a cul-de-sac, overlooking a large pond with great peeks of the Wild Dunes Harbor Golf Course. Home is very well maintained and clean. 3 bedrooms and two baths, ranch style house. 843-886-9600 | carrollrealtyinc.com ‘Surge pricing’ suggested for non-residents during peak season By L. C. Leach III ommunity listening sessions are now being held to solicit public feedback and determine what Isle of Palms residents would like to see in terms of enhancements and improvements to the island’s quality of life. The sessions are the next steps in an effort that began with an online Community Enrichment Plan Survey, compiled in late 2023 from the input of 748 respondents. Since then, an advisory taskforce of 13 residents and business owners has been working with city leaders, College of Charleston, Explore Charleston and Mount Pleasant consulting firm The McNair Group toward formulating a specific plan to improve areas such as stormwater management, beach preservation, parking and traffic management. The group will be gathering and brainstorming ideas until September, after which it will make a presentation to city council with recommendations on how to move forward. “Part of our job, what we’ve been tasked with, is this wonderful survey,” said Paige Grimball, task force member and island resident. “It’s a wealth of information, and we need to hear from everyone.” At both the May and June sessions at the IOP Recreation Center, survey consultant David McNair led a discussion about both the survey and the need for more resident input. “It’s always nice to hear things in people’s voices sometimes rather than just words on a screen or in a report,” said McNair at the May session. “What I aim for in guidance with the task force is responsible recommendations.” For example, one question put to the May gathering concerns island parking: What solutions do you believe we should be considering? This is how the 30 attendees voted across six suggestions: • Consider ‘surge pricing’ for peak parking times (residents not included) – 25 percent. • Use of technology with sensors and apps that provide timely parking updates – 25 percent. • Redesign of current parking areas to maximize their use – 17 percent. • Campaign to incentivize shuttles, biking and alternative access to beach for visitors – 21 percent. • Consider long-term solutions to beach parking (possible low parking deck) – 4 percent. • Other (unspecified) – 8 percent. Other questions involved quality of life, environment, beach safety, overall island safety and use of accommodations tax money. “Issues are similar when you go from beach town to beach town,” said Joe Ready, task force member. “People have been willing to listen to other perspectives, which I think is really important. This is a real opportunity – and we want to get everybody’s voice in the room.” C
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