Beaufort County Council denies Cherry Point rezoning after months of opposition and traffic, environmental concerns

Bluffton — Beaufort County Council voted on March 24 to deny a rezoning request for a roughly 20‑acre parcel in the Cherry Point area, following extended public comment and a detailed presentation from the applicant and technical consultants.

Dozens of residents from Cherry Point, River Oaks and neighboring developments addressed the council in opposition, saying new upzoning would increase flooding, stormwater runoff, traffic and loss of tree canopy that supports local wildlife. "We are looking towards the future. What we see in our future are trees and rivers, not asphalt and buildings," resident Felice LaMarco told the council during the public hearing.

Speakers from the applicant team and the Beaufort County School District presented alternative plans and mitigation measures. Richard Schwartz, the applicant’s contract owner, described revisions to an earlier plan and said the submission now proposes a village‑place overlay with reduced residential density (the applicant cited a plan reduced to 258 multifamily units from a larger initial allowance) and an offer to…