"Yes, we're proud that people love to visit our city. But now it's time to start putting our citizens' quality of life first."

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Charleston has become one of the top tourist destinations in the world in recent years, and that’s an achievement we can all be proud of. But we've now reached a point in our city's development where we need to strike a better, more sustainable balance between the rapid growth of tourism and development and our citizens’ quality of life – a balance that makes livability and quality of life our primary concern.

Public Safety - The First Job of Government

• Expansion of our current neighborhood policing and accountability efforts to ensure that we're getting the most out of what's already working

• Creation of a public advisory group to strengthen ties between our citizens and their police

• Implementation of strong new policies to protect against and punish the perpetrators of criminal domestic violence and assist the victims of crime

• Periodic reviews of our new body camera policy to ensure that it's being implemented properly and working as designed

• The creation of SAFE (Secure Access for E-commerce) Zones to allow for the secure exchange of items purchased online

• Regular review of our City compensation plans to verify that our police, firefighters and other first responders are being paid properly for their efforts

Managing Tourism and Development

• Greater collaboration with neighborhoods and citizens before major projects are approved, particularly via existing vehicles for public participation, such as the Design Review Board and the Civic Design Center

• A full zoning review to ensure that all properties throughout the city conform to the city’s comprehensive Century V Plan

• A hotel approval pause while we work collaboratively with citizens, businesses, and neighborhood and preservation groups to create sensible new limits on hotel development in the city

• Split the Board of Architectural Review into two boards to ensure that every project gets the attention it deserves

• A pause on new large events while we work to reform our city’s event planning process, to include scheduling events in other areas throughout the city

• Improved coordination of existing special events, so that they do not create unnecessary congestion in already busy areas

• A thorough review of tour bus and carriage operations

• Development of a city parking policy that prioritizes citizen and resident access (see Transportation and Public Transit)

• Identify parking outside the city’s Historic District to increase “park and ride” opportunities for visitors and others

• Implement the recent recommendations of the city’s Tourism Advisory Committee

Better Cruise Ship Regulation

• Shore power to reduce cruise ship pollution while in port

• An enforceable cap on both the number and the size of cruise ships visiting annually

• A passenger head tax to defray costs that the City incurs by hosting the cruise industry that the State Ports Authority does not cover

• Off-site parking to decrease traffic congestion in the immediate area

• Better planning and coordination to ensure that cruise ship arrivals don’t add to congestion during large-scale events

• The reopening of Concord Street to help relieve traffic congestion, and theredevelopment of the Union Pier area, returning this blighted space to the fabric of our city.

• Completion of the court-ordered review of the proposed cruise ship terminal permit and its larger impact on the historic district

Protecting Our Natural Environment

• Respect the Urban Growth Boundary and the surrounding greenbelt areas

• Preserving and creating new green spaces throughout the city

• Work to implement the portions of the city’s Green Plan that have already been approved by Council and are in the Century V Plan

• Collaborate on the development of a regional coastal resilience plan to mitigate damage from sea-level rise

• Continued opposition to offshore oil exploration and drilling

• Promote conservation and improve energy performance via retrofitting older buildings and LEED-qualified new construction

Drainage/Flooding Relief

• Completion of the city's current drainage and pumping projects to ensure that we have the necessary infrastructure

• Working with citizens to create neighborhood “gutter watch” programs that will empower people to report and, when appropriate, help clear clogged storm drains

• Encouraging rainwater collection and reuse with green roofs, rain barrels and more for irrigation and greywater use

• Install drainage outlet “check valves” or “backflow preventers” that will prevent tidal waters from backing up into the storm drainage system

• Installation of smaller portable pump systems for spot/local flooding areas

Making the Arts Accessible to All Our Citizens

• Identify affordable space for local arts organizations

• Partner with schools for more arts programs at all age levels, both during and after school

• Promote live/work and residential/studio space for local artists and creatives

• Spread arts and cultural programs such as Piccolo Spoleto and the MOJA Arts Festival throughout the city and our schools, so that residents in all areas of Charleston can easily attend and participate

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Next: Part II: Transportation and Public Transit