Charleston, SC (WCSC) – King Street is the heart of the Charleston business district, but a local company is concerned about the maintenance of the city center and what it does to its sales.
Bubbies Cookies and Treats The owner, Harris Cohen, took photos and videos for years of his concerns, some taken just in the last week.
The photos and videos showed graffiti, a litter that was not picked up, and even someone who urinates in a parking lot right next to his business in the middle of the day.
“Yes, parking is a problem, traffic is a problem, but what the comments I mean in my store at Mount Pleasant is” I don’t feel safe in the city center “. For example, at 12:53 p.m. in the parking lot right next to us, someone urine right there.
While Charleston continues to be classified as the number one city to visit in the south, he has concerns with the inhabitants who live in the Lowntry all year round. Cohen asks for something to do.
“It’s just general anarchy here, with one of the problems not being enough police officers here,” he said.
Cohen said that another problem he sees daily is that cyclists bulging the sidewalks, almost coming up against people. Cohen spoke with Live 5 at the beginning of 2024 About this problem. According to city orders, it is illegal for people to cycle on the sidewalks.
“Remember that they have prohibited the sampling on the sidewalks or even in the alcoves because they thought that people crowded on the sidewalks and walked in the street. But however, they did nothing for the bicycle to do harm,” said Cohen.
Some King Street companies say they have seen an improvement in the past year with the city’s business district of the city, but they are not blind either to the idea that it remains to be done.
King Street BID’s executive director Amy Barrett said the City City City District saw more than 30,000 pedestrians in one day.
“It is an incredible number that we are lucky to have, but it also means that it is a varied number of various guests who come to visit our beautiful street,” she said. “And so everyone does not behave well, and we end up picking up a lot after many people, so it’s a constant challenge. I am convinced that we are aware,” said Barrett.
She said that because the street itself is very narrow with parking on both sides, it is difficult to stop those who bike on the sidewalks and do not follow the law.
“We are trying to contain this as much as possible. But it is really in terms of priority for the Charleston Police Service, which is really competence on this subject,” said Barrett.
Regarding waste and other ambassador tasks, it may be difficult to enforce unattended regulations 24/7.
“We are from top to bottom of the street all day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., then we also have night ambassadors on weekends, as when the whole environment changes,” said Barrett.
However, Cohen has a different experience.
“I pay a high property tax, I pay a sales tax, I pay a tax on the hotel industry, and now I must also pay the business improvement tax, and it’s always trash here. Charleston, unfortunately, is a trashy city at the moment,” said Cohen.
Another problem that Cohen has seen is the response time to get rid of graffiti.
“Here we are on King Street, and it’s just a general anarchy where there are graffiti that have passed over two months,” he said.
Barrett said that when it comes to graffiti on certain properties, this can be a difficult process.
“We hate graffiti at all, whether artistic or not, and certainly if it is offensive. We want it to pass as soon as possible. But we are quite limited in what we can do on private property, “she said.
Cohen said he hoped there was the application of the rules and laws that could come from more police presence for the good of his business and the city as a whole.
“I think that mayor Cogswell has good ideas, but these are great home ideas in the future, without taking care of the problems here at the moment, as the municipal councilor Ross called:” The same goes for King Street, goes Charleston “,” said Cohen.
While Charleston continues to grow, Barrett said that it was a challenge to follow growth at this rate, but they want to prioritize their businesses and their windows that hold the value of the city.
“I think we are doing a very good job. It’s never perfect. It still evolves,” said Barrett.
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