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Charleston's Planning Commission green-lighted 156 new homes on Johns Island
at a meeting Wednesday during which several commissioners bemoaned the
traffic that the developments could bring, but said they must approve plans
that meet city requirements.
"Look what we have done, and how many cars we've put on these roads," said
Commissioner Susan Legare after the planners gave preliminary approval for a
13-acre, 66-lot subdivision off Maybank Highway.
That development, The Cottages at Johns Island, will feature
pre-manufactured homes with no garages on lots as narrow as 29 feet wide.
The homes are expected to start at around $225,000, according to Danny
Forsberg, the project engineer.
"There are people who can't afford to buy a 3-acre lot on Johns Island,"
Forsberg told the commissioners.
Also receiving initial approval Wednesday was a 33-acre, 90-lot subdivision
called Lakeside Park at Brownswood Road.
That development plan calls for several lakes and common areas of wetlands
and green space, and would have fewer homes than zoning rules allow. Still,
some commissioners said they thought the plan seemed out of character for
the rural sea island.
"It looks like the house with the driveway and a garage, one after another,"
said Francis X. McCann, commission chairman. "It looks like maximum
development."
Charleston City Council must give final approval on both developments.
Another Johns Island development, the 94-lot phases 2C and 2D of The Gardens
at Whitney Lake, off Murraywood Road, was deferred for action at a future
meeting.
Charleston completed a series of public meetings on creating new zoning
rules and development guidelines for Johns Island, and the city's planning
staff is in the process of drafting ordinances.
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