Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
CHARLESTON — County Council gave its first approval to an extra layer of protection for the historic Ten Mile settlement community, a move intended to preserve its rural character and curb large-scale development. The proposed zoning overlay district — a set of customized zoning regulations — is the result of more than two years of collaboration between Charleston County staff and Ten Mile residents. Council voted 7-1 to approve the zoning overlay district with the exception that one property be exempt as previously requested by the owner on Oct. 28. Councilman Larry Kobrovsky voted against it because he didn’t support an amendment that would increase density in part of the community, and Councilman Henry Darby abstained. Residents have spent years working to preserve the historically Black community near Awendaw amid growing development pressures. In 2022, County Council designated Ten Mile an historic district. That was followed by a zoning change in early 2024 that reduced density in part of the community from four homes per acre to three. Later that year, Council also implemented a two-year moratorium on large-scale residential development in all historic districts. The next step is approving the community-specific guidelines that outline new rules for housing styles, zoning density, permitted businesses and more, which were all shaped by residential input. County staff came up with these after several meetings with community members that began in 2023. Some of the guidelines in the overlay include requiring neighborhood association approval for street names, maintaining similar architecture styles for future homes (most homes in Ten Mile are ranch-style), allowing for more flexibility in the size of an accessory dwelling unit and a more-stringent threshold for traffic impact studies when developments begin. Residents like Ed Pinckney have voiced their support for the zoning overlay district. He previously told The Post and Courier the overlay was a long-term goal for the Ten Mile community as an effort to preserve its rural lifestyle and protect residents from being displaced by large-scale developments. But not all changes aim to limit development. One of the proposed amendments in the new district is to increase density in part of the community. Ten Mile is split by the Urban Growth Boundary, a line established around 2000 that separates urban and suburban uses from rural uses. Residents want to increase the density in the rural part of the community from one dwelling unit per three acres to one dwelling unit per acre. Emily Pigott, county historic preservation officer and community planner, previously told The Post and Courier that community members wanted this change so they could split the land with a family member who can build a home of their own. Pinckney said it was a way to balance development without pushing out residents. Still, a couple members of County Council are apprehensive about this particular amendment. Kobrovsky and Rob Wehrman shared their concerns about it at the Oct. 23 planning and public works committee meeting. Kobrovsky told The Post and Courier he doesn’t want to see this upzoning set a precedent for increasing density throughout the county and that it goes against what he advocates for — preserving settlement communities and their rural character. Kobrovsky had previously pushed for extending the housing moratorium for settlement communities for as long as other members of council were willing to. While his proposal was shot down at the Sept. 25 planning and public works committee meeting, he told The Post and Courier he hopes it’s an option council can consider in the future.
