Charleston, South Carolina — A second attempt to rezone a well-known horse farm along Bees Ferry Road will be heard by Charleston County leaders on Thursday, reigniting a discussion about growth, affordability, and strained infrastructure in one of West Ashley’s most rapidly rising corridors.
Storybook Farms, a 10.86-acre family-owned property on Bees Ferry and Bear Swamp Roads, has been classified R-4, or low density residential, since 2006. A new application submitted to the County Council Planning and Public Works Committee Thursday night proposes rezoning the site to UR, Urban Residential, which would enable up to 16 residences per acre instead of the present maximum of four single-family dwellings.
TBC Land Development, a Mount Pleasant-based developer, informed the county planning commission in October that its design would limit the total number of units to 100 townhouses. Of these, 15 would be set aside as affordable housing for households earning at or less 120% of the county’s area median income, which is $110,900 for a family of four.
This is the second attempt this year to enhance density at the location. NVR Inc. abandoned its petition to rezone the land for 144 condos in April, after the planning commission unanimously advised against it.
The fresh request comes as more than 6,000 new homes are planned over a 5-mile stretch of Bees Ferry Road and Glenn McConnell Parkway. Long Savannah, one of the major developments, has been in the works for than 20 years and will feature 4,500 units.
Dozens of written comments have already been sent, indicating a division between people who regard the project as a necessary step toward homeownership and those who are concerned that the area’s roads and drainage systems would be unable to keep up. However, the rezoning idea has gathered traction in recent weeks. At the public meeting last Thursday, 16 persons spoke in support of the zoning request. Only three people spoke against it.
Nonetheless, the written comments filed ahead of last week’s public hearing show that the community remains strongly split. According to county records, there were 27 comments in opposition and 11 in support, including letters from Palmetto Community Action Partnership and a petition in support of the applicant signed by 33 people from Light of Christ Ministries Church. At the meeting, a petition with 156 signatures from the Red Top neighborhood was presented in opposition, adding to the resistance.
Bruce Mason, a Johns Island resident, has lived nearby for ten years and has witnessed the area’s development, as well as the traffic and congestion that comes with it. Mason said he welcomes expansion but wants county leaders to address the infrastructural requirements that come with it.
“If you want something, then you should have to be willing to pay for it whether you are a developer or whether you are the county or whether you are the city,” according to Mason. “The main issue is a lack of investment in infrastructure. So it takes me twice as long to go anywhere here than it would in a city where they have done it.”
Mason stated that if zoning changes are implemented, developers should be responsible for ensuring that the surrounding infrastructure can handle further growth.
“I think if you are going to vote for the change in zoning, then it should be… on the developer,” according to him. “Whether they do it by themselves or partner with the city or county to ensure infrastructure is in place before development takes place.” And that way, we can keep up, and maybe traffic will flow a little more smoothly.”
Eva Spear, who works on Bees Ferry Road, admits that the daily journey might be difficult, but she believes that increased housing access is important.
“That has a little place in my heart,” Spear remarked. “It would be good if folks who couldn’t afford homes around here had the opportunity to live in Charleston. So it might influence my opinion. Perhaps on a lesser scale would work better.”
The Planning and Public Works Committee will consider the rezoning request at 5 p.m. on Thursday. If accepted, it will go to the County Council for a first reading on Thursday night, followed by second and third readings in December.
