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A brand-new park opened in Goose Creek on Friday with the focus of being “a park built for everyone.”

Published: Fri Dec 16 2022

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - A brand-new park opened in Goose Creek on Friday with the focus of being “a park built for everyone.”

The $9 million project, Central Creek Park, hopes to be inclusive towards everyone with volleyball and basketball courts, a splash pad, a food truck pavilion and pickleball courts.

Over 26,000 square-feet, ‘Debra’s Playground’ will offer a wide range of accessible activities for people with physical or visual disabilities. The surfacing is all wheelchair accessible, and the equipment is based on sensory items for everyone to enjoy.

Families who include children with disabilities were the first invited to play at the park after this morning’s ribbon cutting. Nicole Valentine, mother to her special needs daughter, says other parks have never really been concerned about including all the different aspects of sensory play before.

“It’s never really kept in mind the heart of all children to be fully inclusive, and even down to having the fence around for those kids who love to run,” Valentine says. “It’s very important and it does so much for parent’s safety concerns to be able to just come here, and you almost get a little bit of relief watching your children play and not be so stressed out.”

The City of Goose Creek hosted a tribute to the donors of the park ahead of the ribbon cutting ceremony. Goose Creek Recreation Director Crystal Reed addressed the city and sponsors after working for months on the development.

“Central Creek Park sets our community apart and creates opportunities to remove barriers, increase self-esteem, develop community culture where everyone benefits from health, fitness and social connections,” Crystal says. “Thousands of children and adults across Berkeley County of all abilities have benefited from our therapeutic recreation program over the past several years; because of you, we just raised the bar with Central Creek Park.”

Parents of children with special needs say that it means the world to them to see their children experience a park they can truly enjoy. Kathy Kackley, parent to Trista Kutceher, travel the U.S. together promoting inclusivity in parks and compared other parks to Central Creek Park.

“There’s something here for everyone; there’s something here everyone can do,” Kackley says. “We like to be inclusive in our play and in our life, and we are very appreciative that Goose Creek has stepped up and has a place for everybody to play together.”

Goose Creek Assistant Recreation Director, Nicole Herrera Murray, explains how the city worked to choose specific pieces of equipment for special needs children to use. After planning and researching for months, she says Friday was a dream come true.

“I’ve been dreaming of this day for a really long time. It’s really amazing to see everyone enjoying and hearing the screams behind us is just everything that I’ve ever wanted,” Murray says.

The public is invited to join in on the fun Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. or Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 47 Old Moncks Corner Rd.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Central Creek Park is dubbed “a park for all” and so far it has been just that since opening on Dec. 16, 2022. The site on Old Moncks Corner Road has been a big success and the only real problem is finding a parking space.

It’s the three-month anniversary for Central Creek Park and it is as welcoming as envisioned when plans got rolling on the park over two years ago.

It was once just an idea for a playground but the 13-acre site is now a top destination.

The area offers pickle ball and basketball courts, a massive pavilion, a stage for concerts and movie nights, walking trails, greenspace and a giant playground that offers enrichment to the special needs community.

“The park has been packed,” said Hannah Miller, the Therapeutic and Community Programs Coordinator for Goose Creek. “I think everyone is a bit surprised about having this kind of resource. Everybody jokes we don’t have enough parking spaces. You pull up there in the morning and everyone is playing pickle ball, or getting an early start on the playground.”

And it’s not just early in the day, Central Creek Park is busy both day and night because there is such a variety of things to do.

“Then you drive by in the evening and the basketball courts are packed. I don’t have exact numbers but we have a few hundred different parking spaces and they are practically always full,” said Miller.

The $9.5 million park was built with the help of major donors and the business community. The spot is for everyone of any age or ability.

“We get a lot of compliments about how beautiful it is and how well it was organized and about how well it’s running,” she said. “We get a lot of thanks and a lot of praise for like, ‘My children haven’t always been considered so now they have a place they can go and feel safe and have a place to play.’ It’s been all compliments which is kind of overwhelming.”

The park, on the old site of the old Casey Recreation Center, is not only popular with Goose Creek residents, those from outside the city have been arriving as well.

“Not a day goes by that somebody is like, we drove here from North Charleston or we drove here from Summerville. It is really an attraction point and people are utilizing it,” said Miller. “It’s been a joy to have in the community, it’s been an honor to work there and be a part of the project. I think it’s going to be a staple for really long time to come.”

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCIV) — Tonight, the City of Goose Creek is expected finalize its plans for a new 300-unit apartment complex coming to Henry Brown Boulevard, as the city’s Board of Architectural Review will make its final recommendations to the developers for adjustments.

The complex will take up 24 acres adjacent to Henry Brown Blvd. With 10 three-story buildings surrounding a central pond. The complex will include amenities such as a dog park, pedestrian walkway and a five-story garage.

Read More: City of Goose Creek board to review plans for 300-unit apartment complex

However, it has been a long time coming to get to this point. The conceptual design was initially approved over a decade ago. The development is zoned under a “Pre-Existing Development” which outdates projects which were approved by the current city council and Goose Creek Mayor Greg Habib.

But with the population in goose creek growing by over 25 percent over the past decade, the main concern for residents is making sure the infrastructure is in place to fit the current state of the city.

“I feel that we're kind of at the mercy of the builder at this point, because they were approved so long ago, before the vision of what it should be for Goose Creek. So, anything that the [Board of Architectural Review] recommends or anything like that, it's kind of limited what they can do,” Goose Creek Resident Eric Bennett said.

How a new 300-unit apartment complex will shake up the Goose Creek area in the future. (WCIV)

“I really think that the city council, I think that the mayor is working with these builders and talking to them, and seeing how they can come to some middle ground and anytime that you're able to communicate, anytime that people are willing to meet in the middle, then everybody wins," Bennett continued.

Since the project was approved already the BAR can’t stop or reject the apartment complex from being built. The board of architectural review will make recommendations including lighting, signage and elevation at tonight’s meeting.

But the question for a lot of residents remains how those in charge will handle the project which was approved in a very different Goose Creek than we are seeing today.

There are already some changes in the works as the city has is nearly two years into their project to expand a portion of Henry Brown Blvd. from a two lane road to a four lane road.

Read More: Does Goose Creek need more apartments? Leaders, community members weigh in

The bigger concern for residents is the infrastructure around the building, with one of the key elements being storm water management. This has been a problem for the city and greater Berkeley County area for a while, especially after we saw flooding impacts from Hurricane Ian and Tropical storm Nicole hit those areas.

While some say the complex isn’t a negative for the city, residents do say they want to see the right steps made in the implementation of this new building to fit into the city’s current structure.

“The challenge that you have, though is where does the money come to get that infrastructure put in place? And the answer to that is to the growth, right? Putting these projects and the impact fees that come from these projects towards that infrastructure, the tax revenue, and everything else from the property taxes and stuff is what's going to drive the ability to improve that infrastructure,” Bennett said.

Read More: Proposed plans for downtown Charleston apartment complex causes controversy

In a statement provided to us from the City of goose creek officials says in part quote:

All stormwater requirements required by the county will be in place for these or any developments.

But there was no statement on whether the city or county as a whole would plan to change any of those with the new building in place. It is important to note most of the Stormwater Management or external infrastructure management comes from Berkley County and not the city of Goose Creek.

City officials also said developers now need to have any new apartment complex approved by the current mayor and council for full approval. Something which was not in place when this complex was approved.

The city's Board of Architectural Review meeting is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - The city of Goose Creek unveiled an amphitheater in honor of S.C. Rep. Joe Daning in a surprise presentation Tuesday during his retirement celebration in Goose Creek.

Joseph Daning is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 92. He also was a Goose Creek City Council member for over 20 years and previous Goose Creek Mayor Pro Tempore.

Daning will retire from the S.C. House of Representatives in January 2023. Multiple former S.C. representatives, Mayor Gregory Habib, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace and Daning’s family and friends attended the celebration.

All the speakers who gathered at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church spoke about Daning’s long-lasting legacy in the city, Statehouse and House of Representatives.

“He was such a great friend and a mentor and very loyal to the Lowcountry,” Nancy Mace, U.S. House of Representative, said. “It was an honor to see that the Joseph Daning amphitheater was unveiled today in Goose Creek and that’s exciting for the residents of Goose Creek too and I want to thank Mayor Habib for that effort.”

The Joseph S. Daning Amphitheater will be located at the Municipal Center Campus near the Recreation Complex and the lake behind City Hall. It plans to include an outside basketball court, a food truck area, restrooms and additional parking.

Crystal Reed, the recreation director for the City of Goose Creek, says some examples of events that will be held at the amphitheater are slam poetry, improv, concerts and movie nights.

“I think the goal of the amphitheater and the projects that we’re doing in the city of Goose Creek is to bring entertainment into our city so that residents don’t have to travel and create more traffic,” Reed said. “They can get good dining options and good entertainment here in the city of Goose Creek.”

Reed says this project will break ground in April 2023 and it should take about 18 months to complete.

When Mayor Habib introduced the new amphitheater, Daning began to cry in shock.

“I didn’t expect any of this and then the new that,” Daning said, pointing to the picture of the proposed amphitheater. “You know, my father came from the Philippines. I am first generation. I mean this is just unbelievable. You know, I never expected any of this.”

The total cost of the amphitheater will be about $4 million. Daning secured $1.5 million in state funding and the remainder will be paid by ARPA funds.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

The Goose Creek Planning Commission’s follow-up analysis of a proposed mixed-use development on 117 Red Bank Road — known as Avalon Point — during a April 4 public hearing revealed lingering traffic concerns, prompting the group to vote against a request to rezone a defined land parcel from General Commercial (GC) to Planned Development (PD).

With no less than eight of nine public speakers who voiced their opposition to a bid to incorporate 142 residential lots across 32-34 acres of land, the planning commission cited issues with potentially adding 250-300 more cars to the area that would further inhibit the flow of traffic.

Neighboring residents — including Rebecca Work — from from Greenview Acres, West Greenview Acres and Gardenia Villas shared their concerns with the commission over making an already compromising situation even worse for cars backed up along Red Bank Road attempting to access Wisteria Road.

“I’m a stay-at-home mom. I can pick and choose the times I leave my house. I’m stuck and I can’t get out of my own neighborhood in a timely manner. With no way out other than Wisteria is not a great option — we’re going to get stuck there longer,” stated Work, who moved to Goose Creek seven years ago.

Similarly, Gary Semon and Sandra Ertley reported that traffic along Red Bank Road is backed up past Forest Lawn Avenue, as people continually try to bypass congestion to no avail.

Semon added: “I understand that Beazer [Homes] has the SCDOT traffic approval. I want to see whoever approved that sit in traffic right now between 5 and 6 o’clock because I bet you they would rethink that real quick ... it gets worse every day.”

The impact analysis, in fact, was endorsed by the SCDOT with no external mitigations being required, according to Goose Creek Planning & Zoning Director Kendra Wise, who said that “variables could change” on that front.

During the commission’s questioning of Beazer Homes Land Development VP Tom Wallington, the construction company spokesperson acknowledged that two access points are needed, with the main entrance coming off Red Bank Road and the secondary one off Wisteria Road.

The majority of the traffic is indeed coming off Red Bank Road, he said, and informed that no left-hand turns would be permitted along the entrance and egress path. Also noted was Beazer Homes’ collaboration with the nearby Kennedy Center location to “improve” the parking lot area at 96 Wisteria Road.

In response to a suggestion from Commission member Anthony Jenkins to schedule one-on-one meetings with affected residents, Wallington claimed he would welcome another opportunity to meet with locals as he did about a year ago.

Prior to denying the rezoning request, the Commission voted by a 3-2 tally against a motion to approve the zoning modification with recommendation for governance and oversight by City Council in conjunction with the Department of Transportation, and with special community involvement.

The topic of flooding was also revisited at the April hearing, when Work and others took issue with replacing water-absorbing trees and soil with concrete and asphalt.

Wallington addressed flooding by promising to build ponds that would hold excess water and discharge it at a slower rate.