Residents reject Goose Creek annexation

Sedgefield neighborhood residents rejected a proposal Tuesday to annex into the City of Goose Creek. According to unofficial results, 25 residents supported the annexation, but 59 voted no.

The area included in the annexation map included the small businesses, strip malls, and gas stations on either side of Red Bank Road from Goose Creek High School to the entrance of Joint Base Charleston, as well as most of the commercial and industrial sites on Henry Brown Jr. Boulevard.

But most of the registered voters in the election lived on nearby Plainfield Avenue and Cranford Road. “Vote no” yard signs could be found up and down the two streets in the days leading up to the election, with no clear sign of support.

The annexation would have provided the city with an opportunity to fill a hole in the municipal boundaries. It could have also offered a new commercial corridor not far from the city’s existing business district.

Residents opposed to the annexation told Patch that they didn’t see a benefit in joining the city and they feared Goose Creek restrictions and a higher tax bill.

Official election results will be certified Thursday morning.