Mount Pleasant Wins Public Service Award
on November 19th, 2009 at 2:29 amLiving in a coastal town is highly desired yet not always affordable for everyone. Mt. Pleasant, SC was recently awarded for their efforts to create affordable housing for the city’s employees.
Every year the Municipal Association of South Carolina Municipal Association of South Carolina recognizes and encourages innovations and excellence in local governments through its Achievement Awards. The 2009 winners were recently announced.
The town of Mount Pleasant was the 2009 recipient of the Public Service Award.
Mount Pleasant is a rapidly growing and vivacious area, making it a highly desired place to live. Local officials in Mount Pleasant knew that it was nearly impossible for middle-income workers to find a place to live in town.
Many of these workers were commuting from nearby towns – Goose Creek, Summerville or West Ashley. These long commutes were not only tiresome for the drivers themselves, they also created extra congestion on the roadways.
The town council created the Workforce Housing Advisory Committee which in turn generated workforce housing in various areas around Mount Pleasant. These zoned areas provide affordable housing within the town of Mount Pleasant.
Consequently, numerous workers can now live within the city in which they work. This has dramatically cut down on commuting traffic and made the lives of many middle-income workers much less stressful.