BZA approves alcohol sales special exception and related tree and buffer variances for Maybank Highway mixed‑use development

The Board of Zoning Appeals on Sept. 8 approved a special exception that will permit on‑site sales of beer, wine and liquor at a proposed mixed‑use development at 3517 Maybank Highway on Johns Island and granted two associated variances: removal of a 28‑inch protected live oak and elimination of a required 25‑foot land‑use buffer along the western property line. The board attached standard mitigation and site‑plan conditions. Zoning staff presented the mixed‑use plan — a redevelopment at the corner of Maybank Highway and Stanley Drive that would include retail, a grocery tenant with counter‑service food (applicant indicated Molino as a prospective tenant) and a restaurant area. Staff noted the parcel sits within the Maybank Highway Corridor Overlay Limited Commercial zoning district and is adjacent to residentially used parcels. The applicant provided an exhibit showing similar alcohol‑serving restaurants already operating within the corridor. On the tree variance (case 00886), the applicant proposed removing a 28‑inch live oak that staff and the applicant’s arborist documented had been heavily pruned in the past for service lines and was one of a cluster of trees near the proposed access. The applicant submitted a revised landscape plan showing the planting of six live oaks (each 6‑inch caliper) for mitigation; staff recommended mitigation options including inch‑for‑inch canopy replacement or payment to the Charleston County Tree Fund, installation of tree barricades around nearby protected trees, and retaining a certified arborist to monitor trees within 40 feet of disturbance. On the buffer variance (case 00887), the applicant requested elimination of the 25‑foot land‑use buffer measured from the transmission‑line easement along the western boundary; the applicant said a combination of the transmission‑line easement and a required road dedication constrained buildable area. Staff recommended conditions including completion of site‑plan review and mitigation before permit issuance. Public testimony included a school‑district adjacency concern and a neighborhood speaker who supported the redevelopment as a community amenity. The board approved the special exception and both variances unanimously, attaching staff conditions described above; staff will require evidence of state liquor approvals for the special exception and will mail final decision letters and next‑step instructions to the applicant within 10 business days.