Commission backs accessory-structure code changes; REALTORS warn of unintended housing effects

Mount Pleasant planning staff presented a package of text amendments to the zoning code that would impose new height and setback rules for detached accessory structures and apply Building Area Ratio (BAR) limits to parts of Old Mount Pleasant.

Staff explained the proposal would keep an Old Village standard of 20 feet maximum height with a 10-foot side and rear setback, and in the rest of town keep a 25-foot allowance but require portions over 18 feet to maintain a 10-foot setback. The draft also proposes that accessory structures not exceed 40% of the primary structure footprint and that BAR calculations from the Old Village be applied to selected Old Mount Pleasant areas. "We really felt like those same requirements apply to all of those lots," staff said when presenting the overlay and BAR concepts.

In public comment, Ryan Castle, CEO of the Charleston Association of REALTORS, cautioned about side effects: "By limiting accessory structures to the same story as the main house, you may actually be encouraging more tear downs," he said, adding that stricter limits and setbacks could reduce opportunities for accessory dwelling units and "less attainable housing being put in that works within the context of the community." Commissioners debated trade-offs between preserving neighborhood scale and maintaining options for incremental housing. The commission voted to recommend the text amendments to council while asking staff and committee to revisit minimum BAR square footage for R-3 and R-4 districts.