Charleston County Council approved a rezoning on Beas Ferry Road after a contentious hearing in which residents urged denial and the applicant committed to a recorded restrictive covenant limiting the project to 100 units.

During public comment, LaDawn Page told council the location ‘‘is simply not the location to add a 100 more units,’’ citing severe traffic congestion and infrastructure strain in the Beas Ferry corridor. Multiple speakers said the Planning Commission had twice recommended denial; Diane Milligan told council that the request ‘‘would be adversely impacting an intolerable traffic situation.’’

Developer representatives, including owner representative Joseph Tecklenburg, told council staff and members that attorney Lydia Brooks and the seller had delivered a fully signed and notarized declaration of restrictive covenants restricting development to 100 units rather than the higher density allowed by zoning. Tecklenburg said the document would be recorded the following day and that the applicants understood council would move to reconsider if the covenant were not recorded.

Council discussion reflected the split: several members—citing existing gridlock and overdevelopment concerns—said they could not in good conscience support further densification; others said the project was not inherently irresponsible and highlighted steps to limit unit counts. The roll call on the rezoning recorded votes as follows: Boykin—Nay; Darby—Nay; Honeycutt—Aye; Kabrowski—Nay; Moody—Nay; Pryor—Aye; Sass—Aye; Wurman—Aye; Middleton—Aye. The motion passed 5–4.

Next steps: staff and the applicant to record the restrictive covenant as promised; council said failure to record will trigger a motion to reconsider the rezoning.

(Editors: council’s request that the restrictive-covenant document be recorded and provided to county legal staff was recorded on the public record; the covenant’s text was described in the meeting but not read in full.)