JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Charleston Design Review Board denied the request to build a townhome development on James Island.

The board met Monday evening to discuss the possibility of building the development on Theresa Drive right off of Harbor View Road. It would include 16 new four-story townhomes in four separate buildings on a 2.63-acre lot.

The city told the applicant that the development did not work for this area. They said because of its height and scale, it was too big compared to the other homes in that neighborhood.

Many of the current residents weren’t thrilled about the idea of more development to begin with.

One resident, James Beall, says the townhomes would be too much for the area. He says he isn’t opposed to them being built there, but that he thinks 16 is too many. He says cutting the number of homes in half and only having eight would be better.

“Something has to be developed here, but I think what they are doing is just too much, it’s too much,” Beall says. “Too many apartments for this neighborhood and we already have some problems with the road, we have some problems with drainage, and I just think it’s a little bit too much in the way of additional apartments added to the neighborhood,” Beall says.

Margaret Fulk, another neighbor, says she owns her home on Theresa Drive and has lived there for almost ten years. She says she is very concerned if these townhomes get built, especially because of drainage problems.

“When I saw that they were looking to build sixteen new townhomes I was very concerned,” Fulk says. “Every time it rains, our backyard fills up with water, so I am worried that if they build more houses, the runoff will go into our yards if they’re filling dirt to build new places.”

She says that even with light rain, they still have puddles in their yard for days. Fulk says that the first thing that should be done is fixing the drainage problem before adding more homes.

“And with big storms, our street will be like a river will be going through it, so we don’t need any more new development on this quiet, sweet little street,” Fulk says.

Another resident, Nicholas Roberts, is also concerned about the flooding they already get and what it might look like if the new townhomes are built.

“It’s a great piece of property, but I think that they are going to find themselves in a lot of awkward situations with the amount of water they are going to be dealing with, and if they go to move the land around then it’s just going to push the water on people that are already flooding,” Roberts says.

He also brought up concerns about more children moving into the area and that with how much flooding they get it poses a safety risk.

“I feel concerned about, you know, particularly families with children and small children because these drainage ditches, not just with the traffic, but you know that’s really the scariest issue is a child wandering into one of the side areas and essentially drowning,” Roberts says. “I mean there is enough water to drown a child pretty much for days after it rains.”

The board said that overall, the development was out of scale and recommended that the applicant rethink some of the areas of concern, such as the height of the four-story townhomes.

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JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Crews are continuing to work to repair two major water main breaks that happened within a day of each other on James Island and in West Ashley.

Public Information Administrator for Charleston Water System Mike Saia says while the collapsed ground looks like a sinkhole, the damage didn’t happen that way in a technical sense. The damage to the ground and roads is from the strong water pressure when the water lines broke under the pressure. The water force caused the ground around the pipe to explode outward as opposed to sinking inward.

“Main breaks in the late part of the winter or early spring are really very common because the temperatures take wild swings with freezing one day, then they were in the 70s for a few days. After that what happens is that temperature change inside our mains really changed the structure of the pipe and to make it a little bit more brittle,” Saia says.

Saia says the water lines themselves were fixed quickly and based on the locations of the breaks, only a few customers were affected for a short time on Highway 61.

“Our main break for Fort Johnson Road was a 24-inch water main, a much bigger pipe with much bigger impact to the site and the road. But no customers were without water at any time because we were able to route the water from other means in the area and keep our customers in service at all times,” Saia says.

“It is likely Fort Johnson will be closed for at least several more days while all repairs are completed,” the town said in an updated post Sunday night. The post attributes the delay to expected rain it states will complicate the already extensive repairs to the broken water line.

Update - Water Main Break Repairs to the broken water transmission line on Fort Johnson and Jeffords near Folly are...

Posted by Town of James Island on Sunday, February 11, 2024

With water access and pipe structure handled, now their work turns to repairing the damaged roadways. Saia says on Highway 61 luckily one lane has remained open, and it is a smaller issue that can be fixed faster than the major break on James Island.

“Our crews responded immediately but when a 24-inch water main breaks, it creates a lot of devastation and a lot of destruction. And it took Fort Johnson completely out of service where it remains today. It’ll probably take us another two days, maybe even three to get the road restored,” Saia says.

Saia says Charleston Water System handles about 150 main breaks a year and these two are on the larger side of the average leak. He says crews are always on standby for this type of situation. He explains the cost of repairs is within the system’s regular budget.

“We’re able to handle all the street repairs on Highway 61 and will eventually bring a contractor in to do the final paving. But we are absolutely fully relying on a contractor to do the site remediation for Fort Johnson and because it’s such a very large area, actually contractors are going to do all the backfilling and all the paving throughout the remainder of the project,” Saia said.

James Island First Presbyterian Church sits at the corner of Fort Johnson and Jeffords Street. Despite the main break over the weekend, they were able to get their water running and a plan in place so Sunday Services went off without a hitch.

Mike Terelak, ruling elder on the Buildings and Grounds Committee for the church, says it was a team effort and he talked a lot with the Charleston Water System and SCDOT who helped them get through Sunday and make sure families have access to the child-care center this week.

“We had our annual Chili Cook-Off, which is a big event here. It raised a lot of money for James Island outreach and other missions that we run. And everybody came out, it was a big great time. We had a baptism, we have new members joining the church. So it was a really great day for our church and a little bit of mud wouldn’t have stopped that,” Terelak says.

Saia says since the roads are the Department of Transportation’s, he is in contact with officials there and everyone is collaborating toward a solution as fast as is possible. Saia asks that everyone who can, steer clear of Fort Johnson Road which he expects will be fully closed until at least Wednesday.

Charleston Water System will have a mobile board placed on Fort Johnson to direct drivers to turn onto Secessionville Road, the post states. Those closer to the site will see Charleston County Sheriff’s Office detour signs directing them around the sinkhole by way of Avenue A and then to Folly Road.

The post urged drivers to avoid the area if possible, suggesting Camp Road or Harbor View Road as alternate routes.

The Charleston Water System was able to divert water Saturday morning to ensure that homes in the area had working water. Anyone who does not have water service should call the Charleston Water System at 843-727-6800.

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JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A busy intersection on James Island could soon see a roundabout that would better traffic flow and make the intersection safer, county officials say.

The Charleston County Council plans to meet on Tuesday night where they will be requesting approval for the roundabout to be put in at the intersection of Fort Johnson Road and Camp Road.

Charleston County Council Member, Jenny Costa Honeycutt, says this intersection is one of the most dangerous ones on James Island.

Honeycutt called it an urban compact roundabout which she says is the best way to preserve the stone posts and grand trees near the intersection that many residents want to keep, while also making the area safer.

“There are a significant number of cars traveling both on Fort Johnson Road, as well as Camp Road, but there are a number of tree impacts and to put a stoplight at this location would require taking those trees down,” Honeycutt says. “So, this was a much more feasible alternative that kept the character of the area.”

With the urban compact roundabout only two trees will be impacted compared to other alternatives they looked into that would’ve impacted many more.

On top of that, there is a high school located just down the street, James Island Charter High School and Honeycutt says that with a lot of student drivers and parents taking their kids to and from school, it can make the area very dangerous.

The biggest complaint she says she’s received is that there is a stop sign for Camp Road, but not Fort Johnson Road. So, cars will be backed up on Camp Road and will be unable to turn because there is so much traffic on Fort Johnson.

“There needs to be some control mechanism so that both traffic patterns get attention to turn,” Honeycutt says.

She added that a project like this affects many stakeholders, and it will be a step-by-step process, so it will take some time before residents see the roundabout. It involves the unincorporated county, the Town of James Island and the City of Charleston. They needed municipal consent from those municipalities, and she is grateful they wanted to partake in this project, she says.

Honeycutt says the first thing they will do if this gets approved is contact utilities, so they can get them moved out of the area where they plan to start construction. The total cost of construction for the roundabout will be $1.4 million.

Blake Noll, a James Island resident who lives off of Camp Road, says he has seen cars lined up down the road, especially when school is released.

“In terms of a roundabout, I think it would be a good choice,” Noll says.

He says he has lived off Camp Road for 2 years and often hears cars screeching and sirens.

“It is a natural calming device. So, you can’t go 45 miles an hour through a roundabout, you’re going to have to slow down. I think it will make drivers more conscientious,” Honeycutt says.

Blake Noll, a James Island Resident who lives off Camp Road, says he has seen cars lined up down the road, especially when school is released.

“In terms of a roundabout, I think it would be a good choice,” Noll says.

He says he has lived off Camp Road for two years and often hears screeching tires followed by sirens.

He adds that he often has issues with traffic on Camp and Fort Johnson Roads.

Charleston County Council plans to meet Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m.

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JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - The site of a proposed preschool on James Island is causing some neighbors to worry about what their yards will look like during a storm or what the traffic will look like during rush hour.

The city of Charleston’s Design Review Board approved the basics, like what kind of building materials and plants the developer wants to use, for example, at the proposed Goddard Preschool located at 1137 Folly Rd., at Tuesday night’s meeting.

However, neighbor Matthew Pertuset says he’s more worried about what the city will review later on.

“How is that going to affect the, not just the people that back up, but the entire neighborhood?” Pertuset said.

The proposed preschool sits directly behind Pertuset’s home in the Queenborough neighborhood. He says he’s worried about the design of this building’s drainage because of how it already acts during storms.

“We’re already holding water,” Pertuset said. “So, for that to come up even more, I’m not sure. So, it’s a huge concern.”

But Robert Summerfield, the director of planning, preservation and sustainability for the city of Charleston, said because they have some of the most comprehensive stormwater regulations in the region, no project could make the problem worse but could only improve it.

“They’re working very hard to make sure that they are utilizing the existing wetlands on site and enhancing that as a stormwater catchment area,” Summerfield said.

But that’s not the only concern.

“If it is going to be a pickup, you know, we’re right here on Folly Road, how does that look during rush hour traffic in the mornings and the afternoons?” Pertuset said. “Is it going to get pushed into our neighborhood for us to deal with or is it just going to come to a stop on Folly Road?”

Summerfield said the city has already thought about it.

“We have created a drop-off low space so that cars, as they come in and drop their children off or pick them up, will actually flow through the site so that there’s a queueing situation that will occur so that people aren’t ideally not queueing out on Folly,” Summerfield said.

Neither the Goddard School nor the applicant, AAG Architects for Vista 26, LLC, have responded to requests for comment.

However, Pertuset said no matter what comes on this property, he just wants the city to be thorough with their plans.

“It is something that the community needs,” Pertuset said. “I think James Island could afford to have another preschool.”

Summerfield said the city will discuss more drainage specifics once the developer submits the next step to the Technical Review Committee. They will have to pass all initial designs before that is done and there’s currently no timeline of when that might take place.

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JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A proposed storage facility and at least ten new homes could be coming to Dills Bluff Road on James Island if one developer’s sale moves forward.

But some neighbors say after months of seeing the plans change, they say they still aren’t pleased with the proposal.

The plans have changed for 6.5 acres of Dills Bluff Road on James Island. Earlier plans included at least 20 homes with around 20,000 square feet of commercial space. After the town denied that plan in October, the new proposal involves a new storage facility with at least ten new homes.

“A storage unit facility is incredibly inappropriate for this area,” James Island resident Casey Buchanan says. “Yes, some of the parcel is zoned commercial because it’s right next to the shopping center here. But that zoning was done 20 years ago before all that we knew about flooding.”

Buchanan adds this will have an impact on property value.

“Really doing anything that reduces our resilience to storms as an island is really just incredibly foolish,” Buchanan says. “And I would be very cautious if I were to be — if I was buying a home now, buying in this area, especially if this plan is slated to go forward.”

John Peters, who lives in Whitehouse Plantation right behind this property, says he’s heard from more long-time residents that the flooding is worse during storms now than it was during Hurricane Hugo.

“Not making a problem where we have to rethink Dills Bluff Road because we’re already rethinking Folly Road,” Peters says.

Peters has created numerous petitions, with his current online one having over 960 signatures voting against this new proposal. He says this greenspace should be partially preserved and put to better use.

“Create a space that allows food trucks, a food truck radio or something that has a market area like they do downtown,” Peters said.

The two say the developer, Taylor Consulting Group, hasn’t had any meetings with the public since the original denial of the first plan.

The proposed plan has numerous grand trees slated to stay, but Buchanan says that’s not enough.

“They’re critical for managing stormwater on an urban sea island, which is what James Island is,” Buchanan said. “We don’t have a lot of these sponge forests left.”

The town of James Island says this is now a build-by-right property, which means Taylor Consulting Group has the right to build what they want under the right density with no more votes. The sale from the James Island Public Service District to the developer is still under contract.

“They may say they care about James Island,” Peters said. “Caring about James Island would be preserving James Island at this point.”

Taylor Consulting Group did not respond to a request for comment.

Residents say the next James Island Public Service District meeting is Feb. 26 at James Island Fire Station #1 at 7 p.m. and it’s one of the last chances to voice your opinion publicly before the sale could be finalized on March 1.

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