The Charleston County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance to remove a single 30-inch diameter-at-breast-height laurel oak on Edisto Island so a roadway can access the proposed Edisto Island Youth Recreation Center, contingent on a mitigation plan and tree-preservation measures.

Louis DeLuna, a co-founder and board member of Edisto Island Youth Recreation, said the 501(c)(3) nonprofit purchased a 145-acre property with a conservation easement and has designed a multi-phase recreation facility that includes a playground, multipurpose field and later a gym/community center. "We optimized the location based on impact on neighbors, impact on trees, and impact on the wetland," DeLuna said, and the group obtained a U.S. Army Corps nationwide permit for a wetland crossing. DeLuna and project supporters told the board the selected crossing minimized wetland and tree impacts compared with alternatives.

Staff recommended conditions that include submission of a tree-preservation plan, installation of tree barricades around protected trees within 40 feet of disturbance, retention of a certified arborist during construction and a mitigation requirement should the 30-inch laurel oak die within three years. Mitigation options offered to the board included inch-for-inch canopy replacement (trees no smaller than 2.5 inches caliper), payment to the Charleston County tree fund or a combination of planting and payment.

Community supporters, including Gino Middleton and Tom Austin of the Edisto Island Open Land Trust, said the project addresses a longtime lack of recreational infrastructure and that the chosen crossing is the least-damaging option. One neighbor voiced concerns about wildlife and urged careful study, which staff said would have been addressed as part of the federal permitting work.

After discussion, the board approved the variance and attached the staff mitigation and monitoring conditions.