Johns Island had two wins last week. One was the denial of a request to reduce the roadside landscape buffer along lower River Road and the other was a reduction in the number of trees permitted to be cut down in a development on upper River Road. These wins would not have happened without the engagement of Johns Islanders. We all see our losses, so it's good to recognize our wins as this commentary did last year.
We should find out this week if the comments you submitted to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control regarding the construction of a bridge across a tributary of Pennys Creek will result in a public hearing.
At at Town of Kiawah Island council meeting we learned more about the proposed MUSC medical facility and Andell West developments.
We'll provide details on these and other events, but first let's look at the calendar for upcoming events. Note that there are no must-attend events for the next two weeks.
|
|
Mar 13 (Mon) @ 2:00 pm: On the agenda for the Charleston County Planning Commission is the 5-year update of the comprehensive plan. The meeting will be held at 4045 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston, and will be livestreamed here.
Mar 15 (Weds) @ 9:00 am: The Charleston County Greenbelt Advisory Board (GAB) will meet to discuss FY23 winter projects. The projects include Kiawah Conservancy's Betsy Kerrison Nature Trail. The meeting will be held at 4045 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston, and will be livestreamed here.
Mar 15 (Weds) @ 5:00 pm: The City of Charleston Planning Commission will meet to discuss a request to approve the subdivision concept plan for the new elementary school on upper River Road. See the Details of Upcoming Events section of this newsletter for more details.
Mar 17 (Fri) @ 2:00 pm: Charleston County Council will hold a Council Retreat/Special Finance Committee. Agenda topics include: mission, vision, and values; strategic priorities; discussion and consensus. Click on the link for details.
Apr 3 (Mon) @ 9:30 am: A rezoning workshop for 1095 Main Road (Main Road at Patton Road) will be held on-site. You can read more about it here.
Jun 5 to Jul 28: This is the summer application cycle for the Charleston County Greenbelt Program.
|
|
Bus Parking for New Elementary School
On March 1st the City of Charleston Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) heard a request from the Charleston County School District (CCSD) to remove 28 grand trees at their site for a new elementary school on upper RIver Road.
Most of these trees would be removed to provide a bus storage area adjacent to the school for buses for Johns Island and James Island schools. This area would have 65 bus parking spaces. As a point of comparison, the current bus parking area in front of St John's High School has 30 parking spots and 32 school buses. See image above.
The BZA ruled they could only remove 22 trees. This is a small win for Johns Island, but a win nonetheless.
Preserving Scenic River Road
On March 6th the Charleston County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) heard a request to reduce the landscape buffer along River Road so that the developer could increase the number of lots in a proposed subdivision from 8 to 10. The proposed development, shown above, is just north of JZI.
The BZA ruled against the applicant in large part due to the five Johns Islanders who spoke out against the request. This is a win for Johns Island that preserves the scenic nature of River Road.
If you are not familiar with the BZA process, an applicant must show they meet all seven variance approval criteria. In this case the BZA ruled they did not meet criterion 5. This criterion states that "The fact that property may be utilized more profitably if a Zoning Variance is granted shall not be considered grounds for granting a Zoning Variance."
MUSC Facility on Seabrook Island
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) continues to work on their Seabrook Island medical facility. As part of this effort they are required to have two access points, one on Seabrook Island Parkway and one on Andell Bluff Blvd (aka the road to Bohicket Marina). However, Andell Bluff Blvd is a private road and the owner of this road is not forthcoming with their approval for MUSC to use the road.
Therefore in November MUSC started looking at other properties. They currently are performing a 90 day due diligence, that started at the end of January, on another property. This property appears to be owned by Kiawah Partners, is within the Town of Kiawah Island, and is within the zoning of the Freshfields PUD.
This alternative property has a better layout than the existing property since it is square rather than long and narrow. If this property is chosen, it could delay the project by 9 to 12 months. MUSC said they are fully committed to this project.
Andell West (aka a new Harris Teeter behind Freshfields)
After working with the community, the developer has made significant changes to their plans. These changes include moving the Harris Teeter further back on the property, adding a village green with a restaurant row, and reducing the size of the gas station and adding landscaping to shield it from view.
These changes are significant enough that it appears they will have to go back before the Charleston County Planning Commission for approval.
The mayor of Kiawah and some councilmembers expressed a desire for the property, which does not include any housing, to be annexed into the town.
|
|
We encourage you to actively engage in the local political process by sending emails, attending meetings, and speaking up for Johns Island.
New Elementary School Concept Plan
On March 14th the City of Charleston Planning Commission will meet to discuss a request to approve the subdivision concept plan for the new elementary school on upper River Road. You can read the details here starting at page 6.
This meeting is a formality. Aa long as the project has met the requirements of the Technical Review Committee (TRC) then the Planning Commission must approve the project. You can find all the TRC information here.
The meeting will be held at 5:00 pm in the Public Meeting Room, First Floor, 2 George Street, and it will also be livestreamed here. Written comments must be submitted here by noon on Tuesday (March 14). You will need the following information for your written comments:
- Meeting name: Planning Commission
- Agenda number: Subdivision #1
- Name of the project: CCDS District 9 elementary school
|
|
Land Use and Developments
Livability, Community and History
Parks
Conservation and Resilience
Government, Politics, and Taxes
Housing Trends
Infrastructure
|
|
The Johns Island Advocate is a free biweekly email newsletter that seeks to inform Johns Islanders of significant meetings and events that will impact our Island today and in the future.
If you've enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. If someone forwarded this to you, please subscribe to our newsletter.
|
|
|
|
