Goose Creek's Next Downtown Makeover: Brandywine

Drivers on Brandywine Boulevard will soon see fewer power lines and new street lights as the City of Goose Creek moves forward with its downtown improvement project.

The City of Goose Creek and Berkeley Electric Cooperative are requesting Department of Transportation approval to bury power lines and install new lighting similar to the poles now along Central Avenue.

The total cost for the latest round of work is estimated at $211,000 and would be paid for through tax dollars set aside for redevelopment of the downtown area. That includes the upgrades on Central and Brandywine, as well as Thomason Boulevard, which was .

Mayor Mike Heitzler said the downtown project is an effort to seize a "synergism" in the area that hasn't been there before. "By creating a more attractive downtown, stores and restaurants will want to locate here," he said.

One example would be the new Bayer Heritage Federal Credit Union opening this fall at the corner of Central and North Goose Creek Boulevard.

In , Mayor Pro Tem Kimo Esarey stressed the need to promote the area and attract new businesses in order to reduce the tax burden on residents. “We need to get very creative or taxes will increase," he said.