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State regulators have granted key approvals for an apartment complex near
the historic Angel Oak tree that preservationists have said will suffer if
the project is built.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control's proposed decision to
issue permits is important to developer Robert DeMoura, but it does not end
the long-running dispute over the impact his project could have on the
massive live oak on Johns Island.
Environmental activists plan to challenge the DHEC staff decision to certify
the apartment project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also must still
approve a wetlands permit after receiving the DHEC's final decision.
DHEC spokesman Jim Beasley said DeMoura's permit request met agency
requirements.
DeMoura's development would be about 160 yards from the tree and at one
point called for about 300 apartments.
Samantha Siegel, who has fought for years to stop surrounding development
that many environmentalists fear could hurt the tree, said filling wetlands
near the Angel Oak could deprive it of groundwater needed to survive.
She did not know Wednesday when an appeal would be filed.
"Wetlands provide an important function for the health of the Angel Oak,"
said Siegel, an official with the state Sierra Club. "This project can still
be achieved without filling wetlands. There is a unique public interest in
preserving these wetlands."
Attempts to reach DeMoura were unsuccessful Wednesday. DeMoura, who has said
the tree won't be hurt, has said he took extra steps to minimize impacts on
the environment.
Richard Darden, a regulator with the Army Corps in Charleston, said DeMoura
has scaled back the amount of wetlands to be filled from 3.4 acres to 2.3
acres. Meanwhile, the city of Charleston also plans to buy some land
surrounding the tree.
The age of the Angel Oak can only be estimated, and guesses range from 400
to 1,400 years. It is about six stories high and wide enough to provide
17,000 square feet of shade.
People from across the state and nation visit Angel Oak Park every year.
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