Zoning plan pressed forward

Charleston is pressing forward with a bold zoning plan for Johns Island, which drew dozens of residents to the regional library Monday to learn the impact on their property and their quality of life.

"I want to hear what they've got planned for Johns Island," said island resident Elliott Cohen, who owns the John's Island Car Wash next to the library on Maybank Highway.

Cohen was surprised to learn the proposed zoning could allow buildings up to five stories tall on his land. He left the library with some handouts, and he plans to learn more.

Some Johns Islanders are aware of the main zoning concepts because the city of Charleston has been crafting its Johns Island Plan and the related zoning for the past several years.

The city wants to ensure that new construction will respect the rural character and building styles of Johns Island, with development becoming more rural as it moves toward the edges of the city.

However, the same zoning rules would allow very dense developments at three locations on Maybank Highway, where the city would like to see town-like settings as an alternative to conventional shopping centers and strip malls.

The locations of the "gathering places" envisioned by the city would be at River Road, Main Road and on Maybank between the two.

With on-street parking and 25 mph speed limits, such development would slow traffic on Maybank Highway, and that has spurred some opposition.

"I like the county's plan better," said Cohen, referring to a plan to widen Maybank Highway. "We've got to get traffic moving."

Others favor the city's concept for road improvements, which calls for developing a network of interconnected streets to disperse traffic, rather than widening Maybank.

An important part of the city's concept has become known as the "pitchfork" because the head of a pitchfork resembles a network of roads the city would like to create to ease the traffic bottleneck on Maybank Highway between the Stono River and River Road.

"I think the pitchfork works," said Gene Zurlo, a partner in the Preserve at Fenwick Plantation development, which is located on Maybank Highway right where traffic backs up daily. "We've got to do something."

The zoning rules wouldn't settle the road improvement questions. That's more a matter for the city, Charleston County and the South Carolina Department of Transportation to work out.

Still, some of the zoning concepts can only work if Maybank Highway is not widened.

"If you have a huge, high-speed roadway going through the middle, you can't implement what the Johns Island Plan called for," said Christopher Morgan, Charleston's Planning Division director.

The city already has approved a large commercial and residential development in one of the gathering place areas. The 600-home Angel Oak Village has stirred considerable, belated opposition, partially because that development is next to Charleston's Angel Oak Park.

Morgan said the city will carefully consider any feedback gathered from residents Monday, and will likely revise the zoning plan before seeking a recommendation from the city Planning Commission.

He said the Planning Commission could get the plan in December, which could clear the way for City Council action in January.