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Roper St. Francis says 11,000‑sq‑ft ER at 832 Folly Road driven by ambulance access, parking and overlay rules
Summary
Roper St. Francis representatives told the BZA the proposed ~11,000 sq ft freestanding emergency department was sited to meet overlay rules, ambulance turn radiuses, and parking standards (54 spaces required); staff and the applicant said the plan minimizes tree impacts but requires mitigation for two Laurel Oaks.
Roper St. Francis representatives told the Board of Zoning Appeals the site plan for 832 Folly Road was constrained by the town’s Folly Road corridor overlay and emergency access requirements. Charles Fletcher, Roper’s vice president for real estate and construction, and project representative Colleen Williams said the building is cited to front Highland Avenue to meet circulation, parking and ambulance access needs.
Colleen Williams described the plan as ‘‘just under 11,000 square feet’’ and said parking is determined by square footage and use: the town code requires one parking space per 200 square feet for health‑care uses, which yields 54 required spaces (plus three ADA stalls shown on the plan). She said the layout attempts to preserve larger live oaks while impacting the least number and least caliper inches of trees needed to meet setbacks, utilities, stormwater and ambulance access.
On stormwater, the applicant said they have not completed permit applications but are considering underground detention chambers beneath parking with pervious paving above. Civil engineer Daniel Etheridge noted some driveway placements were driven by SCDOT and City of Charleston driveway spacing rules. The team said there is no deliberate ‘‘shell space’’ in the building and the facility is intended to be fully outfitted at opening—an eight‑exam‑room ER with CT, x‑ray and ultrasound support.
The applicant and staff emphasized mitigation measures for the two Laurel Oaks (25.5" and 27" DBH) if removed: tree barricades during construction, pruning and fertilization by a certified arborist, and an inch‑for‑inch mitigation plan submitted to the zoning administrator per the ordinance.
