COASTAL COMMUNITIES/SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Strategic Goal 7: Develop and implement activities to assist coastal communities and small businesses with growth management and sustainable economic development strategies.

Coastal resource management and economic development issues in South Carolina continue to overwhelm coastal zone planners, resource managers, developers, and those involved in commerce, industry, recreation and tourism. The state has an approved Coastal Zone Management Program, administered by the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management in the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, to encourage the preservation and wise development of coastal and marine resources while providing for orderly economic development. While certain forms of development tend to conflict with federal and state resource protection programs, sustainable economic development, which treats natural resources as an integral component of development plans, is being encouraged. This approach also provides for opportunities in rural areas, where natural resources may be the only available "raw material." The Consortium's role is to develop and extend information and data to support decision-making processes at the state and local level.

The Consortium plans to continue examining coastal management issues and exploring sustainable economic development opportunities in cooperation with state and local management agencies and coastal resource users. Research, education and extension projects dealing with production and resource economics, policy, law, regulation, preservation and development of coastal resources will provide the basis for the generation of future Consortium efforts. Needs of the state and region will thus be served simultaneously in terms of decision-making, planning, and assessment related to coastal development.

The Consortium has identified the following objectives for this program area:

1. Define alternative strategies for economic development that are compatible with long-term conservation of natural and cultural resources.

2. Assist coastal communities with identification of growth management and sustainable economic development objectives, and with the definition and implementation of strategies to achieve these objectives.

3. Develop and implement activities to assist small coastal and marine businesses as they cope with changing demographic, economic, and regulatory environments.

4. Assist local communities in dealing with increased pressures on human, fiscal, infrastructure, and natural resources due to population growth and development.

5. Assist local communities and small businesses in planning and developing coastal recreation and tourism activities and enterprises which contribute to a vigorous economy and healthy natural resources.

6. Promote the avoidance and resolution of environmental, natural resource, growth management, and other conflicts in the public and private sectors through the use of consensus-building, negotiation, and mediation techniques.

7. Support the initiation of resource-related small businesses and other economic development opportunities that include provisions for coastal resource conservation.

8. Translate information on sustainable economic development opportunities to businesses, municipalities, students, and the public.

FY06-08 Priorities

The Consortium will consider proposals that deal with commercial, residential, and nonresidential population growth impacts and economic development needs in the following areas:

Coastal Community Development

• Programming to assist local communities in dealing with increased pressures on human, fiscal, infrastructure, and natural resources resulting from coastal development. Much of the population growth is concentrating on the island and coastal areas of South Carolina. In many cases, the state has encouraged this growth. However, concerns over adequate water supply, open space areas, police and fire protection, workable evacuation plans, natural resource impacts, and other factors are increasing. An economic impact assessment is needed, which could be used to evaluate the economic and social impacts of continued growth and to determine the carrying capacities of these coastal areas. Current and projected demands for the state’s coastal and marine resources, along with an evaluation of potential use conflicts, should be considered.

• Demonstration research projects, which include monitoring for effectiveness and analyses of costs associated with construction and maintenance, are needed to evaluate Low Impact Development best management practices. Storm water management plans and practices, collectively termed best management practices (BMPs), can be both structural and nonstructural and used to control water quantity and quality from developed areas. These BMPs can be used to effectively treat/address stormwater if designed, constructed, and maintained properly. One approach to address stormwater management is the use of Low-Impact Development (LID) strategies, the goal of which is to mimic as closely as possible the predevelopment site hydrological conditions to reduce off-site runoff and increase groundwater recharge. LID strategies have been known to successfully remove pollutants from stormwater and retain the stormwater on-site through the processes of storage, infiltration, evaporation, and detention of runoff.

• Economic valuation research of land-use conservation efforts as part of “quality” growth planning and economic development efforts.

• Economic development strategies are needed to maintain the unique blend of natural and cultural resources that characterize the South Carolina coast. Research is needed to evaluate innovative approaches (e.g., low impact development; quality growth; neotraditional) to coastal development with particular emphasis on sustainability, resource management, resilience, and quantifiable benefits. Specific needs for proposals include the development of innovative approaches for use in locating, identifying, and characterizing natural/cultural resource areas according to their environmental sensitivity and suitability for use as resource attractions.

• With the cost of growth central to the national debate about how cities, counties and regions should plan, the development of sustainable, compact, mixed-use neighborhoods has emerged as an important trend in contemporary planning. Programming to address the issues related to sprawl and the economic costs associated with this type of development is warranted. Projects might examine the fiscal benefits and deficits associated with conventional and alternative/compact development concepts, specifically for South Carolina. A handful of studies have been done across the country, yet few focus on the Southeast region. Research conducted on a local and/or regional basis may foster support from coastal communities to promote development that is more ecologically and economically sound if economic costs associated with conventional versus alternative compact mixed-use developments were available for South Carolina.

• Economic analyses to build on the National Ocean Economic Project (see www.oceaneconomics.org) through development of a more robust South Carolina dataset that is consistent with the national effort.

• Research to conduct a Sustainability Inventory is needed to assess the quality and management of natural, economic, and social resources. Sustainability Inventory research projects would establish baseline profiles, enabling coastal communities to develop action strategies with clear goals and targets. These strategies would then be implemented to help local governments attain their goals and achieve healthy, economically vibrant and ecologically sustainable communities. Programming to develop and implement activities can help local governments utilize practices focused on sustainable resource consumption, while simultaneously increasing economic prosperity and improving quality of life. A community can improve its livability by engaging in sustainable initiatives, which begins with a Sustainability Inventory.

• Research is needed to develop practical and realistic models that support regionalized approaches to land use planning and/or development efforts evolving from community and economic development projects. Models should identify transportation, planning, land-use, infrastructure, and governance improvements and include a comparison of traditional methods and innovative regionalized approaches and provide clear benefits for regionalized efforts.

Small Business Development

• Socio-economic research is needed to both document the apparent decline in South Carolina’s traditional coastal economic activities and identify options for sustaining these uses. Traditional forms of fishing, boat building, indigenous ways of gathering one’s sustenance and livelihood from the land (e.g., sweetgrass basket-making) are disappearing along the South Carolina coast. Maintaining these diverse cultural forms of economic activity represents a major challenge.

• Socio-economic research and outreach is needed that involves (1) development and implementation of activities to help small coastal and marine businesses cope with changing demographic, economic, and regulatory environments, and (2) assistance to small coastal and water dependent businesses operate in a manner consistent with environmental quality and the sustainability of natural resources, while creating a diverse economic base. Activities/topics include but are not limited to the following examples:

Strategic Goal 8

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