Lunch

Avoiding the crowd is a one of my personal goals at lunch. Lines, long waits, mundane conversation, and server absences are inevitable--but never enjoyable. Today I went early and ended up joining a different crowd. The conservation atthe table pointed to a new development along the Cooper River's banks, currently being called the Pomenade. It's being built on two county landfills near downtown, along a section of the river named Town Creek, Locally, the section  called the Neck. It is industrial wasteland, dreary, drab, dirt, desolate.

Already the developer has moved 5 million dollars worth of dirt to build a thicker cap. And he has purchased a 27,000 unit tree farm to be ready for landscaping the outdoor architecture.

Five of the elected officials for the area of the project are African-American, one with longstanding seniority in the SC Senate, and one with years of experience on city council. In the SC House district for the the Neck, or Popmenade on Long Creek, a new representative rose to the State House this summer from years on the city council. He brings a familarity and long experience with the stradegies and political processes developers take ton achieve their goals in the city. Of the five elected officials, I had lunch with two.

Now, lunch was interesting. Five million dollars of dirt is not mundane. The server absence allowed the talk to be private and candid. Quicker than the poured soup du jour, this project is being fast tracked. The small streets lane, and short blocks that slice through this industrial area are homes to poor folks with small houses and porches. Flower pots sit on their steps and their gates are sagging from wear. Forgotten, set far apart from the rountine benefits of urban life--convenient shopping, cultural options, neighborhood clout, activists with respected voices, volunteer expertise--they have waited patiently for the path of prosperity to come by here.  Their hopes have survived long absences when other parts of the city boomed--raising prices and housing costs without improving wages--and many are undecided whether to their view their turn as blessing or curse.

Now in the middle of lunch, I am wandering how to protect and enhance this community, how to make it a part of a tide  lifting all boats, how to protect them from outrageous taxes, displacement, traffic density, splintering their cultural core of simple pleasures--while offering the benefits of a fresh face for the area: a 1,500 unit combination of hotels and housing types, a 10,000 seat amphitheatre, and stores, shops, and businesses.

This is something to think about over lunch. If you know successful models, let me know. And lunch will be on me.