The Town of James Island is mostly "built out." Most large undeveloped parcels on James Island were annexed into the City of Charleston years ago. Town zoning regulations, including tree controls, do not apply in the City of Charleston.
The Town of James Island has 7 parcels of property larger than 5 acres that could be developed. The largest is 12 acres. There is one that is 9 acres and another that is 8 acres. Two are 7 and two are 6 acres. These "large" undeveloped parcels add up to 56 acres.
All of the parcels are zoned single family residential. This allows for single family homes on 1/3 acre lots. While some of the large lots (like 6 acres) already have a home on them and owners who don't want to sell, that could change. At most, these "large lots" will eventually allow 168 new homes. (I favor putting the new Town park on one of these parcels. Anyone want to sell?)
There are currently 4,614 residential parcels in the Town. The total land area of these existing residences is 1,892 acres. That is 74% of the Town's area.
There are 214 acres, or 9% of the Town's total area, that cannot be developed. It is either all marsh or under conservation easement. (There is a 30 acre parcel in Lighthouse Point that is under conservation easement.)
There are 179 acres used for government, religious, recreational and educational purposes. That is 7%, including 3% for the governmental facilities at Fort Johnson. Commercial uses are 67 acres, or 3% of the total.
While the largest vacant parcel in the Town is 12 acres and there are only 7 greater than 5 acres, the total vacant land open to residential development in the Town is 192 acres. (Most of it is in parcels smaller than 5 acres.) That is 7% of the total land area of the Town. When these areas are built out, that would be about 576 homes.
However, these additional single family homes that might be built in the Town are a tiny fraction of the new housing units, including multi-family units, that are slated for development on James Island. How is that possible? The most rapid population growth in Charleston County over the next 25 years is projected in areas of James Island under City of Charleston jurisdiction.
Part of James Island remains in unincorporated Charleston County. Nearly all of it was in the Town of James Island before it was closed down in 2011. The Town lost about 1/3 of its population and 1/2 of its territory. The Town is committed to regaining the people and territory we lost, but until that happens, contiguous property owners outside of the Town can annex into the City of Charleston.
Will that area be developed under City of Charleston regulations? The City's most restrictive single family zoning is approximately 5 units per acre. They also have a variety of denser options for single family development. And they regularly include "gathering places" and other types of apartment complexes.
How much of the territory on James Island will return to the Town with single family 1/3 acre development? How much will be lost to the City of Charleston?
Yes, Carol Temple did lose to Peter McCoy. She was a petition candidate running against a Republican incumbent in a Republican district. She did not have the support of the Democratic Party, and the odds were not exactly stacked in her favor. But regardless of whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, everyone who knows Carol will tell you she is a thoughtful, gentle, respectful human being. She and George have lived on James Island for 36 years, and to use her loss as a means to disparage her opinion or her character is out of line.
ReplyDeleteWe will also say that we have spoken in front of the City of Charleston literally dozens of times, and not once have we been attacked by Mayor Riley. The City of Charleston always invites town residents to speak at its meetings, and it never distinguishes our thoughts and concerns from those held by city residents. To that end, Mayor Riley certainly does not issue statements saying he is "irritated" by our desire to use our voices as members of this shared community. Mayor Woolsey continues to be bizarrely threatened by opinions that do not match his own, and rants like these not only make him look bad, they make the Town of James Island look bad.