City Council - workshop

Were there areas where lighting needed to be added, not just

One of your, on a couple slides forward, top 10 was connectivity. Talk to me, what are they talking about?

Jason, let me ask you, you know, talking about the lighting and I know Santee Cooper has been replacing some of the lights. So they are working on brightening things up. But one of the concerns that I heard from someone several times is not just the lighting, but the growth and stuff going on the wires and the Some of the trees and stuff where Santee Cooper or somebody, I think Fox, I believe me and you talked about that one time, or it might've been Brian, I'm sorry. But that's something, I don't know if we can get some help with Santee Cooper on addressing some of those issues in the neighbo

Yeah, there's a meeting coming up sometime soon.

At the Municipal Association this summer, they did a presentation on technology. group and talked about all of the things they're offering our municipalities to help protect us.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Was that applause from our city employees?

I'm a little bit confused when we started this. My recollection was we were asking to go back to the Planning Commission to give us some ideas and some options. Mr. May has just pointed out to us that, you know, This maybe should not be addressed by a zoning ordinance. Maybe it shouldn't be. I thought we were gonna get back a discussion of what are the options, what are the problems, as Mr. May just pointed out. And so now we're coming back with a hard ordinance, and we haven't had a time to really discuss those things. And I think that we should. I ALSO THINK THAT WHAT I SAW, AND I DON'T KNOW

I understand, but it's... I think it's an overreach, and I'll let it go at that.

It's either me or both. I have heard before and I've heard today about this unwritten rule 6040. How do you enforce something that's not in writing?

Another question, would using fire code in terms of occupancy, would that be a reasonable option so that an organization that has, a new organization, they either build the building or they're going to rent space. And that space allows for hypothetically 200 customers. But what they want to do is they want to be a nightclub or a drinking establishment. So wouldn't we use the fire code and occupancy? And I think part of this is also the question of limited because there's a potential for bad actors to come into play. I've heard that, and I think there are other ways to deal with that. As an exa

Mayor, the only thing I would just add, I hear everybody in concerns, and I know just from my take from, and I'm going to talk history, when years ago when we would have problems with the bars turning out, on Ocean Boulevard and when people, it's not just, you go in a restaurant and you eat and you enjoy your meal and you leave and you go home. When people go to bars, they go in a bar and I'm assuming they go in and consume a bunch of alcohol and when they leave and some of them just act a fool. I mean, that's really what happens. And that's what used to happen down there on Ocean Boulevard. A

I guess all I'm just saying is I'm just worried that, and Ken, you said something earlier. If you got a hole in the roof and you plan for it, All I'm just trying to see if we can plug up something before something happened. That's me, that's just me. I just think that sitting here thinking about what used to happen, yeah, I know times have changed now, but I don't think people have changed when it come to getting too much friendly stuff in bars.

So I would say one of the biggest changes I've seen in regards to places where alcohol is served is the requirements now of training, tips training, that type of thing for servers. So I think that ABC Board, SLED, whoever has really stepped up their expectations of places that serve alcohol. I had when this first came to us I thought wow this is a great idea and I really have over the last couple weeks in looking at this and and having conversations have felt more like we need to look for other options to hold establishments accountable for bad behavior and not necessarily through zoning

Thank you. So before two days ago, I was in support of this. past couple days, I've talked to some people and everything. My biggest concern is that we're stifling for new businesses to come in. That it's not going to be business friendly looking for, and that's what we've been wanting, is new businesses to come in. So that's my biggest concern. I agree with everything that Mr. Lauder has just said. We've done a really good job in the past trying to keep stuff under control. But on the other hand, we need some new businesses to come in also. So that's kind of where I'm at. But I still think th

Mr. Mayor, I just hope we can just keep down.

Yes, ma'am? Can I suggest, though, that we get together with the Hospitality Association and do some discussions? Absolutely. And try to make things a little more streamlined where everybody can live with it, if that's possible? Yes.

I'd like to make a note that this was put in the budget that we approved already.

Mayor. Yes, ma'am. Several of us from city staff and council went up to Connecticut, specifically to Bridgeport for the grand opening of a development called the August, which is a development in a very blighted area, Bridgeport, of which Flowery and Collins and Ryan Civic Partners, who we have spoken with, they created a tremendous project specifically that included workforce housing and very high-end apartments. And I think we also were impressed not only with the level of the development, but the pride that community had in the establishment of that apartment complex and in the development,

No, but you can see the water. Oh, okay. It's definitely on the water, but just very well worth it. Spent a lot of time with Devin, specifically talking about redevelopment and Jason, Fox, and Michelle. So it was very good.

Yes, Mr. Mayor. With the... the concern about what happened over the weekend. I'm unclear on our ordinance as it relates, excuse me, relates to looting. So I'd like to be able to sit down with the city manager, acting police chief, whoever else is appropriate to get a clear understanding of what that is.

Okay. You can hear my voices. Loitering. Yeah. so i i'd like to be able to do that because i while we were talking uh one of my neighbors let me pull this up real quick sent me some highlighted stuff from chapter 14 14-85 that apparently addresses the issue and what should be done, what should not be done, that type of thing. I'm sure the manager and the attorney would be happy to do that. I'd like to be able to get a clarification on that.