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Bluffton council weighs streamlining demolition approvals, asks staff for matrix of historic resources
Summary
Town staff proposed shifting demolition approvals for non‑contributing properties in the Old Town Bluffton Historic District to an administrative site‑feature permit to shorten approval times; council asked staff to build a matrix using 11 criteria and return with updated survey data and outreach materials.
Town of Bluffton planning staff on Tuesday proposed changing the Unified Development Ordinance to speed up demolitions of non‑contributing structures in the Old Town Bluffton Historic District, and councilmembers asked staff to prepare a clear matrix of evaluation criteria before any formal ordinance changes.
Kevin I. Card, speaking for planning staff, said the current process requires a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission for demolitions even when buildings are classified as non‑contributing. He told the council some applications have taken more than 100 days to process and proposed moving those cases to an administrative "site feature" permit handled by the UDO administrator, with site visits and required documentation such as construction date, ownership history and reason for demolition.
"It's a checks and balances to make sure that we're receiving this information, and then they could move forward with receiving their demolition permit," Card said during the workshop presentation.
Councilmembers generally expressed support for improving efficiency but raised concerns about owner notice and protecting genuinely historic properties. Several members said they preferred staff to develop a standard information matrix showing how each of the town's contributing resources scores against the UDO's 11 designation criteria.
Glenn, another town staff presenter, outlined two approaches for classifying contributing resources: a color‑coded tier system (for example, individually National Register‑listed properties, contributing properties in the National Register district, and locally designated properties) or a weighted point system that would assign numeric values to factors such as age, integrity and surviving the 1863 burning of Bluffton. Glenn cautioned that a weighted system could be complicated; several councilmembers worried it might muddy decisions rather than simplify them.
Councilmembers asked staff to return with a matrix using the 11 criteria the town already applies and with the updated 2025 historic resource survey data scheduled for release next month. Staff said they will also prepare outreach materials to notify property owners and to explain what a contributing designation means and what resources are available to owners.
No ordinance was adopted; staff framed the discussion as workshop feedback and said any formal UDO amendments would return to the council for first and second readings after further work.
