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James Island development plan seeks zoning change
By Scott Miller
Staff Writer
The tomato fields at Grimball Farms near the Stono River became a target for development when the city of Charleston annexed that section of James Island in 2000.
The 932-acre tract of mostly marshland does not have an easement that restricts its use, but concerns about housing density, traffic congestion and environmental preservation have prevented any construction up to this point.
Most recently, the Planning Commission rejected a proposal in 2005 from The Ginn Co. to develop a 300-lot subdivision on Grimball Farms.
But a new plan has surfaced. Ginn LA Grimball Farms LLC, a division of The Ginn Co., has filed preliminary plans with the city to construct 240 homes and a golf course on the site.
Those plans are likely to spark another conversation on the delicate balance between economic development and rural preservation.
“It’s such a wildlife habitat out there,” said City Council member Kathleen Wilson, who represents James Island. “The less development the better.”
Growing pains
Like other outlying communities in the city, James Island has experienced significant growth. About 5,000 more people live in James Island now than did during the 2000 census, a 40% population increase, according to estimates by the city of Charleston. About 17,810 people live there now.
That growth has in turn spurred residential development. From 2000 to 2004, the city issued 1,126 single-family home building permits, or an average of 281 per year.
The population increases and added development have placed a growing amount of stress on the community’s infrastructure, Wilson said.
“It’s a question of how much more can the island hold,” she said. “Folly Road is failing right now. We have significant traffic problems.”
The plan
At 240 homes, Ginn’s latest offer is less dense than the 300-unit proposal the Planning Commission rejected two years ago.
The homes also would wrap around an 18-hole golf course. Ginn’s plan includes an equestrian facility, an instructional golf school, tennis courts, a tennis training center, playgrounds, nature preserves, docks and other amenities.
The actual development would cover 344 acres of the 932-acre parcel, with the rest staying as marshland.
Representatives from Ginn did not return calls. To proceed, the company wants the zoning changed from “conservation” to “planned unit development,” which would allow the construction of more homes.
The current zoning allows one unit per 1.5 acres of land.
The net density under Ginn’s proposal would be one residential unit per 0.7 acres, but the actual number of homes wouldn’t change much with the zoning change.
Under a conservation zoning, Ginn could build 227 homes, just 13 fewer than the company wants to construct, noted Amanda Herring, a senior planner in the city’s zoning office.
The switch from conservation to planned development is not an unusual change. The city often designates newly annexed land as “conservation” to establish low-density requirements, Herring said. Doing so affords the city more control as developers file plans.
Ginn’s proposal is slated for discussion at the Planning Commission’s December meeting, though the issue has been deferred once and could be again.
Grimball Farms is designated as land for development, but Wilson would like that changed.
“When I took office I vowed I would do my best to protect Grimball Farms,” she said. “I just have a special place in my heart for that Grimball tract because of the sheer beauty of the land.”
Scott Miller is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail him at smiller@setcommedia.com.
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