The Charleston County Historic Preservation Commission on March 19 approved a retroactive certificate of historic appropriateness for a 2,180-square-foot wooden wraparound deck added to a manufactured home at 1651 Highway 41 (TMS 583-00-00-091) in the Phillips Community Historic District.

The commission’s staff presentation said the deck is constructed of pressure-treated lumber, was built as a wraparound along the front, side and rear of the unit, and does not increase impervious surface because water can pass through the decking. Emily Pager, a county staff member, told the commission the parcel is 1.34 acres and that the manufactured home is a previously permitted 1,118-square-foot unit; the deck measures about 2,180 square feet and is larger than the indoor living area.

Staff recommended approval, finding the addition met the commission’s approval criteria in section 20-1-5(i) because outdoor living areas exist in the district and the deck, though larger than the dwelling, was not wholly incompatible with the district’s historic, cultural or architectural character. Pager said staff found no identified negative impacts to nearby contributing resources, including remnants of historic rice fields on the adjacent property (TMS 583-00-00-090) that have been documented as early as the 1760s.

An individual identified in the meeting as the property owner and applicant said the deck was built to create usable outdoor space for several household members and described the structure as an open, unroofed deck. "I could build a giant house there if I wanted, but I...decided just to be like the community and put a mobile home there," the applicant said about the property and the decision to add the deck.

A commissioner moved to approve the request “because it meets the approval criteria in section 20-1-5(i),” adopting staff recommendations in full. The motion was seconded and carried on a roll call vote with recorded “aye” votes; no “no” votes or abstentions were recorded and the chair announced the motion passes.

This approval is a final decision of the Charleston County Historic Preservation Commission. The chair read the appeal procedure: a person with a substantial interest may appeal the commission’s decision to the circuit court of Charleston County within 30 calendar days of the action.