Goose Creek mayor highlights progress in state of the city address

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - From art and golf courses to law enforcement staffing and dropping crime rates, Goose Creek’s mayor says his city is making progress.

Mayor Gregory Habib delivered the Goose Creek state of the city address to neighbors and city staff on Thursday night. This speech went over the progress the city has made in the last year as well as what residents can expect within the years to come.

Habib talked the most about the improvements to the recreation department, specifically highlighting Central Creek Park.

Read More: Inclusive park opens in Goose Creek: ‘It’s just such a huge win for our community’

He also mentioned a number of crime statistics and how much the city is growing in population.

“Crime is down, essentially across the city of Goose Creek, because of our commitment to community policing,” Habib said.

Habib provided a few crime statistics from 2021-2022. For example, violent crime went down 17.7% during this time frame. The medians on Highway 176 have reduced traffic accidents by nearly 40%.

He also says the number of car break-ins has essentially stayed the same. There were 187 no force break-ins in 2021 and 185 in 2022. The number of forced break-ins were 16 in 2021 and 20 in 2022.

Habib says the police department is fully staffed and the fire department is still short-staffed. However, he says the number of vacancies has decreased. In relation to creating more community, Habib also wants to prioritize putting more art around the city.

“Art is so important to us at this point in where we are,” Habib said. “We’ve sort of created kind of like an overlay district that emphasizes art in our Red Bank overlay district.”

In regards to economic development, Habib says there are about 4,000 homes approved that still have to be built across the city.

“Growth, you have to recognize, is absolutely necessary,” Habib said. “It’s how our economy is measured... What happens if you’re less than 2% growth in the GDP at the national level? It means you’re in a recession. So, if you’re not growing enough, you’re in a recession.”

Looking ahead, Habib says they are going to focus as much as they can on building attainable housing. He also mentioned an idea of building a boardwalk at Central Creek Park to connect the nearby areas, but that has yet to be discussed with council.

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