FRIENDS OF MAYBANK

Since 2014, four people have been injured and two people have been killed while walking or biking on Maybank Highway between Woodland Shores Road and Fleming Road. This is a corridor that connects neighborhoods, businesses and greenspace. There is a dire need for safety and quality-of-life improvements along James Island’s Maybank Highway corridor, necessitating a complete street vision to make the street safer for all users.

RECENT UPDATES

As of November 2023, the City of Charleston approved the maintenance agreement for this project, and the County received permission from the Board of Zoning Appeals to encroach upon two trees. This means the project is on track to go out to bid in early 2024, with construction potentially starting in mid-2024.

Leading to this point, the Complete Streets improvements for both Maybank and Woodland Shores have been delayed by both cost increases and opposition from property owners. The improvements were supposed to include: a pedestrian crossing between the Pour House and The Terrace shopping center; a multi-use path along Maybank from Stefan to Woodland Shores; a wide sidewalk along Woodland Shores.

One of the funding sources for this project is the County’s portion of the state gas tax, so the County is not allowed to purchase right-of-way for the project, and instead must rely on the willingness of property owners to donate certain easements. The project will likely be reduced in scope along parcels where specific property owners are opposed. Unfortunately, these reductions in scope affect the functionality and safety of the entire project.

The potential reduction of a multi-use path on Maybank is particularly unfortunate, given SCDOT already restriped the street in 2018 to prepare for a future multi-use path. Without the path, there will be no safe space for people on bicycles. 

Nearby, the owner of the vacant parcel at the corner of Maybank and Woodland Shores has decided not to construct a drive-thru coffee shop, and is now interested in developing a gas station and convenience store. A gas station is not allowed in the current Planned Development (PD) zoning at that location, so he is considering requesting annexation into the City of Charleston. Stay tuned for updates.

PROGRESS TO DATE

On November 28, 2023, Charleston City Council approved the maintenance agreement for the safety improvements.

On October 2, 2023, the Charleston County Board of Zoning Appeals approved County staff’s request to encroach on (not remove) two grand trees to accommodate the Woodland Shores sidewalk. This approval keeps the project on track to use federal funds.

On July 11, 2023, Charleston County hosted a public information meeting to share with the community the background of the project and any updates. You can learn more about this meeting and the information provided by going to the County’s new project website, with materials presented HERE.

As of June 2023, County staff has begun working through the project’s permitting requirements for both Maybank and Woodland Shores. 

As of March 2020, County staff has been working on final design for the improvements. Additionally, we successfully updated the proposed Maybank Overlay Zoning to include requirements for a 10’ minimum multi-use path for any new developments or substantial redevelopments along the corridor.

On January 10, 2020, Charleston County submitted a Complete Streets application to the BCDCOG to fund sidewalks along Woodland Shores Road and a multi-use path between Woodland Shores and Stefan Drive, ultimately linking to the already-funded mid-block crossing with pedestrian refuge.

On August 13, 2019, Charleston County Transportation Committee (CTC) voted to approve funding for the mid-block crossing with pedestrian refuge between the Terrace Shopping Center and Pour House! Next up, the City of Charleston will begin work on designing and engineering. HUGE THANKS to neighbors, business owners and Senator Sandy Senn who spoke and submitted letters of support! And of course, thank you to City of Charleston, Charleston County and SCDOT for making the safety of Maybank a priority!

In July 2019, the corridor underwent a microsurfacing, during which the travel lanes were narrowed to slow traffic and the turn lane was widened to make room for a mid-block crossing with pedestrian refuge. This came out of a recommendation from the Safety Review report.

On May 6, 2019, SCDOT published the final Road Safety Review, including our data and recommendations. Check out the full report HERE.

On March 24 and March 27, 2019, Charleston Moves conducted bike and pedestrian counts at key locations (Woodland Shores Road/Maybank Highway intersection, Terrace Shopping Center/Pour House segment, and Wappoo Creek Drive/Maybank Highway intersection) to help inform design options. Check out our Maybank Highway Bike + Pedestrian Report HERE — the numbers are staggering!

On February 21, 2019, the City of Charleston invited Charleston Moves and others on a walking tour of the Maybank corridor between Woodland Shores and Wappoo Creek. Immediately following, on February 26, 2019, SCDOT convened a Safety Review of the corridor to identify short- and long-term solutions to make it safe and connected for all users, with information coming from public comments and what we witnessed on site.

On February 19, 2019, after the death of David Massie, Charleston Moves organized a community meeting to get citizen feedback on the safety improvements needed for this corridor. This happened in coordination with Charleston County and City of Charleston’s overlay zoning meetings. Requests from citizens had not changed: make the corridor safer and more connected for people walking, biking and waiting for the bus.