Proposed Moratorium on Apartments in the City of Charleston

Some James Islanders are asking the City of Charleston to impose a moratorium on new apartments and chain stores on James Island.

County Councilman Joe Qualey has formally called for a moratorium on new apartments in the City of Charleston on both James and Johns Islands.

I am not sure whether he intends to propose such a moratorium on apartments in the unincorporated area, especially along Folly Road.   As a member of County Council, I presume he can do that. The developers gave up on the Lively, probably because County Council was not willing to allow the unusually high density the developer wanted.  Still, the County's version of the Folly Road overlay makes pretty much all of it neighborhood commercial which allows for plenty of apartments.

The Town currently has no vacant parcels zoned for multifamily. While I am not completely sure, I believe that no apartment project has been approved by the Town during any of its four incorporations.    Certainly none have been approved since I was elected Mayor in 2010.   We do have some multifamily units in the Town on parcels zoned for multi-family, but these appear to have all been built when what is today the Town was under Charleston County jurisdiction.

Our zoning does allow apartments to be placed on commercial lots, but the density is limited to four units per acre.    We have not had any applications to include an apartment (or maybe two) along with a business on a commercial lot, however, even if every commercial lot in the Town had the maximum number of apartments it would be very few.

So, a moratorium on apartments in the Town is completely unnecessary, but it probably wouldn't make any difference.   Like I said, there have been no applications for apartments on commercial parcels--at least since 2010.  And there are no lots specifically zoned for multifamily.   Pretty much the entire Town is zoned for single family residential--3 units per acre.

While a moratorium in the unincorporated area and especially in the City of Charleston would have a major effect, my understanding of state law is that moratoriums cannot be a permanent solution.   

I think a better approach is for the County and City to each create an overlay for James Island and apply density rules similar to those of the Town.

Of course, if McCoy's bill in Columbia passes and the Town is reunited, then there won't be any issue with unincorporated areas on James Island.   Such areas will be returned to the Town.

I appreciate that Mayor Tecklenburg had sympathetic words for those attending the City Couuncil Meeting on James Island last night.   I hope that he and the rest of City Council will consider an overlay for James Island that applies what we in the Town believe are more reasonable rules for new development on James Island.

As for "chain stores," I don't favor a blanket restriction on them.   I value the many businesses on James Island that are part of national franchises.   They provide many valuable goods and services to the people of James Island.  They also provide employment.   Of course, I also value the many independent businesses in the Town.  Still, I don't favor blanket discrimination against "chain stores" in the Town nor would I urge such a policy on Charleston County or the City of Charleston.

I plan to ask that the issue of moratoriums on apartments or, better yet, more appropriate density regulations, be discussed at the next intergovernmental council meeting.    The date hasn't been set by our Chairman, Leonard Blank, but I expect it will be in May.