The Town of James Island Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously approved a variance on Oct. 21 allowing the removal of two grand pecan trees to clear space for the proposed James Island Arts and Community Center at 1129 Hillman Street, and amended staff recommendations to require 108 inches of on-site mitigation.

The vote came after staff and the applicant described site constraints, mitigation plans and community support. Acting Chair David Savage called the public hearing; the board voted in favor of the variance after a motion by member Joshua Hayes and a second by member Skyler Blair. The board also amended condition three of the staff recommendations to read that the applicant “shall mitigate the removal of the grand trees by submitting a mitigation plan to the zoning administrator ... that includes 108 inches of on-site mitigation.”

Why it matters: The decision clears the way for construction of three interconnected buildings totaling about 10,250 square feet for what the town says will be a community arts and activity hub. Board members and the applicant said the site’s triple street frontage and the central location of the two pecan trees restrict building placement under the town’s zoning and tree-protection rules.

Staff presentation and legal standards
Kristin Crane, the town’s planning director, summarized the application (case BZAV-9-25-042) and explained that the two trees had been graded B by a certified arborist and therefore did not qualify for an administrative removal permit under the Town of James Island Zoning and Land Development Regulations Ordinance. Crane said the ordinance allows the BZA to grant variances where strict application would cause unnecessary hardship and cited relevant ordinance sections and the town’s comprehensive plan community facilities element.

Crane told the board that, under the town’s interpretation, mitigation is measured inch-for-inch; removing the two trees would remove 54 inches of trunk diameter and, under standard enforcement, that would require replacement of 54 inches (and triple mitigation if a removal is in violation). She said the project as proposed already shows about 118 inches of new plantings on the site and that the site contains roughly 500–570 inches of retained tree caliper in total when existing and proposed plantings are counted.

Applicant presentation and technical rationale
Mayor Brooke Lyon, the applicant, and Chip Wyatt of Barrier Island Engineering presented the project and the site constraints. Lyon said she believes the request meets the BZA variance criteria and asked the board to approve removal of the two trees so the town can build the arts center. Lyon: “I respectfully ask that you please approve the removal of the 2 pecan trees based on the facts that our request meets the variance approved criteria.”

Wyatt, the project engineer, described structural and stormwater reasons for the tree removals and explained that relocating the large pecan trees was not practical. He said the project is in a special protection area where trees also provide important stormwater and water-quality functions; the project team has proposed new plantings that they say will contribute to both mitigation and stormwater control. Wyatt said the design team is proposing 118 inches of mitigation but was willing to accept 108 inches if the board wanted a round “double mitigation” figure.

Public comment and concerns
The record included multiple letters: staff said there were five community letters submitted before the hearing (two supporting the variance, one opposing, two offering placement or mitigation suggestions) and an additional packet of about four letters. At the hearing, more than a dozen residents spoke in support, citing the community benefits of a new arts and community center. Supporters included longtime residents who said the center would provide programming and space for children and adults.

One resident, Sherae Praylow, spoke with reservations about neighborhood congestion, saying Hillman Street “does get congested with family” during events and asking why a property that formerly carried tree-protection restrictions would be developed in a way that requires tree removal.

Board findings, discussion and conditions
Board members discussed each of the variance findings required by the ordinance: extraordinary and exceptional conditions of the property, the uniqueness of the tree locations and setbacks (the site has road frontage on three sides), the effect on neighboring lots, and whether the need for the variance was the result of the applicant’s actions. Several members said the combination of triple frontage, preexisting grand trees and the town’s use of the property (the parcel was purchased by the town in 2023 and combined from two lots) supported the variance.

After discussion, the board voted to approve the variance with the staff’s two initial conditions and an amended third condition specifying 108 inches of on-site mitigation. Staff’s other recommended conditions include tree barricades around remaining grand and protected trees during construction and proof of pruning and fertilization by a certified arborist prior to obtaining a zoning permit.

Other formal actions
The BZA also conducted routine business during the meeting: it approved the minutes from the June 17, 2025 meeting (motion and unanimous approval recorded earlier in the hearing) and later, after the variance decision, elected David Savage as chair and Roy Smith as vice chair for the board. The clerk said the final decision on the variance will be mailed to the applicant within 10 days.

What remains: The board’s approval authorizes removal of the two grand pecan trees contingent on the conditions; the applicant (the town) must submit and have an approved mitigation plan and comply with the ordinance’s other requirements prior to permit issuance.