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City council votes to rezone large Johns Island tract
By Kathleen Dayton
Staff Writer
Charleston City Council on Tuesday night voted 10-2 in favor of rezoning a large tract of land on Johns Island that would reduce the number of homes proposed for the area by a developer.
Council listened for an hour to public opinion both for and against the rezoning, a situation which now has longtime friends and neighbors divided over the issues of property rights versus high density development that some fear could spoil the island’s rural character and place burdens on infrastructure.
Members of the Rawl family want to sell 465 acres to a developer for a mixed-use project that would place about 1,100 homes near the intersection of River Road and Plowground Roads close to the Johns Island airport. The downzoning would allow about 200 homes.
Victor Rawl, who represented his family at the meeting, said he was concerned about the timing of the rezoning request, which was made last year two weeks after the proposed development was announced.
“There are two family members who want to retire. This was their retirement,” Rawl said. “No one said a peep to us until we got a contract to develop two-thirds of my family’s property.”
Rawl believes downsizing will reduce his property values, although some who spoke in favor of the rezoning said Johns Island is known for its farms, and many people looking to live there want large lots and peace and quite.
“This development is completely out of character with River Road,” said resident Steve Green. “My neighbors and I live here because it is peaceful, undeveloped and quiet. River Road can’t handle the additional cars from this development.”
City councilwoman Anne Frances Bleecker, who represents Johns Island, said if the city fails to rezone the property, it will lose the opportunity to do the right thing on Johns Island.
“The choice becomes, do you protect and preserve the amazing heritage on Johns Island…or you don’t do the right thing so the Rawls can retire,” Bleecker said.
The landowners have filed a lawsuit over the downzoning, saying the city promised to allow planned development on their land when they agreed to annex the property into the city in 1990.
Mark Knapp spoke against the downzoning and said the city made mistakes.
“This is a taking, plain and simple,” he said. “Somebody needs to think of a compromise.”
Mayor Joseph P. Riley said he hopes a series of charrettes and other planning processes can help the landowners, developers and the city reach a compromise and find a marketable plan that can be sold to developers.
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