Public split as council holds hearing on Parkers Ferry overlay change to allow vehicle storage by special exception

Charleston County held a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Parkers Ferry Overlay zoning table to add vehicle storage as an allowed use in business service nodes and commercial properties if approved through the ZLDR special exception process. The amendment would add vehicle storage with special-exception review under ZLDR Section 3.6.5 and Table 5.12.5. Planning staff explained the Parkers Ferry overlay was adopted in 2017 to protect rural character while allowing limited commercial uses in business nodes along arterial roads such as Savannah Highway and Highway 174. The Planning Commission first deferred the application on March 10 to allow community outreach; after additional outreach the commission recommended approval at its June 9 meeting with a condition for properties that front Highway 17. Public comments were mixed at the hearing. Several neighbors and community members spoke in favor of the applicant for Imperial RV and Boat Storage, saying the site already abuts commercial uses and the applicant reduced density and proposed landscaping and fencing. Carson Lanou, representing the applicant, described the plan as a one-acre site with 25 parking spaces, a slotted fence, lighting and video surveillance, and a prohibition on on-site fluid changes. "We will be building a slotted fence around the site. So that will be well lit. There'll be video surveillance, and it'll be safe for tenants," he said. Other residents expressed concern about historic overlay impacts and characterization of overlay zoning. One longtime speaker argued that overlay districts had been used to exclude Black residents and questioned aesthetics and enforcement; the record shows both support and skepticism from the community. The Will Town Community Center's Ophelia Williams said her group had met with the applicant and "we do not object. We support him with his business." Status: This item was presented as a public hearing with the Planning Commission recommendation to allow vehicle storage subject to the ZLDR special-exception procedures and an added condition for properties fronting Highway 17; no council final action on the amendment was recorded at this meeting.