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Planning commission approves preliminary plan for mixed‑use building at 1181 May River Road
Summary
The commission unanimously approved a preliminary development plan for 1181 May River Road: a two‑story, 8,000 sq ft mixed‑use building (4,000 sq ft commercial; four 1,000 sq ft residential units), 41 parking spaces (36 required). The applicant said the plan cuts impervious area by over 7,000 sq ft and will use a pervious grid paver system and bioretention for stormwater treatment.
The Beaufort County Planning Commission unanimously approved a preliminary development plan for 1181 May River Road on March 25, 2026. Town staff presented the application on behalf of the property owner, Trevor Wells, and the applicant, Nathan Stern of Stern Engineering, answered commissioner questions about parking, stormwater and building elevation.
Town staff introduced the proposal as a two‑story, 8,000 square‑foot mixed‑use building on a 1.36‑acre parcel in the Neighborhood Core zoning district and within the Highway Corridor Overlay District. The plan calls for 4,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor and four 1,000‑square‑foot residential dwelling units on the second floor. Staff said an existing 12,000‑square‑foot recreation building on the parcel would be removed. The Unified Development Ordinance review criteria (UDO §3.10.3) were cited in the staff report and staff recommended approval as submitted.
The applicant, Nathan Stern, said the plan reduces impervious area by more than 7,000 square feet from current conditions and that the parking will be built using a true grid paver system (an approximately 8‑inch base of stone with a jute grid material and a variety of surface options such as stone or grass). "We are reducing impervious area by over 7,000 square feet from what's currently there," Stern said. He also noted that because the groundwater is near the surface the design cannot rely on underground storage for on‑site retention; instead the site will route runoff to a bioretention planter, include underdrains, raise portions of the parking above existing grade, and may use a fee‑in‑lieu for unmet retention obligations.
Staff told commissioners the applicant provided a traffic impact analysis reviewed and approved by the South Carolina Department of Transportation and that the plan provides 41 parking spaces (24 associated with the new building and 12 for the existing gym), exceeding the 36 spaces required under the UDO. Commissioners asked how the building elevation will meet street conditions; Stern said the grading plan will provide transitions and steps where required and that pedestrian circulation and emergency vehicle access were addressed in the site plan.
A commissioner asked about short‑term rentals for the four residential units; staff clarified that the short‑term rental ordinance allows one short‑term rental per address/building, so the intent to make all four units short‑term would likely not be permitted.
A commissioner moved to approve the preliminary development plan for 1181 May River Road as submitted; another commissioner seconded and the commission voted unanimously to approve. The approval was for the preliminary plan; final development plan review (including the Highway Corridor Overlay / certificate of appropriateness and any final engineering) remains required before building permits may be issued.
The application materials, the staff report referencing UDO review criteria, the applicant’s traffic impact analysis and subsequent revisions were part of the meeting packet and are available through the town’s permitting or planning office.
