Developer looks into switching counties

SUMMERVILLE — Palmetto Row is right off Gahagan Road, within a mile of the town's historic district and Dorchester District 2 schools.

But it's in Charleston County, and the developer of the struggling townhouse subdivision is trying to change that.

Grand Palm Development wants to annex the subdivision into Dorchester County to attract buyers looking for the well-regarded District 2 schools, County Council members were told earlier this week. Council agreed to look into it.

"From a planning standpoint, it does make sense. For Charleston County to be able to serve that population, you almost have to come around (Dorchester County land)," said Jamie Feltner, Dorchester council chairman. "Am I passionate about taking over this population? Absolutely not. Dorchester 2 schools are overcrowded already."

He might not have much to worry about. It doesn't take an act of Congress to move land from one county to another, but it does take an act of the state Legislature. And that doesn't get done unless everybody is onboard. Elliott Summey, the Charleston County councilman who represents the district, isn't keen on the idea. He said nobody talked to him or county staff first.

"No one has explained it to anyone. I'm finding out about it through the newspaper," Summey said. "Unless they can give me some compelling reason why, I'm inclined to say no. I don't see why the kids can't go to our schools."

That's enough to keep the Legislature from making it happen.

"If both counties agree, I would" introduce a bill, said Rep. Annette Young, R-Summerville. She introduced a bill in 2000 that transferred 50 acres next door to Palmetto Row from Charleston County to Dorchester County. "But if the counties don't agree, it's not going to happen."

The townhouses are being marketed to empty-nesters, not families, said Brandt Shelbourne, an attorney for the developers. But schools make a difference in resale value, he said, and sometimes you have to battle perceptions about particular districts.

Shelbourne said buyers seem to like the homes and the location near the Summerville downtown. The properties don't seem to be selling because, with the economic slowdown, "things aren't selling anywhere right now."

The 17-acre Palmetto Row development opened in 2008. It's approved for 104 townhouses, and 13 units have been built, according to Summerville town staff. None have been sold.

There's an uneven history of land transfers between the two counties. The 2000 transfer allowed the National Guard to build a new Dorchester armory on land alongside the site of the old sanctuary and allowed the town to bring its newly built Gahagan Plantation Community Park into Dorchester County. No other property owners were involved.

In 2004, about 30 acres of the Fairfield development just south of the park also switched counties. But in 2001, Charleston County opposed a bid by a developer of Coosaw Creek off Dorchester Road near Ashley Phosphate Road to move 11 acres into Dorchester County because prospective buyers didn't like the idea of their children going to different schools than their neighbors. The developer dropped the request.

Feltner said Summey wasn't contacted because staff didn't want to approach Charleston County without its council's approval.

"I wouldn't want to annex land just to get properties," Feltner said, but if it makes more sense for the development to be in Dorchester County, it's worth taking a look at.

Reach Bo Petersen at 937-5744 or bpetersen@postandcourier.com.