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Johns Island residents urge council to spare 'Butcher Oak' and limit tree loss for Main Road roundabout
Summary
Residents, garden‑club leaders and local advocates pressed county officials during a public hearing to reduce the number of large live oaks slated for removal under the Main Road segment A design, to hire a landscape architect familiar with coastal native plants for mitigation, and to reassess design choices that could affect safety and flooding.
Dozens of Johns Island residents and neighborhood groups urged Charleston County Council on June 24 to reduce tree loss and reconsider aspects of the planned Main Road segment A roundabout, citing the value of large live oaks, safety concerns and long recovery times for replacement plantings.
Mary Gwen, president of the Magnolia Garden Club, asked county staff to hire a landscape architect specializing in native coastal plants to design tree mitigation and replacement so new plantings have the best chance to survive in the coastal environment. She described the club’s stewardship of the “Butcher Oak” at Chisholm and Main and asked that the tree be preserved with drainage, irrigation and electrical improvements where needed.
Several speakers quantified the proposed removals and underscored the scale of mitigation. Liz Munn said the plan calls for removing 799 inches of tree circumference and described how that translates into large numbers of replacement trees at smaller nursery sizes — for example roughly 319 two‑and‑a‑half‑inch trees or 66 larger 12‑inch trees — and noted that live oaks grow only about an inch in diameter per year. Randy Delp called the trees “iconic” and asked whether project designers had been instructed to save as many grand trees as possible.
Speakers also raised safety concerns about the planned roundabout configuration where Chisholm Road meets Main Road and River Road. Betty Craig warned that a double‑lane approach and close succession of movements could create conflict points and called for design changes such as limiting left turns at a new secondary access to the boat landing. Commenters asked staff to coordinate tree planting with future utility plans to avoid conflicts that can kill young trees (several speakers noted recent examples where planted trees suffered from adjacent construction or bus movements).
John Zlogar of Rational Roads said he supports the project’s transportation goals but encouraged hiring a landscape architect, planning for utilities and taking advantage of the moment to run utilities while construction occurs. He also urged the county to consider using other settlement funds to improve Maybank Highway as part of a broader approach to entrance corridor congestion on Johns Island.
County staff did not make a decision at the hearing. Speakers asked for additional outreach and for staff to consider alternatives that preserve large specimen trees where feasible and to involve community organizations such as the Magnolia Garden Club in mitigation planning.
