Developer presents revised Patriots Annex plan; council limits discussion to guidance for planning committee

Developers of the Patriots Annex at Patriot’s Point presented an updated master plan and a proposed Planned Development (PD) zoning to replace Waterfront Gateway (WGC) rules, telling Mount Pleasant town leaders the revised plan keeps the entitlements granted under the existing zoning while adjusting some site-design details.

Michael Bennett, who said he is leading the Patriot Annex project, and attorney James Wilson told council members the project team essentially cut-and-pasted the current WGC entitlements into the PD and then proposed a small number of tweaks intended to encourage a seaside, pedestrian-oriented village. "We're doing 1 story little cottages for about the first, I estimate it to be about a 100 feet…these are restaurants, there, 2 story buildings," Bennett said, describing the initial Seafair phase and saying the first DRB-approved building is lower than the zoning allows.

Town planning staff and the Planning Commission recommended approval with conditions; the Planning Commission suggested a broader visual corridor to the waterfront, limits on residential units per acre at the waterfront, minimizing stucco and flat roofs, and a target for native-tree canopy. Council treated the presentation as "discussion only" and asked the planning committee to meet with the applicant to draft details the council could act on at a later meeting.

Council members pressed the applicant on several design and implementation details, including: - tree-caliper and canopy requirements per acre and how to apply trees across large footprints such as conference center buildings; - the width and surfacing of the waterfront public way and pedestrian waterfront connections; and - parking supply and public access, including a surface lot near the Yorktown and distributed surface parking across the site.

Bennett said the applicant plans roughly 750–800 surface parking spaces on site and that the project team is seeking a pedestrian-scaled seaside village aimed at locals as much as visitors. He also said the project will include more than the required minimum of 10 percent open space and showed a plan depicting about 14 percent open green area.

No land-use vote or ordinance adoption occurred at the meeting; council members asked staff and the applicant to develop language and conditions for the planning committee to consider before a formal vote.

Ending: Council members asked the planning committee to take feedback from Tuesday's discussion and prepare a recommendation for full council action at a later date.