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Charleston County BZA approves short-term rental permit for Tomgen Circle home
Summary
The Charleston County Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously approved a special exception to allow one bedroom over a garage at 2232 Tomgen Circle to be rented as a short-term rental, capping total rental days at 144 per year and imposing staff-recommended conditions.
The Charleston County Board of Zoning Appeals on a unanimous vote approved a special exception allowing the owner-occupied residence at 2232 Tomgen Circle to operate a short-term rental (STR) of a finished bedroom over the garage.
The board’s decision allows the property owner, Mindy McGuire, to rent the one finished room above the attached garage with a maximum of four guests and three on-site parking spaces and caps short-term rental days at 144 per calendar year, including the days previously used under a limited home rental permit.
County staff told the board the property is in the low-density residential zoning district and already contains a single-family residence; staff recommended conditions that included completing the STR limited site plan review process prior to zoning permit approval and ensuring compliance with Article 6.8 of the Charleston County Zoning and Land Development Regulations Ordinance. Staff also noted there are five STRs in the Pierpont neighborhood and one written public comment opposed the request. In response to a board question, staff said there had been no complaints related to the applicant’s existing 72 rental days under the limited home rental permit.
Applicant Mindy McGuire told the board her rental “has gone very well,” saying, “All of my neighbors are completely fine” and that the operation has not created problems for the immediate community. In making the motion to approve, a board member said the request satisfied the three required criteria: compatibility with nearby uses, adequate provisions for setbacks and buffering (including parking, trash and noise), and compliance with relevant ordinance standards.
The motion incorporated the four special conditions recommended by staff; the board then voted unanimously to approve. The chair told the applicant staff would send next-step information within 10 days.
Why it matters: the approval expands the days this owner may legally rent the property while maintaining standard county conditions intended to limit neighborhood impacts.
The board’s formal findings and the staff report are part of the public record at the Charleston County Zoning and Planning Department.
