Thursday, February 6, 2014

Urgent Action Needed: Please vote "no" on Cainhoy Proposal

Please voice your opposition to the following city officials, whose email addresses are linked below.
For your convenience, here's a text you can freely use:
Dear Sirs,
I have been made aware of tonight's vote on the Cainhoy development proposal and strongly urge you to vote no, so that the voices of all stakeholders may be heard.  I stand with the Preservation Society of Charleston, the Coastal Conservation League, the Lowcountry Open Land Trust, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Charleston Foundation, and residents of Cainhoy in opposing a plan that does not adequately protect our shared cultural heritage.
Sincerely,


Urgent Action Needed: Cainhoy Development Project (Background facts)

While scrolling through my inbox today I received the following message from the Preservation Society of Charleston:


Dear Friends,
On Thursday, February 6, 2014, in the 3rd floor meeting room of 75 Calhoun Street, at 5 p.m., the City of Charleston's Planning Commission will vote on whether to approve a Master Plan for the development of the 9,000 acre Cainhoy Plantation. We urge all of our members to attend this meeting and ask the Planning Commission to vote "no" on this request.
The Preservation Society opposes the plan because it does not address the following issues:
  • It does not provide sufficient protection for historic structures on site and St. Thomas - St. Denis Church
  • It does not provide adequate protection for historic landscapes, roadbeds, and cemeteries
  • It does not provide protection for archaeological resources along the Cooper and Wando Rivers
  • It fails to consider development impacts on adjacent historic communities
The Preservation Society stands in support of other groups such as the Coastal Conservation League, the Lowcountry Open Land Trust, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Charleston Foundation, and residents of Cainhoy who also advocate for the protection of the historic and environmental resources of Cainhoy Plantation.

While at first this might seem like a local issue, the loss of significant cultural heritage is something that should concern us all.  What can you do?  Well, you could write an email and make yourself heard.  In part two of this post, you'll find the email addresses of those you can write to, and even a simple text to make your life easy.  It will literally take two minutes of your time and, quite frankly, is a good thing to do.  
 5 reasons why Cainhoy matters
  • Site of first porcelain production in Colonial America.
  • Site of 1819 St. Thomas -St. Denis Church
  • Proximity to the Cooper River Historic District
  • Rich archeological evidence 
  • Proximity to the Francis Marion National Forest