County Planning Recommends Approval to Rezone River Road Lot for Landscaping Business; Applicant and Supporters Testify

County planning staff recommended approval of a zoning map amendment to change a vacant River Road parcel (TMS 2590000123) from AGR to AG‑8 after the applicant told staff in 2025 they wished to establish a landscaping/horticultural business on the site — a use not permitted in AGR but allowed in AG‑8 with conditions. Staff said the AG‑8 district would reduce allowed residential density (1 dwelling per 8 acres) compared with AGR (1 dwelling per 1 acre) and found the request consistent with the comprehensive plan’s agricultural residential future land‑use designation.

Staff presented aerial photos and flood‑zone mapping, noting the parcel fronts on River Road and lies within AE10 and Shaded X flood zones. Planning staff said nearby parcels are zoned AGR and AG‑8 and are developed with single‑family residences or vacant land; two approval criteria were met and criteria c and d were not applicable, so staff and the planning commission recommended approval.

At the council public hearing, the applicant’s representatives said the change would allow a small, locally run landscape business to operate from the parcel. "Our business is just a small company...It's a great spot for us to work from," Daniel Berryman told council, saying the company has served Kiawah and Charleston for 14 years. Another speaker testified that the request was not for a large commercial development but to locate a small landscaping operation and that the property could accommodate required buffers.

A handful of public commenters raised procedural questions about remote participation and clarity in the UDO; a former BZA member, Anthony G. Bridal, asked why citizens could not call or use video to participate as other municipalities allow. No council vote on final map amendment appears in the provided transcript excerpt; planning staff reported that prior to the planning commission meeting no public input had been received, one speaker and the applicant supported the request at the commission, and no comments had been received prior to the county hearing.

Why it matters: If council approves the map amendment, the property would be permitted to host landscaping/horticultural services under AG‑8 rules subject to the district’s conditions, changing allowed land uses on the parcel and potentially enabling a small business to operate there.