Sustainability Institute

This non-profit group's role is "building the community capacity to be a sustainable culture." They focus on the connection between man's choices in creating the built-environment and how those choices affect human health as well as natural health. They focus on the most important green infrastructure of all, the people.

Noisette Foundation

This non-profit group helps create "the life-long learning community." They promote initiatives in the arts, schools as centers of the community, museum development, the Graduate Internship Center, and other areas of social health.

Michaux Conservancy & Land Trust

Founded on the writings and philosophy of Aldo Leopold, the role of this group is "restoring our intuitive connection to the natural world." They own and acquire all lands in the Noisette Preserve, other parks and environmental areas. They manage the Noisette Interpretive Center. And through school and community work, they promote initiatives to help residents become stewards of nature.

High Performance Schools

High performance schools are a critically important component of the Noisette redevelopment goals, and many initiatives are underway. The overriding focus will be to redevelop schools that are healthy, energy smart, environmentally sensitive, using up-to-date technologies that complement and enhance academic excellence.

Schools need greater community involvement, too. This is why plans call for school functions to be expanded as these facilities become multi-use community centers. Much like public library branches broaden the range of library services available to area residents, so, too could the public school system be used to supplement community oriented services throughout Noisette. Community meetings, after-hours classes, family counseling, arts instruction, use of gallery space for local artists, mini-library branches, athletic facility use - many simple steps will help promote life-long learning and strengthen the ties between neighborhoods and community schools.

Museums & The Arts

Four focus areas have been identified that are unique to Charleston the Southeast and the nation: industry of the Cooper River over 300 years, a maritime museum for southeastern shipbuilding, a black history museum, and a Native American museum focused on southeastern tribal cultures. These have evolved into two museums: Spirit of the Land, and Spirit of the Water. Through foundation, corporate, individual and governmental support as well as tax increment financing, these will develop within The Navy Yard.

The arts are another vital element in Noisette progress. Seven building blocks work together to create a city that is thoroughly infused with the arts and artists:

• Outdoor spaces provide unique public venues for fine artists, performers, and display of artistic product.

• Multi-disciplinary program spaces bring people into the area to see, experience and participate in arts development.

• Large studio spaces create a mix of production and rehearsal spaces for artists, organizations and arts businesses.

• Housing spaces create a mix of housing units that can develop into an arts community.

• Arts galleries establish a mix of facilities for showcasing fine art, folk art, function art, etc.

• Theatre spaces establish venues for after-hours performances that enhance business opportunities for restaurants and related companies.

• Museums establish the area's reputation as a place of learning, discovery and enjoyment.

Housing For All

As an alternative to the "green-field" development that characterizes urban sprawl, the Noisette housing solution focuses on increasing neighborhood density and efficient utilization of available infrastructure. It creates a wide variety of homes in both single family and multi family forms that are built in traditional city blocks as part of the urban core of the New American City.

To help promote housing affordability and help assure support for social diversity, plans suggest changes in zoning laws that limit diversity and density. Also proposed are changes to property tax policies that often force fixed-income and low-income families out of improving areas.  Affordable housing is also affected by the costs of operating and maintaining a home over time - a problem addressed by improved building practices, materials and ideas. Novel home/living finance arrangements like ground rent and green mortgages can help too, as will availability of a wide diversity of housing sizes and styles under development in area like The Navy Yard. And plans include initiatives based on concepts like live/work, diversity-by-block, family services, senior housing and alliances of service groups ranging from mortgage lenders to builders, public agencies and non-profit housing providers.

Historic Preservation/Restoration

Respecting the architectural as well as the commui8ty history is a vital ingredient in preserving a sense of community and economic stability. This can be achieved through the selective preservation of individual buildings and designation of entire neighborhoods, like Liberty Hill, as historic districts through listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Such preservation programs are an asset and economic driver to the overall area. Guidelines call for work with the NTHP, as well as city, county and state resources for help in preservation issues. In addition, a variety of base properties are slated for restoration, even though many have been allowed to deteriorate in the period between base closure and final transfer of property.

Tax Incremental Financing

This municipal financing device uses the incremental increases in property or other tax collections within a specified area, and over a defined term, to finance public improvements in order to draw businesses and residents to a community.

A TIF district with specific boundaries is created within an area in need of redevelopment. During the development period, the tax base is frozen at the predevelopment level. Property taxes continue to be paid, but taxes derived from increases in assessed values (the tax increment) resulting from new development go to pay for redevelopment costs. Municipalities set up these districts to help develop blighted areas, build and repair roads and infrastructure, create municipally owned parks and museums, and put under utilized properties back to work for the citizens of the local and surrounding communities.

The City approved a 20-year TIF district outlined in the Noisette master plan in July 2001. Much of the revenue is earmarked for schools, but other portions are allocated to infrastructure development. Another TIF plan is active for the Charleston naval Complex.

Economic Revitalization

The Noisette economic revitalization plan drives towards a balanced and diverse mix of business and residential opportunities. It is built around the philosophy of aggregating competencies that can benefit from close association with each other. Two primary aggregating strategies are:

• Aggregate existing core competencies of the area rather than chasing "hot" industries with which there are no connections. As the geographic epicenter of the Tri-county region, Noisette is well placed to aggregate any of a number of existing Lowcountry industries that are now dispersed.

• Aggregate future competencies that relate to the new world economy and have a strong connection to local resources like the port, the Medical University of South Carolina, and sustainability. As the nation's most ambitious "sustainable project" this community provides an ideal opportunity for:

• Attracting mature industries which have embraced sustainability

• Creating a center for restorative economies built around demand for healthier and renewed environments

• Establishing Noisette as a center for sustainable retail and service businesses