Mount Pleasant committee holds off again on 87 townhomes for a 6-acre Porchers Bluff Road tract

A plan for 87 townhomes on about 6 acres off Porchers Bluff Road in Mount Pleasant is stuck again over density.

Town Council’s Planning Committee voted 4-0 on Nov. 2 to defer the proposal, the Moultrie News reported Nov. 4. The request would amend the Oakland Plantation planned development to add 87 townhouse units on a 6-acre tract, according to the committee’s agenda. The town’s Planning Commission recommended denial in September, and the Planning Committee made no recommendation when it first reviewed the plan Oct. 5, according to town agendas. Town Council deferred the ordinance at its Oct. 13 meeting, and it returned to the committee Nov. 2.

The developer is Middle Street Partners, and the site is at 1176 Porchers Bluff Road, according to the Moultrie News. Committee Chair Laura Hyatt said the company had not produced anything notably different from its original plans since the October council meeting, the newspaper reported.

The sticking point is density. By Charleston Business Report’s calculation, 87 units on 6 acres works out to about 14.5 per acre. The town’s standard for townhomes is nine units per acre, the newspaper reported.

“You know, we approved 43 townhomes on seven acres at LifePark Church. This is about six acres and this is double the amount of homes,” Councilmember Alex Crosby said, according to the Moultrie News.

Committee member Mike Tinkey thanked the developer for being willing to consider an undetermined number of attainable housing units, the newspaper reported. Because the units would be mostly or entirely rentals, he suggested more two-bedroom floor plans and fewer three-bedroom units, which would bring more cars.

Some council members have also questioned the town’s pattern of rezoning commercial land for homes. In October, Councilmember Jake Rambo said those rezonings have left a shortage of commercial zones, particularly in northern Mount Pleasant, which lacks hotel sites, according to the newspaper.

“I would just say that right now a grass lot doesn’t give us any value,” committee member Kathryn Whitaker said as the committee weighed commercial and residential uses, according to the Moultrie News. She then made the motion to defer.

Charleston County records list NIL Funding Corp., with a North Charleston mailing address, as the owner of five adjoining parcels totaling about 6 acres at the site.