MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) — A plan for 87 townhomes near the Market at Oakland in Mount Pleasant has been rejected.
The town’s planning commission denied a developer’s request to modify their planned development at Oakland Plantation in a 6-2 vote.
The town approved Oakland Plantation in 2004 as a commercial hub.
A six-acre lot off Porchers Bluff Road sits undeveloped.
The site is currently approved for a 121-room hotel, 20,000 square feet of medical office space, a 4,000 square-foot restaurant and 14,000 square feet of retail.
“It was designated to be a commercial space where we’re going to have medical offices, which we need; of course, we need businesses where we can employ more people. That makes more sense,” Sheryl Frost, a local resident, said.
Developer Middle Street Partners wanted to swap that commercial plan for 87 townhomes, a mix of two- and three-bedroom units, at market price. The proposal also included a 4,000-square-foot restaurant.
The town says that does not align with their future housing goals.
“The comprehensive plan is very clear that affordable housing and diversity of housing are necessary for the town and to continue to pursue those efforts,” Peter Stone, principal planner for the town of Mount Pleasant, said.
The developer argued townhomes mean less traffic, pointing to a study showing a 65% to 70% drop in peak-hour trips compared to the commercial buildout; some nearby residents supported that plan, but other neighbors and the board were not convinced.
“We are already experiencing bottlenecks during rush hour trying to get kids to school, buses on the roads,” Frost said. “When you go over to 17, I see the difference with the amount of accidents just within the last year because we’re at bumper-to-bumper traffic.”
The commission added that more homes could also strain nearby schools, a concern residents share.
“There isn’t room to go ahead and put another school over here. So they’re just going to overload these teachers, these students, and it’s not fair to the community,” Frost said.
The commission says it wants to see a more mixed-use plan, one that can benefit all of Mount Pleasant.
“Need for a balance between commercial and residential, and it’s about finding the right place for residential and where it can thrive and become part of a hub instead of just completely committing to a single use,” Stone said.
For now, the original commercial plan stands, and it is unclear if or when a developer could return with a new proposal for the property.
Middle Street Partners did not want to comment on the project or possible next steps.
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