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Bluffton council opens workshop on classifying carports, seeks design and scale limits
Summary
Staff presented proposed UDO text amendments to create a distinct building type for carports separate from carriage houses; council debated size, setbacks, screening, power/plumbing, hurricane ratings, and a lot-size matrix and asked staff to return with draft language and options.
Town planner Kevin Eichhardt told the Bluffton Town Council during a March 11 workshop that the town is considering a text amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance to treat carports differently from carriage houses, noting ambiguity in current rules and several nonconforming installations that prompted the review.
Eichhardt summarized issues raised in planning commission and historic-preservation workshops: whether prefabricated metal carports should be permitted, how to define maximum footprint and height, whether carports should remain unenclosed, how many structures should be allowed per lot, screening options, and whether power or plumbing should be restricted. He said carriage-house rules currently treat many carports as building types and that the amendment would apply across the historic district if adopted.
Council members debated trade-offs between protecting Bluffton's historic character and avoiding burdens on long-time residents. Several members said they favor a separate 'carport' classification, optional screening (wood slats or vegetation), and permitting electricity (for golf carts and electric vehicles) and water spigots. Concerns included mass-and-scale (one council member called a recent installation "massive"), hurricane-rating requirements, and the risk that unenforced skeleton structures could be enclosed over time and create unauthorized additional floor area.
Eichhardt said staff will prepare draft code language, including options such as a matrix tying allowable carport footprint to lot size, screening alternatives, and objective mass-and-scale standards, and return to council for additional review. Council members emphasized avoiding unnecessary burdens for residents while protecting neighborhood character.
