Okay, here is a detailed outline of the meeting, formatted for a blog post, based on the provided sources:
I. Opening Remarks and Announcements
A request was made for everyone to make sure their microphones are on when speaking to ensure the YouTube audience can hear.
An announcement was made that Taylor scen had moved out of his district and therefore is no longer in his seat.
Approval was given for the minutes of the October 11th meeting.
II. Nomination and Election of GAB Officers
The first order of business was the nomination and election of officers.
A motion was made to approve Andrew as Vice Chair to replace Taylor.
A motion to approve a chair for the Gap committee was made and seconded.
The motion to approve the chair was approved.
III. Program Update and Statistics
An update on statistics was given, reflecting changes since the last report a year ago.
18 projects were approved in the last cycle, bringing the total to 230 approved projects.
Breakdowns were given for conservation easements, fee simple, minor improvements, and corridor projects.
Over 26,000 acres have been protected.
Nearly $167 million in funds have been awarded.
Conservation easements are more affordable than fee simple acquisitions.
Urban areas are typically more expensive than rural areas.
A match of almost 140% was generated, totaling over $232 million.
Corridor projects had a large match, mostly for design and construction of multi-use paths.
Public Access:
45% of projects have current or future public access.
89% of funding, just under $180 million, is tied to some sort of public access.
Minority Lands Funding:
Just under $6 million, and just under 3,900 acres.
Definition of minority lands includes purchases by settlement area organizations, purchases in communities in certain areas, purchases to serve minority groups, or purchases in predominantly minority neighborhoods.
Projected Remaining Funds:
Almost $85 million rural and $77.7 million urban, totaling over $162 million.
Currently available is about $8.8 million for rural, $4.1 million for urban, and $13 million total.
These numbers will increase after July 1st with the new budget year.
Urban allocations are broken down by population percentage within the urban growth boundary.
The Red Top Park project caused some negative balances, but most will be positive after July 1st.
Goals:
Overall goal has been exceeded, along with most sub-goals except for rural lands, urban lands, and corridors.
Corridors are now tracked by miles, per a County Council directive.
Project Closings:
Several projects have closed since April 2024.
There are more projects left to close than normal due to 18 projects approved last cycle.
Progress is being made on Mount Pleasant multi-use path projects.
Application Cycles:
The FY25 winter cycle closed on January 24th.
Site visits are scheduled for the following Tuesday and Wednesday.
Subcommittee meeting is anticipated for March 5th, full GAB on April 9th, with Finance Committee on April 24th, and County Council on April 29th.
The FY26 summer application cycle opens on June 2nd and closes on July 25th.
IV. Council Recommendations
All 18 projects from the last cycle were approved by the Council, as recommended by the GAB.
The Main Road project was approved with the condition that the title transfers to the county if the applicant does not raise $317,200 in matching funds within 6 years.
The Greenbelt ordinance was amended to shift authority to waive the title insurance policy from the GAB to staff.
V. Analysis of Green Belt Goals
Staff was directed to review the goals and make recommendations to the GAB.
The Green Belt goals were initially created by comparing Charleston County with peer counties, with an overall goal of protecting 30% of lands.
This was intended to meet needs in 25 years, specifically by 2031.
This required protecting 40,000 additional acres.
The goal was met shortly after 2017.
There are six sub-goals: rural, Francis Marion National Forest, Low Country wetland, PRC Regional Parks, Urban Green Belt lands, and Greenway corridors.
The South Carolina Conservation Bank's mapping report shows that 49% of Charleston County is protected, with 17% developed, leaving 34% neither conserved nor developed.
VI. Partner Feedback
A survey was sent to partners asking for feedback on how Charleston County might adjust its goals.
Common themes from partner feedback included:
Resilience or resilient lands, defined as large, connected areas that adapt to and mitigate climate change.
Importance of connecting green spaces through corridors.
Focus on threatened and disenfranchised communities.
Focus on working lands, specifically farms and timberland.
More parks and public access to Green Belt sites, including in rural areas.
Buffering existing green spaces and parks, such as the National Forest and Wildlife Refuge.
Providing water access, including boat ramps.
Multi-jurisdictional coordination.
Utilizing GIS mapping and available data sets.
The Land Trust offered to be part of a goals technical advisory committee.
Some feedback suggested building on existing goals, while others suggested new approaches, including consolidating goals.
One respondent suggested that corridors include scenic byways and viewsheds.
The Trust for Public Lands Park Serve app was mentioned as a tool to determine areas of need for public access.
Charleston County Parks and Rec Commission plans to undertake an open space analysis this year.
VII. Mapping Technologies and Data Analysis
Staff recommended pursuing mapping and Geo database analysis.
The State Conservation Bank's priority model was cited as an example, with areas of highest conservation priority.
The model is based on six submaps: conservation corridors, ecological conservation, sustainable forestry, sustainable agriculture, water resources, and public trails.
The Trust for Public Lands Park Serve (10-minute walk) analysis was also cited.
The analysis maps green spaces in urban areas and shows underserved areas.
For example, 49% of City of Charleston residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.
This can be customized to a 10-minute drive analysis.
A technical advisory committee was proposed to assist with the mapping process.
Staff recommended a directive to pursue mapping with a technical advisory committee.
The committee would be informal, with virtual meetings, open to land trusts and major municipalities.
PRC's open space analysis data would also be incorporated.
The goal is to bring the data to the GAB to make recommendations to the County Council.
It was estimated that the whole process could take around a year, with updates provided as available.
It was suggested that when goals are updated, the program should also consider how to communicate these changes to potential and future applicants.
The GIS department was reported to be excited to participate in the mapping project.
Money was budgeted for GIS work for the next year.
A motion was made and passed to accept staff recommendation to move forward.
VIII. Green Belt Public Dashboard
A new public dashboard has been launched to increase transparency and make information more accessible to the public.
The dashboard is a four-phase upgrade that began with an online application upgrade based on feedback from partners.
A new project database with reporting functionality was also created, replacing a Microsoft Access database.
The public dashboard is through PowerBI, which the county already uses.
It contains charts and tables with the same information given in the program update.
Users can change between formats and manipulate data.
Details on every approved project are available, with links to the project pages if the project is a public park.
The dashboard has data on minority lands, small landowner programs, and frequently asked questions.
The dashboard just went live, and there are still a few bugs that will be worked out.
A press release and newsletter will be released to inform the public about the dashboard.
IX. Low Country Land Trust Update
David Ray, Chief Conservation Officer for Low Country Land Trust, provided an update on the organization's work with the Green Belt program.
The organization was founded in 1986 and has protected over 163,000 acres in 14 coastal counties in South Carolina.
The mission is to protect land and water, nurture relationships between people and place, and connect conservation to community.
The organization is trustworthy, intentional, innovative, collaborative, nimble, and connected to local communities.
Low Country Land Trust has completed 50 projects with Green Belt funding from 2007 to 2025.
7 of these projects were East Cooper Land Trust/Mount Pleasant Conservancy projects.
The total acreage is just over 7,900 acres, with almost 2,000 acres of wetlands.
Green Belt funding totaled $35.3 million, with a total match of $71.2 million.
There were also three partner projects where Low Country Land Trust holds the conservation easement.
Of the 50 projects, 41 are rural, totaling 4,674 upland acres, and 9 are urban, totaling 760 upland acres, with a total of 1,925 wetland acres.
16 projects are fee simple, 34 are conservation easements, 25 involve farmland, and 19 involve public access.
A history of projects was provided, broken down into 5 year time periods from 2005 to 2024.
Examples were given from each time period, including the Center for Birds of Prey, Angel Oak, and Boon Hall.
Land protection involves not just the legal documentation, but also perpetual monitoring and stewardship of the properties.
The organization is nationally accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, and will be up for renewal in 2029.
There are three dedicated stewardship staff members and other staff members who contribute to stewardship.
The organization monitors 552 property interests, using aerial and satellite monitoring techniques, and also conducts on-site visits.
There is a stewardship and legal defense fund that helps to cover costs.
Current programs include the Community Lands Program, which focuses on smaller, community-driven projects.
The Carolina Seafoods property in Mullenville is one such project.
This project is part of a multi-phase effort to preserve the town's working waterfront.
The Bfield Community Park is another example, where the organization is partnering with a local community to develop a park.
The organization helped them secure a grant for park planning and connected them with financial services.
Thornhill Farm and Grayson Oaks are two working farms that the organization has protected, with Grayson Oaks recently acquired.
Low Country Land Trust seeks to connect private conservation lands with public lands to create a larger protected landscape.
Fairfield Plantation is one example, connecting to the Francis Marion National Forest and other protected areas.
The organization is ready to participate in helping to establish and explain the goals for the program going forward.
Approximately 25 to 50 percent of the organization’s projects are financed by the Greenbelt Program.
The organization is among the largest land trusts in the state by acreage protected.
The organization has a lot of community support, many donors, and a robust communications team.
X. Closing Remarks
Upcoming meetings were announced.
Subcommittee meeting is March 5th at 9:00 am.
Full GAB meeting is April 9th at 10:00 am.
The meeting was adjourned.
*meeting auto transcribed, please excuse any typos & misspellings
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