Edisto Beach First Master Recreation Plan
The Town of Edisto Beach uses many documents to develop its parks, trails and beach access points: a comprehensive beach management plan, a town-wide comprehensive plan and others. Recognizing the inefficiency of using multiple documents, the town council decided to update, prioritize and align all of its recreation planning documents into a comprehensive Master Park and Recreation Plan.
The town engaged a professional planning firm for the project, paid for primarily by a SC Park and Recreation Development Fund grant and town funds. The town used its request-for-qualifications process for the vendor, and obtained endorsements for the project from the Colleton County legislative delegation — both requirements of the PARD grant.
The planning process sought extensive public input ranging from focus groups to a multi-day open house workshop. The outreach efforts garnered strong engagement from residents, with more than 600 respondents contributing to a survey, and more than 250 participants contributing to an online map exercise.
With the new plan in hand, the town has prioritized its recreation projects and identified funding opportunities every year. The town used the plan recommendations to seek grants for a fishing pier, restroom facilities and the repaving of a bike path. The comprehensive plan will guide recreation improvements in Edisto Beach for years to come.