Charleston County extends moratorium to 2 years to protect 4 historic communities

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) — For four historic Lowcountry communities, a 24-month pause could be the difference between preserving their story or losing it to growth.

Charleston County has been considering extending a moratorium in historic districts, and it all came down to one vote on council.

The council approved a 24-month extension of a moratorium to protect historic districts, buying time for families fighting to hold on to who they are.

“We lose a lot of who we are, and it’s gone forever. This is an opportunity to preserve something,” Larry Kobrovsky, Charleston County Council member for District 2, said.

Richard Habersham, president of the Phillips Community Association and a member of the African-American Settlement Commission, said growing up in the Phillips Community, you knew every family for miles.

“Mount Pleasant was a treasure. You know, because it wasn’t that much traffic. There wasn’t that many people over there; everybody knew everybody, you know, even though I live in the Phillips community, going to school, you know, everybody in the Seven Mile, Four Mile, Ten Mile,” Habersham said.

That’s the culture he’s been fighting to protect, as growth prices out longtime neighbors and changes their way of life.

“If you keep the character, keep the prices down some, then it will be affordable to the people in the community. I think that’s the greatest thing that we can ever do,” Habersham said.

Charleston County’s moratorium is for major subdivisions, not minor ones in four historic districts: Phillips, Beefield, Ten Mile and Hamlin Beach. These are areas that have been threatened as development closes in around them.

“Developers literally say foaming at the mouth to subdivide and bulldoze through there, and this is to say no, we’re slowing it down and we’re not going to let that happen,” Kobrovsky said. “A generation ago nobody could have even dreamed that development would be out that far. Well now it’s here, and our goal is to slow it down and not lose who we are.”

With this extension, the communities and the county have another two years to study how growth is reshaping these areas and to put protections in place before it’s too late.

“The blood, sweat, and tears and the unique family ties, the hardships that the ancestors endured to preserve that land for their descendants, and this is our responsibility to keep it,” Kobrovsky said. “Think of all those generations that come before, and this is our chance to pay respect to them but also to preserve it for their descendants but for all of us because it’s part of Charleston County.“

Now, that history gets a second chance, not just to survive, but to be passed down.

“We can teach these kids that you don’t have to look outside for your historical significance. It’s right here, right in front of you, and when you speak, you can speak about your own community and the people in the community,” Habersham said.

What one generation sacrificed to hold on to is empowering the next generation to share with everyone.

“There’s generations, 100-plus years of history. And so in order to be able to document that history, that’s why we need the time to implement these documentations, have them in place so that we can actually have this history for the future,” Carla Pinckney, resident of Ten Mile community, said. “The moratorium allows us time, not just for us in Ten Mile, but for all the different Gullah-Geechee communities in Charleston County to be able to actually install and create the documents to protect their respective communities”

During the extension of this moratorium, the county will keep working with each community on possible overlay districts, rezonings and new historic designations.

“Many of these documents are live documents. So things are constantly changing. In addition to that, you have constant growth within Charleston County and South Carolina as a whole. And so it allows us to learn from each community before one community implements something; they can learn from the other one so they can make their particular document more robust,” Pinckney said.

The county ordinance says the following:

• Amending the Charleston County zoning and land development regulations ordinance, number 1202, as amended, at chapter 8, subdivision regulations, and chapter 21 of the code of ordinances of the county of charleston, at section 21-6, subdivision plat application reports, to provide for a temporary moratorium for twenty-four months, on the acceptance and processing of major subdivision applications in charleston county historic districts, excluding the tisdale properties, and other matters related thereto.
• SECTION ONE: PURPOSE AND INTENT. The purpose and intent of this Ordinance is to issue a moratorium on Major Subdivisions in the Historic Districts as designated by County Council. Charleston County has experienced unprecedented growth in the past few years, and the County has seen an increase in the amount of applications for subdivision plat and residential development approvals. The amount of applications has the potential to alter the character of the Historic Districts. The moratorium shall allow the Zoning and Planning Department, in coordination with other appropriate departments and staff, and consultants, sufficient time to research, review, and analyze the Comprehensive Plan, Historic Preservation Ordinance, and Zoning and Land Development Regulations Ordinance in order to assure the provisions of such regulations promote development that is consistent with the character of the Historic Districts and meets the needs of Charleston County and make such recommendations to County Council as may be necessary.
• SECTION TWO: MORATORIUM. County Council hereby implements a moratorium on accepting and processing of Major Subdivision applications in the Historic Districts. The moratorium shall allow the Zoning and Planning Department time to strategically evaluate the County’s ability to promote development consistent with the character of its Historic Districts and identify any recommendations that may be necessary to achieve such goals. The moratorium shall not affect any other types of permits from the County, including but not limited to, zoning permits, building permits, demolition permits, business licenses, or Minor Subdivisions.
• SECTION THREE: DURATION. The moratorium set forth in this Ordinance shall become effective upon final adoption by third reading of the Ordinance and shall terminate in twenty-four (24) months after third reading. The moratorium shall automatically expire at the end of this period, unless it is terminated earlier or extended longer by County Council.
• SECTION FOUR: LEGISLATIVE ADOPTIONS. During the period of the moratorium, the County shall act promptly to review the Comprehensive Plan, Historic Preservation Ordinance, and Zoning and Land Development Regulations Ordinance. The Zoning and Planning Department shall work with the Historic Districts, community stakeholders, and other necessary individuals to propose amendments, including but not limited to, overlay zoning districts, rezonings, and historic property designations and historic district designations, to the Comprehensive Plan, Historic Preservation Ordinance, or Zoning and Land Development Regulations Ordinance. County Council shall promptly review all proposals and adopt any amendments deemed necessary.
• SECTION FIVE: EXCEPTIONS. The moratorium, as it pertains to the Ten Mile Historic District, shall become effective upon final adoption by third reading and shall automatically terminate twelve (12) thereafter.  
• SECTION SIX: EXCLUSIONS. The real property identified as Charleston County Tax Map Parcel Numbers 614-00-00-060, 614-00-00-061, and 614-00-11-062 000-00-00-000, located at 927, 935, and 943 Gadsdenville Road, Awendaw, South Carolina, commonly referred to as the “Tisdale Properties” shall be excluded from this Ordinance.
• SECTION SEVEN: EXEMPTIONS. This moratorium shall not apply to 1) applications for Minor Subdivisions, 2) applications for Major Subdivisions that have been deemed complete and accepted by the County prior to the adoption of this Ordinance, and 3) any other rights that have vested prior to the adoption of this Ordinance.
• SECTION EIGHT: SEVERABILITY. If for any reason any portion or section of this Ordinance is invalidated by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining portions or sections of this Ordinance shall remain in full force and effect.