Mount Pleasant Town Council, ignoring pleas by Ivy Hall residents to dismiss a problem-riddled proposal for a nearby low-income townhouse complex, voted unanimously Tuesday night (Oct. 11) to give the developer another extension.

Specifically, the panel voted to defer action for up to 90 days on annexation and zoning requests by developer Tom Gibbs so he can have more time to work out drainage issues with Laurel Hill Plantation.

It's the second straight deferral on this issue by Town Council, which continues to show extraordinary patience with Gibbs and his proposal.

The reason the panel is going to extra lengths with Gibbs, according to comments made by council members during the meeting, seems to be that it doesn't want him to develop the property in Charleston County.  The town views such county infill developments negatively because they're exempt from municipal taxes and put a strain on the town's infrastructure.

About 10 Ivy Hall residents attended the meeting, half of whom spoke during the public hearing portion. All urged council to dismiss Gibbs' proposal on grounds that it's so flawed that it's ridiculous to keep moving through the approval process.

"It's obvious that this developer purchased land that's too wet to build on, and now he wants you -- we taxpayers -- to bail him out," Ivy Hall Board President Bob Lang told the panel. "We urge you to deny his requests tonight ... and tell him not to come back until he has his ducks in order."

Board Vice-President Gary Jaster presented a petition to the board with the signatures of about 200 residents opposed to the proposal.

A representative from Laurel Hill Plantation also spoke. Gibbs blames Laurel Hill for his drainage problems. The representative said Laurel Hill doesn't accept blame for anything but is prepared to work with the town on this matter.

For more information, please read background stories below and here or call the town's planning department at 884-1229.

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The town's Planning Committee voted Tuesday (Oct. 4th) to defer action on a zoning application that would pave the way for a low-income housing project next to Ivy Hall. It's the panel's second straight deferment on the issue.

But the application still is scheduled to go before full Town Council for a first-reading hearing 7 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 11th) at Town Hall.

Town Council isn't required to abide by the Planning Committee's recommendations, so the low-income issue is still very much alive. Ivy Hall residents are encouraged to attend the meeting and voice their opposition.

At the Planning Committee meeting, virtually all discussion on the low-income proposal centered on drainage concerns. The developer/applicant, Tom Gibbs, told the panel that he wasn't making any progress with Laurel Hill Plantation, which he says is the source of all his drainage problems. He asked the town to force Laurel Hill to remedy the situation.

Committee members told Gibbs they didn't know if they could force Laurel Hill to do anything but voted to have the planning staff look into the possibility. They also voted to recommend to Town Council that it defer second reading on annexation for up to 90 days while Gibbs submits an alternative plan that includes a 4.2-acre pond on his property. Such a large pond might solve the drainage problems if nothing is done on Laurel Hill's side, a town engineer said.

About 10 Ivy Hall residents attended the meeting. Board Vice-President Gary Jaster reminded the committee that our opposition isn't just with drainage but with a whole slew of other concerns, including density, buffers and home values.

For interesting insight into what Town Council members think of this proposal, read the minutes from the September 6th Annexation Committee meeting here.

For more information, please read background stories below and here or call the town's planning department at 884-1229.

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Ivy Hall property owners are urged to attend a meeting of the town's Planning Committee this Tuesday (Oct. 4th) to show our opposition to a proposed zoning change that would allow low-income housing next to our neighborhood.

The 2 p.m. meeting will be in Conference Room 103 of Town Hall, located behind Patriot's Plaza off Ann Edwards Lane. The zoning issue is the fifth item on the agenda.

This will be the Planning Committee's second look at the issue. Last month, both the Planning Committee and Town Council voted to defer action so that the developer could work out some drainage and buffer concerns.

Whatever happens Tuesday, the issue is likely to be on the agenda again for this month's Town Council meeting -- set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13th.

Residents should be aware that showing up at this Tuesday's meeting doesn't guarantee an opportunity to speak. Planning Committee meetings, held in one of the smaller rooms in Town Hall, don't ordinarily include public hearings. However, the Ivy Hall POA Board feels it is important to show committee members -- all of whom members of Town Council -- just how serious we feel this matter is to our neighborhood. A hallway overflowing with Ivy Hall residents would send a strong message that we don't want low-income housing next to our neighborhood.

In an effort to strengthen our case, the Board will present the committee with a petition signed by more than 150 Ivy Hall residents in opposition to the rezoning. We will also will reiterate our many reasons for opposing the proposed 49-unit low-income townhouse project:

· Density. The proposed density (7.9 units per acre) isn't consistent with that of Ivy Hall (2.9 units per acre) or surrounding neighborhoods.

· Home values. Inexpensive housing would negatively affect the value of our homes, especially the homes in closest proximity to the development.

· Buffer. There is little to no buffer between the project and Ivy Hall.

· Drainage. Such a large development would create drainage issues in an area that already has drainage problems.

· Traffic. There would be increased traffic from 49 households (average of 2 vehicles per household) on Hwys 41 and 17.

· No Guarantees. The developer, who has no experience in this sort of thing, promises to deliver a quality community intended for our “teachers, firemen and policemen” who can’t afford a home otherwise.  Yet there is no guarantee that buyers will be good, upstanding citizens. There is no guarantee that the units won’t be turned into rentals in the future. There is no guarantee that this community will have a homeowners’ association.

Residents shouldn't take this matter lightly. At least one Planning Committee/Town Council member, Joe Bustos, seems to be siding strongly with the developer (see story below). We're not sure which way the mayor and most of the other council members would vote on this particular zoning issue. However, we do feel pretty certain that most council members want more housing in Mt. Pleasant that's affordable to low-income families.

What council members need to understand is that this low-income proposal next to Ivy Hall is different from other recently publicized initiatives in Charleston and North Charleston to build low-income housing. In our situation, we are being asked to trust a profit-minded developer who has no experience in this sort of thing. In the other initiatives, town governments and nonprofit groups are the developers and primary decision makers.  In other words, we have no assurances, protections or guarantees from the Town of Mt. Pleasant that the proposed project near us will be what it’s intended to be – affordable housing for lower-income buyers such as teachers, policemen and firemen. What’s to stop the place from becoming a run-down, low-rent apartment complex in the future? Nothing.

For interesting insight into what council members think of this proposal, read the minutes from the September 6th Annexation Committee meeting here.

For more information, please read background stories here or call the town's planning department at 884-1229.

Town Council voted 8-1 Tuesday night (Sept. 13th) to defer action on a zoning application that would pave the way for a low-income townhouse project next to Ivy Hall. (Click here to view a pdf locator map.)

The panel sent the proposal back to the town's Planning Committee so that the applicant, developer Tom Gibbs, could have more time to address drainage and buffer concerns. The next Planning Committee meeting will be Oct. 3rd or 4th. After that, the application goes before the full council again for a first-reading vote on Oct. 11th.

In a related action earlier in the meeting, council voted unanimously to annex from Charleston County a 2.0-acre portion of the 6.2-acre parcel on which the project would be built. The other portion is already in the town.

For Ivy Hall residents, Tuesday's votes mean we have to wait a bit longer before there is any resolution on this low-income matter. The good news is that it appears that many council members share our concerns, particularly about drainage.

When councilman Joe Bustos made a surprise motion to approve the rezoning if Gibbs would allow the town to annex more of his property along Gregorie Ferry Road, nobody seconded it.

Council members repeatedly directed drainage questions to Gibbs and the town's planning director, Joel Ford. Both concurred that construction of Carol Oaks, a neighborhood of single-family homes planned on property further down on Gregorie Ferry Road, has been delayed because of drainage problems stemming from a man-made lake on Laurel Hill Plantation.

Gibbs stated he was having difficulty working out drainage issues with Laurel Hill, and he asked the town for assistance.

The council member most critical of Gibbs' application on the night was Larry Carr, who suggested that the Planning Committee should consider requiring Gibbs to do an impact assessment. Impact assessments are required of residential developers who come to the town wanting to build communities with 50 or more units. Gibbs' proposal calls for 49 units.

Impact assessments are thoroughly researched reports that show how a project might affect the surrounding area, addressing concerns such as drainage, traffic and buffers. Such assessments have been known to cost as much as $50,000 or more.

"Perhaps it's just a coincidence, but the application falls right below the impact assessment threshold," Carr said. "We'd have our arms better around it (this proposal)" with an impact assessment.

About a dozen Ivy Hall residents attended the meeting, and about half of them spoke. Ivy Hall POA Board Vice-President Gary Jaster spoke on behalf of the board and the Association, reiterating our list of concerns.

Council's decision to defer didn't please Gibbs, who pleaded with the panel to approve the rezoning. At one point he said, "I've done all I can do."

Bustos' motion to approve the application was surprising because it was made moments after other council members had voiced deep concerns about the project. Yet his motion was right in line with comments he's made to the press in recent weeks that indicate he sides with the developer on this issue.

In a Sept. 1 article in The Post and Courier, Bustos said he supports low-income housing in Mount Pleasant.

"When people talk about low-income housing, some people get goosey. This is the guy (Gibbs) who is trying to make it happen. We would be wise to work with him to see if it’s doable,” he told the newspaper.

Town Council is scheduled to review an application at 7 p.m. Tuesday that would allow low-income housing next to Ivy Hall.

The meeting will be held in the main meeting room at Town Hall. (Click here for a printable flier.)

It's possible, though unlikely, that council would approve the application even though it comes to them without a positive recommendation from either the town's Planning Commission or Planning Committee.

On Aug. 23rd, the Planning Commission voted 9-0 to recommend denial on a slew of grounds, including density and drainage concerns. Then last week, the Planning Committee voted to defer a recommendation for up to 60 days so the town could work out some zoning details with Charleston County. A portion of the 6.2-acre parcel on which the townhouse complex would be built currently is in the county.  

Residents need only look to Daniel Island for an example of a government body forcing affordable housing into a community that doesn't want it. Recently, Charleston City Council voted unanimously to allow a low-income development in the heart of Daniel Island despite major residential opposition.

    While our situation differs from that on Daniel Island, Ivy Hall residents need to be aware that anything can happen during a council meeting. One strike against us is that we’re not being “politically correct” in opposing low-income housing.

    Representatives from the Ivy Hall POA Board will attend Tuesday’s meeting and voice our concerns. Individual residents are also invited to attend.

    For more information, call the town’s planning department at 884-1229. 

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The Mount Pleasant Planning Committee decided Tuesday to defer making a recommendation to Town Council on an application that would open the door for the construction of a 49-unit low-income townhouse complex next to Ivy Hall.

The committee voted on a deferral of up to 60 days so that the town could have more time to work out some zoning issues with Charleston County. A portion of the 6.2-acre parcel on which the townhouse complex would be built currently is in the county.

Meanwhile, the application is likely to be on the agenda at Town Council's next meeting, 7 p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 13th) at Town Hall. In other words, Ivy Hall residents still need to watch this closely.

It's possible, though unlikely, that Town Council would approve the application even though it would come to them without a positive recommendation from either the town's Planning Commission or Planning Committee. On Aug. 23rd, the Planning Commission voted 9-0 to recommend denial of the plan (see story below).

Residents need only look to Daniel Island for an example of a government body forcing affordable housing into a community that doesn't want it. Recently, Charleston City Council voted unanimously to allow a low-income development in the heart of Daniel Island despite major residential opposition.

More than a half dozen Ivy Hall residents attended Tuesday's committee meeting, including POA Vice-President Gary Jaster, who reiterated the Association's concerns over drainage, density and lack of congruence with surrounding neighborhoods.

The committee opted to defer a recommendation out of concern that the developer, Tom Gibbs, would develop the project in the county if denied by the town. The panelists said the 60 days would allow them to get together with the county to discuss coordinating efforts on development along U.S. Highway 17 north of the IOP Connector.

Gibbs wasn't present during the discussion of his application but showed up later during the meeting.

Joseph Bustos Jr., both a member of the Planning Committee and of Town Council, didn't attend the meeting. Bustos spoke favorably of Gibbs' low-income housing proposal in a recent article in The Post and Courier.

For more information on the application or the Planning Committee's vote, call the town's planning department at 884-1229. 

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A developer's application to annex and rezone 6.2 acres next to Ivy Hall to make way for a 49-unit low-income townhouse complex goes before the town's Planning Committee at noon Tuesday (Sept. 6) at Town Hall.

The application was unanimously denied by the Planning Commission earlier this month (see story below). But even if the Planning Committee denies it, the developer still could present it to full Town Council next Tuesday (7 p.m. Sept. 13).

Low-income housing is a hot political issue with strong forces on both sides, so Ivy Hall residents shouldn't get complacent. Residents who can't attend the meetings are urged to call or write council members to relay concerns.

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A developer's application to annex and rezone 6.2 acres between Ivy Hall and Gregorie Ferry Road to make way for a 49-unit low-income townhouse complex was resoundingly denied by Mount Pleasant's Planning Commission Wednesday evening.

The 9-0 vote likely puts an end to the low-income housing threat for Ivy Hall residents. However, the developer could choose to present the application to the town's Planning Committee, which doesn't always agree with the actions of the Planning Commission. The next committee meeting is in early September. Residents will be notified if the matter gets on the agenda.

More than a half dozen residents, including Ivy Hall POA President Bob Lang, voiced strong objections to the application during a public hearing session that preceded the vote. A Brickyard resident also spoke on our behalf.

Nobody during the public hearing spoke favorably of the plan, the details of which can be gleaned from this flier.

Concerns from residents included the following:

• Density. The proposed density (7.9 units per acre) isn't consistent with that of Ivy Hall (2.9 units per acre).
• Home values. Inexpensive housing next to our housing likely would negatively affect the value of our homes, especially the homes in closest proximity to the development.
• Buffer. There is little to no buffer shown on a conceptual sketch of the complex.
• Drainage. Such a large development would create drainage issues in an area that already has drainage problems.
• Communication. The developer has never even attempted to contact Ivy Hall about this.

The drainage issue dominated discussion by the board. Joel Ford, the town's planning director, said drainage was a "legitimate concern" especially in light of drainage problems that continue to plague an adjacent parcel, site of the planned Carol Oaks community.

In explaining their vote, board members said the proposal wasn't consistent with the town's Comprehensive Plan for development and that the high density would create a negative traffic impact on the area.

"Cramming that many townhouses in that little area, it's just not a good fit," said board member Toni Handshoe.

Board member Geoffrey Smith called the plan "too intense."

And board member Steve Brock said it's "wrong to make massive changes to zoning on property"  that is so close to a community with vastly different zoning.

Brock also said he'd like to see Ivy Hall and the developer work together on a project that both could live with.

The developer, Tom Gibbs, attended the meeting but didn't speak at the podium.

The Ivy Hall POA Board sincerely thanks all residents who attended and spoke at the meeting.

For more information on the application or the Planning Commission's vote, call the town's planning department at 884-1229. 

A developer wants to build a 49-unit townhouse complex for low-income families next to Ivy Hall.

The project would be built on a 6.2-acre parcel located off Gregorie Ferry Road adjacent to the planned Carol Oaks community (click here for flier and map). Access to the townhouse development would be via Gregorie Ferry Road only.

Eligible buyers would have to qualify based on their income levels. Prices for 1– to 4-bedroom units would range from $111,000 to $164,000, according to estimates by the town’s planning staff. Current townhouse prices in Mt. Pleasant typically start above $200,000.

The developer, Tom Gibbs (the same developer of Carol Oaks), says the units would be “deed restricted” so that buyers would be prohibited from reselling at a higher price.

In order for the project to get off the ground, the zoning on most of the property must be changed from Economic Development (ED) to Residential Town House (RTH). The proposed density is 7.9 units per acre. The density in Ivy Hall is 2.9 homes per acre.

The Ivy Hall POA Board objects to this proposed development on grounds that the higher density likely would negatively affect home values in our neighborhood. The board will voice this concern at today's 5 p.m. public hearing at the municipal complex at 100 Ann Edwards Lane.

Ivy Hall property owners are strongly encouraged to attend and speak on their own behalf.

For more information, read items 5 and 8 of the Planning Commission agenda on the town's Web site. Here's the link to the agenda page. Or call the town’s planning department at 884-1229. 

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