2011: Officials, Residents Target Blight

The end of the year also marks our 6-month anniversary at Goose Creek Patch. Over the next two weeks we'll be looking back at some of the big stories in our community since our launch. See more at Goose Creek Patch 2011.

It has taken years for the former Food Lion to get into its current condition. Every door and window is boarded up and sealed off, most with unsightly sheets of metal. New paint peppers the brick walls — fresh coats to cover spray paint.

The University of South Carolina Foundation owns the empty strip mall at the corner of St. James Avenue and Crowfield Boulevard, but it has been a difficult lot to get rid of in the current economy.

And the community's patience is wearing thin. This fall, the asking that the school maintain the property and keep it well-lit to avoid vandalism and illegal activity.

HOA representative Barbara King told City Council that the petition was prompted by the frustration of its members. "We're letting them know our displeasure with the condition of the property," she said.

The site also received some TV coverage recently, with , but the price is too high.

We . Several other ideas have been submitted on the topic.

• "The USC has a department of retailing. This would make a good place to apply theory to the real world. Go Cocks!" — SDR
• "Put a Starbucks in! Keep Goose Creek moving into a more trendy direction so that people want to spend their money here, not elsewhere." — Heather
• "It is our desire to church plant there and reach the surrounding communities through similar programs that provide after school mentoring, educational tutoring and much more for the good of the city." — Brain Vanoy
• "Why not a Starbucks or a chain restaurant? Have you SEEN the business that Buffalo Wild Wing in Summerville pulls in for college games and PPV sporting events? And both Starbucks locations in Summerville and North Charleston have a steady stream of business year-round. … I know that my family and I spend a lot of our money in Summerville." — J.D.
• "Planet Fitness. Bam." — Christiana Diak
• "Target!!!!" — Fiona Amaker