Public Hearing for Special Exception for Fast Food, Convenience Stores, and Gas Stations

    Town Council will have a public hearing on January 19 regarding a change in the Town's Zoning Ordinance so that fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and gas stations will require a Special Exception.

    Most of the Town's commercial district is on Folly Road, and the Folly Road overlay already requires a special exception for a fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and gas stations.   This means that those wanting to open those businesses must ask the Town's Board of Zoning Appeals for a special exception.   The BZA can deny the request or it can allow it with conditions.   These conditions can include limited hours, restrictions on lighting, and extra buffers to protect neighboring homeowners.   This change will make the zoning for the rest of our commercial districts the same.   That is primarily the area near Camp and Dills Bluff, where Town Hall is located, but there is also commercially zoned property near Harborview Road and Fort Johnson Road.

   I think putting this restriction in the Folly Road Overlay District was a mistake so I don't favor extending it to other areas.   I do not favor giving the BZA discretion to prohibit types of businesses so that they can in reality impose ad-hoc restrictions on them.
   
    I understand that 24 hour operations can cause problems for neighboring homeowners.   There are probably other characteristics of these businesses that are problematic.   I would rather that any special exception relate to these specific problems and to a location near residences.   (However, here on James Island, nearly all commercial properties are very near residential properties, so such a requirement is a bit redundant.)

Public Hearing on Mural Regulation

    Town Council will hold a public hearing at its regular meeting on January 19 to regulate murals.

    The Planning Commission voted last month to recommend a change in the Town's Zoning Ordinance that expressly limits murals on buildings to the allowed sign on the building.  In effect, this limits the size of a mural to a certain percent of the building's exterior.  

Table 153.341.C Wall/Facade Signs
Building Length Facing Street	Setback (ft.)	Maximum Size (sq. ft.)

50 feet or less	0 – 99	50
	100 – 399	100
	400 or more	150
More than 50 feet	0 – 99	Bldg. frontage x 1
	100 – 399	Bldg. frontage x 2
	400 or more	Bldg. frontage x 3

   When the James Island VFW on Camp Road notified me that Scott Labaido was going paint a U.S. flag mural on the front of their building, I was very pleased.   I was at the dedication.   I am glad that the James Island VFW is part of the 50 state flag mural project.

     The Planning Commission is recommending that the VFW mural be illegal.   (It could be a bit more than 7 by 14, allowing for their other 4 by 4 sign.) Fortunately, it would be grandfathered in, so the Town would not require the  VFW to paint over their U.S. flag.

      So, it could be worse.   But I don't want to make what the VFH did illegal.

      I will vote no, unless there is some provision to allow for exceptions.
     

Public Hearing for Rezoning Town Hall Site

Town Council will hold a public hearing at its January 19 meeting to rezone the new Town Hall site on Dills Bluff Road. The rezoning will be from residential (RSL) to office residential (OR.)

The rezoning comes before the Town's Planning Commission on January 12 for a recommendation to Council.   First reading on the rezoning ordinance is scheduled for January 19 after the public hearing at the regular Town Council meeting.   The rezoning will be complete after Council passes the ordinance on second reading at its regular meeting on February 16.   Groundbreaking for the new Town Hall is planned for this summer.

The rezoning will impact three parcels.  Currently, the two parcels on Dills Bluff are in the Town and zoned RSL, which is our single family residential district.   The third parcel, on Camp Road, is in the City of Charleston, but that will change at the January 19 meeting with second reading of the Town's ordinance for the boundary adjustment. The City of Charleston has already passed its ordinance for the boundary adjustment.  (Thank you Mayor Tecklenburg and Charleston City Council!)

Government offices are not allowed in RSL, so to move our Town Hall, we must rezone the site.   The least intensive zoning district that allows for government offices is Office Residential.  That zone is intended to serve as a buffer between more intensive commercial uses and residential areas.  A key purpose is to protect the bordering residential area.  The design of buildings in office residential must have a residential character.

First Baptist Church of James Island currently owns the parcel on Dills Bluff that is next to its cemetery.  The Town and Church plan to swap that parcel with an equally sized portion of the parcel that the Town purchased on Camp Road.  The Town and Church plan to jointly develop the parcel on Camp Road as a parking lot.  The Church will effectively expand its existing parking lot on Camp Road by the Landmark Center.  Both portions of the new parking lot will be used by both the Town and the Church.

There are several very beautiful trees on the Town Hall site, including a remarkable Magnolia.  The placement of Town Hall on the site is intended to showcase these trees.   The Town plans to leave large trees lining Dills Bluff Road.  Remarkably, the area where the joint parking lot is to be located has no significant trees--the area is dominated by pines of modest size and lots of poison ivy.   The plan for construction seeks to retain as many trees as possible.   Much of the Town's site will be shady and landscaping tentatively focuses on shade loving flowering shrubs such as azaleas and camellias.

First Baptist Church will remain our most important immediate neighbor.  However, we will also have two neighboring residences.   We intend to protect the residence on Hillman Drive by planting a buffer.   We also plan to maintain a buffer behind the residence on Camp Road that will remain in the City of Charleston.