Zoning board denies Sanctuary Farms request to waive tree-replacement rules after residents raise alarm

The Cherokee County Zoning Board of Appeals on a 4–0 vote denied a request from developer Rob Beauchamp to waive tree-replacement requirements for the proposed Sanctuary Farms subdivision in the Cherry Grove area.

Thomas, county planning staff, told the board the variance sought to remove the specimen-tree recompense and replacement requirements under Article 27 for a two‑phase subdivision. The applicant’s plans show the developer would disturb roughly 25% of the acreage and preserve about 75% of the site, but staff said removal of specimen trees triggers a separate replacement obligation that results in the need to replant the equivalent of roughly 427 tree-replacement units, with 25% (about 106) eligible for the county’s tree bank.

Developer Rob Beauchamp told the board the project “is a rural subdivision … a conservation neighborhood” and argued the majority of the land would remain wooded. “We just felt like that the recompense doesn’t apply because we’re leaving so many trees,” he said.

Residents countered. Victor Gomez, who spoke in opposition, noted the ordinance requires calculated replacement and said he found no hardship that justified the waiver. “I personally see no burden, hardship, or unfair application of the ordinance,” Gomez said, adding the plans indicate the removal of very large specimen trees. Gomez and other residents described some removed trees as 36 inches in caliper and raised concerns about an adjacent outparcel where clearing had already occurred without a land‑disturbance permit.

Board members questioned whether the developer could meet the replacement requirement through the existing tree‑bank mechanism and discussed whether the outparcel clearing and the details in the plan-check corrections (staff cited a county plan-check notice dated 01/09/2026) changed the analysis. The board ultimately agreed the record did not establish the variance was warranted and approved a motion to deny the request. The motion carried, with the maker and seconder recorded on the public record and the vote recorded as four in favor of denial, zero opposed.

The denial means the developer must meet the ordinance’s specimen-tree replacement requirements, plant the required trees (or use the tree bank to satisfy the county’s standards) before final approvals for the subdivision proceed. The applicant may revise plans and reapply or pursue tree‑bank contributions per county code; the case will not advance without satisfying the replacement obligations.

The zoning board moved on to several other variances that evening; the meeting was adjourned after a series of additional approvals and administrative items.