Station 6

SCDOT will continue to support the Community Advisory Council (CAC) which was established in September 2019. The CAC consists of residents and property-owners from the impacted Environmental Justice (EJ) communities, who serve the following roles during the project development phase:

 (a) share individual knowledge and perspectives with the project team;

 (b) provide input on project-related impacts and proposed mitigation;

 (c) serve as a voice for the EJ neighborhood residents; and,

 (d) share project-related information.

SCDOT will continue to support the CAC, through the approval of the FEIS/ROD, by facilitating their regularly scheduled monthly meetings, providing technical assistance, and providing administrative support as needed.

Organizational Training

SCDOT will provide support for training to transition the Community Advisory Council to a Project Oversight Committee (POC). This training will also be made available to residents of the impacted EJ communities who are interested in joining the POC or other groups looking to initiate community advocacy.

Community Office

SCDOT will maintain a Community Office throughout the project development, final design, and right-of-way phases of the project. The Community Office will continue to be staffed with a full-time Office Manager, Community Liaisons/Outreach Specialists, and part-time Right-of-Way Specialists, who will be available to provide community residents with real-time project and property acquisition information. The Community Office will also be available to serve as meeting space for the CAC and the POC. The Community Office will remain in operation until the completion of the Right-of-Way Acquisition Phase.

SCDOT is partnering with the South Carolina State Housing and Finance and Development Authority to create one hundred (100) affordable multi-family rental housing units within the vicinity of the impacted EJ communities. Displaced families that qualify for the affordable units will receive priority placement in new units.”Additionally, SCDOT is conducting early acquisition of vacant lots within and in the vicinity of the impacted EJ communities in order to provide affordable single-family or multi-family owner occupied housing options for families displaced by the I-526 LCC-West project. These units would be available for both displaced homeowners and those displaced tenants that desire to move into homeownership as a part of the relocation process. SCDOT is investigating provisions and partnerships that will enable the replacement housing to remain affordable in the future. Displaced families that qualify for the affordable units will receive priority placement in new units.

Financial Literacy and First-time Home Buyer Counseling: SCDOT will develop partnerships with the local organizations to provide financial literacy and first-time home buyer counseling to displaced residents, which could assist them in securing residential loans and transitioning from renters to homeowners. The counseling will be initiated during first quarter 2021.

SCDOT will fund the construction of replacement recreational facilities and associated infrastructure to mitigate project impacts and satisfy Section 4(f) and Section 6(f) requirements. SCDOT will acquire parcels located within the affected neighborhoods and provide funding to the City of North Charleston who will oversee construction of one large, centrally located community center complex and two pocket parks within the impacted EJ neighborhoods. Final details of the amenities to be included in the community center and the pocket park will be included in the FEIS/ROD. Construction of the new centrally located community center and the pocket parks will be completed prior to the start of construction of the I-526 LCC-West improvements.

Programs and Activities

Prior to the approval of the FEIS/ROD, SCDOT and the City of North Charleston will develop an intergovernmental agreement outlining the programs, services, structural components, and arrangements for long-term operation and maintenance of the replacement community centers and recreational facilities. The agreement will include language that gives residents of the communities served by the community and recreational centers priority in areas such as program enrollment/participation, reserving facility space, and volunteer opportunities. The City of North Charleston will continue to look for qualified candidates that live in the impacted environmental justice neighborhoods. The City of North Charleston will post job openings within the neighborhoods and encourage the CAC and neighborhood councils to submit qualified applicants. Final details related to programs, amenities, and community member employment opportunities at the recreational facilities will be included in the FEIS/ROD.

Connectivity and Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety

SCDOT will develop a plan to improve bike and pedestrian connectivity, safety, and mobility between the replacement community centers and recreation facilities, the surrounding EJ communities, and transit stops along Rivers Avenue. These improvements may include new and upgraded sidewalks, improved lighting, crosswalks/pedestrian signage, traffic calming, and CARTA transit stop improvements.

Prior to construction, SCDOT will develop a partnership with educational institutions and provide up to $50,000 to fund a scholarship program. The scholarship program will be for high school and college students from the impacted EJ communities or other adjacent EJ communities that intend to or currently attend higher educational institutions.

School-to-Work Program

SCDOT will develop partnerships with educational institutions to develop school-to-work employment programs with the goal of enhancing employment opportunities within the fields of construction, engineering, and transportation. During the right-of-way acquisition phase, SCDOT will seek to hire up to ten (10) high school or college students from the impacted EJ neighborhoods or other adjacent EJ communities to work as summer interns.

Pre-employment Training

This program will be established prior to construction to provide training and job readiness skills to individuals from the affected communities. SCDOT will determine the number of participants required completing the program and the program will be the responsibility of the contractor. The contractor’s program plan and curriculum will be reviewed and approved by SCDOT. Graduates of this program will be considered for participation in On-The-Job Training (OJT) Program.

SCDOT will fund a study to document the cultural history and character of the impacted EJ communities through the support of a qualified historian and photographer. The study efforts will include collecting oral history, archival research, collection of historic photography, and the development of a report that will be available for viewing online and at the community center. The Community History Preservation Study will be coordinated with the schedule for the Community Livability study and be complete within two years of the FEIS/ROD.

Community Infrastructure Enhance Plan

SCDOT will develop a Community Infrastructure Enhancement Plan that will identify a set of improvements to address bicycle and pedestrian safety, access to community centers, enhanced street aesthetics, project-related stormwater improvements, and traffic calming measures that would be implemented as part of the project. The Community Infrastructure Enhancement Plan will be completed by the approval of the FEIS/ROD.

1. Community Office

In November 2019, a Community Office was opened in close proximity to the potentially impacted communities. Located in Gas Light Square at 5627 Rivers Avenue (CARTA Route 10), the Community Office is where you can meet one-on-one with the project team and connect with resource specialists such as right-of-way relocation experts.

2. Community Advisory Council

A Community Advisory Council was formed as a resident-led group to facilitate meaningful engagement between residents and SCDOT. Their role is to Advise, Connect, Represent, and Communicate.

3. Social Needs Assessment

The Community Advisory Council and residents of the potentially impacted neighborhoods completed a Social Needs Assessment survey to provide insight into the daily operations, needs, and desires of the community.

mitigation
noun {mit-i-gey-shun}
the act of lessening the force or intensity of something unpleasant

The DRAFT Environmental Justice Community Mitigation Plan was built on 4 pillars of community mitigation:

1. Cohesion: To provide a common vision and sense of belonging for residents who may have been divided

2. Enhancement: To increase the value, quality and attractiveness of a community by providing aesthetic improvements and replacing lost recreational amenities

3. Preservation: To connect the neighborhood's past, present, and future to encourage residents of all ages to thrive despite relocation impacts

4. Revitalization: To restore employment opportunities, safety, and affordable housing that has been diminished

• The need for SCDOT to purchase properties, including many homes or strips of land. This would result in less affordable housing in the area.
• The removal of the Russelldale Community Center and changes to the Highland Terrace-Liberty Park Community Center.
• The increase in traffic noise levels.
• Temporary noise and dust during construction of the highways and the replacement community and recreation centers.

SCDOT also recognizes that when I-26 and I-526 were originally constructed, these same communities experienced many of the same impacts. Many residents and businesses had to move to make room for these roadways. Further, affordable housing in the area is already being reduced by other new commercial developments and transportation projects.

The potential impacts of the project would negatively affect these neighborhoods more than others, and therefore should be offset by measures designed to benefit these communities. The goal of the Community Mitigation Plan is to do just that - to lessen the impacts to these environmental justice communities.

Some statistics:

• 95% of Residential Relocations for the proposed improvements would be from within an environmental justice neighborhood
• 85% of Residential Relocations are within 1 mile of the I-526/I-26 interchange
• 20% of Residents in Russelldale & Highland Terrace rely on Section 8 housing assistance

Additionally, SCDOT will relocate families to help them become homeowners, if that is their preference. SCDOT will partner with other agencies and organizations to provide resources and workshops for those affected families who are interested in home ownership. SCDOT is actively purchasing vacant lots within the impacted communities for the potential to develop new homes.

Financial Literacy/First-time Home Buyer Counseling Financial literacy and first-time home buyer counseling will be made available to displaced residents to assist in securing residential loans and transitioning from renters to homeowners.

Community History Preservation Program (2020-2027): The communities of Ferndale, Highland Terrace, Liberty Park, and Russelldale have a rich cultural history. The development of transportation infrastructure in North Charleston has continually impacted these communities, shaping episodes of growth and decline. The Community History Preservation Program will document their rich history by including:

• Interviews with current and past residents,
• Historic photographs of the communities prior to the construction of I-26, I-526, and other recent developments, and
• Recent images of the communities.

This study is set to begin later this year (2020). We encourage you to stay engaged—participate in interviews, share historic images, and provide information to document the unique historic and cultural elements of your community. Based on community feedback, this study will also gather design concepts to be incorporated in the appearance of the new community center. Upon completion, a final report will be available at the new community center, the public library, and online.

Community Infrastructure & Enhancement Plan (2020-2021) A Community Infrastructure Enhancement Plan would identify improvements to address bicycle and pedestrian safety, access to community centers, enhanced street aesthetics, project-related stormwater improvements, and traffic calming measures that would be implemented in the impacted communities. Development of the Community Infrastructure Enhancement Plan will begin in November 2020 and will conclude in late 2021. During this time, a series of interactive workshops and stakeholder meetings will be conducted to help formulate the content and recommendations from community residents.

Community Centers and Park; Community Programs and Activities: The proposed improvements to I-526 and I-26 as part of the I-526 LCC WEST would require the removal of the Russelldale Community Center and result in impacts to the Highland Terrace Community Center. To address the potential impacts to both facilities, SCDOT is in the process of acquiring property and would provide funding to the City of North Charleston to construct one large, centrally located, modern community center complex in Liberty Park. Additionally, there would be two pocket parks; one in Highland Terrace and the other in Russelldale. Visit the Community Commitments webpage to view some replacement community center concepts.

Connectivity; Bike & Pedestrian Safety Enhanced bike and pedestrian facilities within the community to provide safe access to new community centers, parks and transit stops.

Employment and Education There are three distinct programs that would provide educational or employment opportunities for residents in potentially impacted communities.

• The College Aid Initiative will provide up to $50,000 in scholarships for high school and college students from the impacted EJ communities or other adjacent EJ communities who plan to attend or currently attend higher educational institutions.
• The School-to-Work Program will consist of summer internships for up to ten high school or college students in the fields of construction, engineering, and transportation.
• The Pre-Employment Training Program will be led by the contractor selected to construct the I-526 improvements. The program will provide training and job-readiness skills. Graduates of this program will be considered for participation in the I-526 LCC WEST On-The-Job Training (OJT) Program.