River Road proposals spark debate

Some Johns Island residents want officials to take more time to OK developments With at least two big housing developments proposed for River Road, some Johns Island residents are urging government officials to step back before approving any more large residential projects along the scenic oak-lined highway. Some property owners have expressed concerns about the impact on traffic and drainage, while others have said the broader problem is a lack of coordinated planning efforts. "We just can't keep approving development for River Road when there's no comprehensive plan for River Road," said Tom Wise, a River Road resident and member of the Johns Island Preservation Coalition. The long-simmering debate over development on the mostly rural island flared up this week when two homebuilders sought preliminary approval for their subdivisions — one in Charleston County and the other annexed by the city of Charleston — on opposite sides of River Road. On Tuesday, City Council considered a proposal by Maryland-based Mandrin Homes of South Carolina, which wants to develop about 170 single-family houses and a small park on the Stono River. The 127-acre project, about a mile south of Maybank Highway, is called Stono View Plantation. A day earlier, Mount Pleasant-based Meridian Builders presented its plans to the Charleston County Planning Commission for a 350-home development directly across the street, at 2132 River Road. Wise and other property owners said they know of at least two other large housing projects that are in the works for the immediate area. Wise said his goal is not necessarily to halt development along River Road, but to ensure that residents have some meaningful input into guaranteeing the rural character of the area is maintained. "We don't know who is in charge of planning the future of River Road," Wise said. "No one seems to speak to one another. ... Are people going to lose their yards? Are trees going to be cut?" Rowland Neale, who lives on Starfish Drive, said at a city public hearing Tuesday that planning officials and elected leaders need to "at the very least slow down" the approval process in order to "understand the cumulative effect of all those houses" on the south portion of River Road. Abbi Beckford, whose home is next to the proposed entrance to the Stono View development, said her main worry is the impact of increased traffic on safety. She asked that planning officials stop reviewing traffic studies for developments piecemeal. "That doesn't give you the picture," she said at Tuesday's public hearing for the Stono View project. "The picture is clearer if you put them all together." The opposition was fiercer at the county Planning Commission meeting Monday, when Meridian Builders presented its proposed 350-home development. Eighteen residents spoke against the project, with most citing concerns about flooding and traffic on River Road. Another issue was a decision that allowed more housing units to be built on the property. The land had been on the county's suburban-rural boundary until last year, when council agreed to classify all of it as suburban. Some residents who supported the change — to keep the line from dividing the property — have changed their minds. "I think we got hoodwinked," said Johns Island farmer Thomas Legare. "It went to the wrong side of the boundary." The developer, Rick Estee, sees it differently, saying some of the local opposition to his company's project is unreasonable. "Even if we cut our density down by a third, I still don't think they're going to want it approved," he said Wednesday. As originally proposed, he said, the development had fewer homes than the maximum allowed under county zoning rules. Even so, Estee said, opponents view his project as "just another log on the fire." He plans to revise and scale back his plans to about 300 or fewer homes in the hope of winning approval. The development issues along River Road are complicated by the fact that the properties lining that corridor do not fall neatly under the jurisdiction of one municipality, said Michelle Sinkler, a member of the county Planning Commission. In the case of the property that Meridian Builders wants to develop, for instance, the city of Charleston would require the land be classified as rural, not suburban, if it were to annex it. "We have yet to sufficiently address intergovernmental cooperation, whether it's infrastructure or zoning issues," Sinkler said. "The county and the city have worked hard to respect each other's urban growth boundaries. With that in place, we need to take it a step farther and talk to one another better." Charleston City Councilman Bob George agreed, comparing new development proposals on Johns Island and elsewhere to a patch on a quilt. "We've got to start looking at the whole quilt," he said.

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