NORTH CHARLESTON — Along a residential street in Park Circle, a large-scale portrait of a woman painted against a black background covers the street-facing side of a building.
The mural’s focal point is the woman gazing off to the side with a cormorant’s beak resting on top of her head as its camouflage-colored wings drape around the bottom of her face.
As an ode to homeowners Christina and Josh Jettie’s love for birds, local artist Rivvo Kruuk was commissioned to paint the mural on the exterior of the secondary dwelling on their property.
After the mural was completed in May, the couple received a letter from the city’s zoning department stating that it violated the city’s rules on signs in residential districts.
The Jetties are appealing the decision in front of the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals on Aug. 4, but they’re also hoping to initiate a citywide change. Christina Jettie said they are not asking for special treatment. They want the city to consider an ordinance that allows murals in residential districts, just like they are in commercial areas.
Roughly two miles from the Jetties’ home, many colorful murals sprinkle Park Circle’s commercial district along East Montague and Spruill avenues. A large geometric mural with magnolia flowers covers the Assembly at Park Circle apartments. Funky paintings add splashes of color to storefronts and restaurants, like the octopus on the Tattooed Moose or the bright florals on Cuidad Bonita’s façade. A retro scene that says “Welcome to Park Circle” coats a brick wall outside the Olde Village Market and Deli.
“Watching the grittier art scene develop, thrive and grow in North Charleston has been really exciting,” said Susan McAdoo, a local pianist who owns the building that houses Studio Union, a professional art space for ceramists and other mixed media artists.
She said North Charleston is establishing a “beautiful artistic identity” different than downtown Charleston. She said the art community in the city is supportive, and various avenues exist to experience the scene, including public art and community-wide events like art walks.
Josh Jettie shows examples of what they wanted to paint on their guest house Monday, July 28, 2025 in North Charleston.
Andrew Whitaker/Staff
Christina Jettie said they have always been art collectors, especially for pieces by local artists. The mural provided another avenue to support the art community, she said.
When the Jetties decided to commission the piece, they searched online for regulations on murals in the city and couldn’t find an answer. Christina said they asked their neighbors what they thought about the piece and they all gave their approval. Since the mural has been up, Christina said they’ve only received positive feedback from people walking in the neighborhood.
According to the city’s zoning code, a mural is considered a sign. In residential districts, signs cannot be more than eight square feet and may include noncommercial messages. Advertising and offsite commercial messages are not allowed, the code states. Physical signs that follow these guidelines can include yard signs, signs mounted on fences or doors, and signs on walls and windows.
In commercial districts, the rules are looser. Size limits still exist depending on where the sign is located, but they can be upwards of 200-square feet.
“The rules for advertising in residential districts are fairly restrictive for obvious reasons. You don’t want people putting billboards on the sides of their houses,” said City Councilman Brandon Hudson, who represents the district.
Almost a decade ago, a debate over a mural in Mount Pleasant also centered around regulations on signs. A large mural with portraits of Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon and Al Capone that was painted on Moe’s Southwest Grill by Portuguese artist Sergio Odeith violated the town’s rules due to its size. After losing an appeal at the town’s Board of Zoning Appeals hearing, a settlement was eventually reached in a civil case in Charleston County. The mural could stay, and the town also changed its zoning code to allow some murals.
In a similar vein, the Jetties hope to initiate a change in the city that allows for murals in neighborhoods and on residential streets.
Christina and Josh each gave a public comment at North Charleston’s City Council meeting on July 10, presenting this request to council. A handful of neighbors, artists and a teacher at the nearby Charleston County School of the Arts also spoke in favor of residential murals.
Since the meeting, Christina said the feedback from the city is related to their appeal process, instead of addressing their request to have City Council vote on an ordinance.
During the next City Council meeting on July 25, Coyle Kinard, a Park Circle resident who previously worked as a deputy police chief for the city, said he agrees with the city’s current ordinance that a mural constitutes as a sign and advertisement.
“I think the ordinance should stay the same,” he said during a public comment. “I don’t think it should be changed because you’re going to open Pandora’s box.”