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JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) — James Island residents are coming together once again to save a 40-inch grand sand live oak tree on Richardson Road.

This comes after a previous request to remove the same tree to facilitate the subdivision of two residential lots on the land. That request led to 200 residents submitting comments against the removal. During the last Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on Dec. 1, BZA attorney Kelvin Huger advised the board to hold off on voting since the tree is owned by Charleston County, not the applicant.

Following the briefing, Huger met with the county officials and determined that the applicant does have standing to bring the variance request to the board. However, the request is now back on the agenda.

“Here we go again with this tree,” said Bill Cubby Wilder, a longtime James Island resident and member of the Concerned Citizens of Sol-Legare. “It has really become an issue. This tree for this community is valuable and as a historian for the community, I think that tree should be preserved and maintained.”

The applicant, Bryan Heatherly of HH Action LLC, said their reason for the new request is to provide the owner with access to the two properties behind the tree.

The tree is located at 2176 Richardson Road and is more than 200 years old, sitting within the settlement community of Sol-Legare. Many residents say the tree needs to be preserved for both historical and cultural reasons.

“We love this tree and it’s part of our community and our history,” said Geraldine Singleton, a member of the Concerned Citizens of Sol-Legare. “Why would you want to cut this tree down? You’re trying to kill my history. It’s like cutting down a family member and that’s how I feel about it.”

Ernest Parks, a fifth-generation resident of Sol-Legare, said the tree has also been a witness to hundreds of years of American history, including the Civil War, emancipation and the area’s evolution into a settlement community. Parks, along with many others in the community, personify the tree and refer to it as a family member.

“She [the tree] will allow us to see past us,” Parks said. “It tells the story of us. It tells a beautiful American story, and that’s what I like about living here in the Lowcountry.”

The applicant’s letter of intent says the tree significantly impedes the property owner’s right to access and develop their property. Additionally, the applicant is proposing the construction of a 10-foot-wide gravel travel way to access his property. However, the International Fire Code requires a minimum unobstructed 20-foot-wide access road for the lots directly behind the tree.

Before considering the removal of the tree, fire officials recommend widening the road, providing a turnaround area and ensuring access to the water supply. However, residents say the area doesn’t have the proper infrastructure to support those changes.

“At this point, it’s about more than a tree,” said Corie Hipp, a James Island resident and community advocate. “The tree kind of represents something much bigger. If you get rid of the tree, you pave the land. The infrastructure is still not here. It’s still not responsible development and it still can’t be sustainable for what is trying to be done, nature aside.”

The deadline to submit comments is Friday, Jan. 30. The Charleston County BZA meeting is on Monday, Feb. 2, at 4 p.m. at 4045 Bridge View Drive in North Charleston.

“I understand that we have to develop and we have to grow into the 21st century,” Parks said. “I understand that, but while it’s growing, maintain it by staying natural like she is and growing around it. Grow with it, don’t take away.”

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) — Some residents are concerned that a plan to add homes and commercial space on James Island will come with future consequences.

The plan called the Grimball Folly Assemblage is designed to add 67 townhomes along with commercial space on the 14 acres of land along Grimball Road Extension that sits off of Folly Road.

The City Planning Commission will consider the plan on Wednesday.

City Director of Planning and Preservation Robert Summerfield says the commission’s consideration of the plan is a requirement as part of the applicant’s technical review process. He says the concept map statute obligates the commission to approve ideas unless plans fail city codes.

“They have to meet zoning, they have to meet stormwater, and they have to show traffic analysis,” Summerfield says. “So, they have to meet all of those technical requirements, all of our subdivision requirements.”

Rhonda Walters lived in the area for the last 60 years. Her family owned property along the roadway for nearly a century. Walters says the development plans will not be fair to existing homeowners.

“If you’re looking at 167 homes or 67 townhomes plus commercial property, it’s going to impact this road. Development is okay, but it’s okay when it’s equitable and that’s the crunch that we’re feeling, that I’m feeling. It’s not going to be fair.”

She says the plan needs to ensure infrastructure, flooding, sidewalks and a turning lane for the Folly Road and Grimball Road Extension are coming to the community.

The sentiment is also shared by resident Matt Ruby, who has lived along the roadway for the last 12 years. He says existing drainage infrastructure needs attention before any new developments can come in.

“The water comes in and then runs across these yards and down this driveway to the lowest point in the back,” Ruby says. “I mean, just completely underwater on Grimball Road Extension at times.”

Plans also include adding a stormwater retention pond at 0 Folly Road. Commission leaders are also considering rezoning the property from a Special Management District to Conservation zoning.

The area is currently zoned as a Special Management district in Charleston County. The applicant, Levi Grantham LLC, initially requested to rezone the area as Rural Residential. City leaders approved the amendment to the request to Conservation in a first reading on Jan. 13.

Summerfield says the zoning request is the least intensive zoning allowed by the city. He says the stormwater aspects are significant for the development and needs of the area.

“Our City Council, again, acknowledging that this meant for stormwater, that there are some issues,” Summerfield says. “They took it from what would have been the comparable city zoning and downgrading it to conservation which would allow at most, if this project did not happen, allow at most three dwelling units at this site.”

City council will hold a public hearing for the plan’s zoning on Feb. 24.

Four area high schools made their case regarding South Carolina High School League reclassification decisions on Tuesday, appealing their classification assignments to the league’s Executive Committee. Two won their appeal.

Charleston Charter School for Math & Science and Palmetto Scholars Academy were successful in their attempt to remain in Class A rather than move up to Class AA as assigned by the league. James Island and Lucy Beckham were denied in their attempt to move from Class AAAAA to Class AAAA.

Classification assignments are based on 45-day enrollment figures for grades 9-11. Realignments take place every two years. For the second time, a multiplier of three was used in counting students from outside assigned attendance zones, meaning each student from outside the assigned zones were counted three times. Competitive advantage and geographical considerations also are factors.

Schools can appeal the decisions of the Executive Committee to an appellate panel on Jan. 15-16. James Island and Lucy Beckham are expected to make their case to the appellate panel.

In the current realignment, the SCHSL revamped the number of schools in each classification, making Class A the largest classification while trimming the number of schools in the other four classes. Class AAAAA was split into two divisions for the 2025-26 cycle but decreased in size by 10 schools from 54 to 44 and moved back to one division. Class A will likely move to two classifications and will include 66 schools.

Several AA schools were reassigned to Class A for the coming cycle, but Charleston Charter and Palmetto Scholars Academy were moved up from Class A to AA with Charleston Charter listed as the largest school in AA. Despite the attendance numbers, CMS argued that playing in AA would put their athletes at a competitive disadvantage. The school offers fewer athletic teams and has a significantly lower number of athletes. CMS did not field a football team this past season and also does not have varsity girls basketball.

“Remaining in Class A is vital to offering athletic opportunities,” CMS athletic director Lakyn Traquair said. “Students do not attend our school for athletics, and we don’t have the athletes or the facilities to compete in AA.”

Aside from a small gymnasium, CMS has to rent other athletic facilities. The Executive Committee voted 14-2 to allow the school to remain in Class A for the next two-year cycle.

Palmetto Scholars Academy used the same basic rationale in its appeal to remain in Class A. The school is listed, after the multiplier, as 38th in enrollment among 41 Class AA schools. Many of the students that attend the school do so for academic reasons, and athletic opportunities are minimal. The school offers only six sports, and the only athletic facility is a gymnasium. PSA was unable to field a baseball team last spring and has not had a varsity girls basketball team for the last two years. The committee voted 13-0 in favor of the request to remain in Class A.

James Island and Lucy Beckham, currently assigned to Class AAAAA, have petitioned to move to AAAA. With the multiplier, James Island ranks 13th in enrollment, while Lucy Beckham is the smallest school in AAAAA. Both athletic programs have competed fairly well in Class AAAAA over the last two years with each school contending for state championships in several sports.

According to athletic director Jeremy Holland, James Island faces a capped enrollment of 1,600. James Island is a public charter school with 369 out-of-zone students, of which 101 are participating in athletics. It was noted that James Island finished sixth in the AAAAA Carlisle Cup standings, which ranks all schools in each classification based on athletic performance. The committee voted 15-1 to deny James Island’s appeal.

Lucy Beckham is currently a Division II program, and their projected enrollment figures are actually lower than six schools that will be classified in AAAA next year. With no other Class AAAA schools in the Tri-County area, Lucy Beckham would likely be placed in a region that includes three Beaufort County schools and Colleton County, increasing the amount of travel significantly. Bishop England currently is the only area school in that AAAA region but will compete in Class AAA in the next cycle.

Athletic director Frank Torcasio says the school would accept the travel requirements rather than compete at a numbers disadvantage. He cited the lower than usual varsity football players last season. The football roster was fewer than 40 players and played at least one game with fewer than 30 due to injuries.

“We are more than willing to travel in order to play schools that are more in line with our numbers,” he said.

The committee voted 14-2 to deny the request.

A James Island restaurant closed Dec. 28 after just six months in operation, with a note on the door citing “obscene” liquor-liability insurance costs as part of the reason — a rising expense that lawmakers have been attempting to tackle.

Charlotte’s on Maybank opened in August in James Island Shopping Center as a new concept from the owners of My Father’s Mustache, transforming the space where the English-style pub had operated for two years. The owners still run their longstanding My Father’s Mustache in Mount Pleasant.

The notice cited additional rising costs of doing business as the reason for the closure, including food and labor costs. The owners further thanked the staff and customers for their support as they closed the chapter on their suburban Charleston Island expansion.

The closure marks the second in the Harris Teeter-anchored shopping center in recent months. Maple Street Biscuit Co., a Cracker Barrel-owned chain, closed in October after seven years.

“We’re in discussions with potential tenants for both spaces,” said Christi Copenhaver, an associate at NAI Charleston, which is property’s leasing agency.

Gassing up

Two large gas station and convenience store chains are eyeing new Lowcountry locations.

Spinx, a Greenville-based chain, has submitted plans for a location at 514 Boone Hill Rd. in Summerville that would include 16 fuel pumps and a 5,300-square-foot C-store, according to a permitting application filed with the S.C. Department of Environmental Services. The site currently houses an abandoned carwash.

Meanwhile. Parker’s Kitchen filed plans with same state agency for a store in the Cainhoy area at 510 Everly St. near the planned Towne at Cooper River mixed-use development. The project calls for a 5,204-square-foot convenience store to be built with eight fuel pumps on 1.35 acres of densely wooded, undeveloped land.

Savannah-based Parker’s Kitchen has been making additional moves in the Lowcountry. A company affiliated with the retailer paid $1.65 million in December for a four-acre site at Highway 176 and Black Tom Road near the Nexton development in Berkeley County, according to public land records.

Game over

A struggling national retailer closing multiple locations in the Lowcountry as part of a national wave of shutdowns rolled out less than a week into the new year.

Signs posted at GameStop stores at 4950 Centre Point Drive near Tanger Outlets and in Moncks Corner announced their closures.

The company’s corporate office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The GameStop store at Mount Pleasant Towne Centre closed Dec. 5, according to a spokesperson for the property. Locations still listed on the company’s website include stores in West Ashley, Summerville and North Charleston.

A sweet return

Ben & Jerry’s is returning to the Isle of Palms, with a new shop slated to open this spring at Ocean Park Plaza, 1400 Palm Blvd. The brand closed its Ocean Boulevard location in 2022 after a nine-year run and has operated on the island since 2000.

Local franchise owner Andrew Lee previously ran the Isle of Palms store and operates locations in Freshfields Village on Kiawah Island and in Oyster Park in Mount Pleasant, will own and operate the new shop.

The larger, redesigned store will offer an expanded menu, including cookies, brownies, milkshakes and sundaes, along with ice cream, sorbets and non-dairy options. Founded in 1979, Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s has eight locations in South Carolina.

Design arrival

A high-end furniture design store is coming to Upper King.

Design Within Reach, known as DWR, said it will open a showroom this spring at 423 King St., a low-slung brick building formerly used by Explore Charleston and known for its bright blue awnings between Vanderhorst and Warren streets.

The 13,174-square-foot space will feature original and exclusive mid-century and modern designs for residential, hospitality and trade clients. DWR is a Herman Miller retailer and is part of MillerKnoll.

The building was sold by St. Matthews Lutheran Church to Chicco Associates LLC in April for $5.2 million, according to county records. The reuse of the property has been cleared city’s design review process. Plans include the removal of the awnings.

Final cut

The New York Butcher Shoppe has cut back to focus on its more established Daniel Island location.

The company announced on social media on Jan. 3 that it was shuttering its West Ashley store, a 1,250-square-foot space at 1300 Savannah Highway that was opened in February 2024 by franchise co-owner Hunter Bishop.

The shop offered cuts of beef, chicken, pork, veal and lamb, along with prepared dishes, sides, wine, local beer, cheeses, exotic sausages and international groceries.

The Daniel Island location is at 864 Island Park Drive.

Now headquartered in Greenville, New York Butcher Shoppe was founded in 1999 in Mount Pleasant and expanded by selling franchises. It has opened locations in 10 states, including 16 in South Carolina.

At The Pass

The Pass Panino and Provisions has opened across the bridge in Mount Pleasant.

The Italian deli, which still operates its downtown Charleston shop on St. Philip St., is now serving from its second location in Northcutt Plaza at 976 Houston Northcutt Blvd.

The new East Cooper spot offers stacked sandwiches, antipasti platters and a small provisions market stocked with Italian specialty items. Owner Anthony Marini had initially expected the location to open by mid-November.

Gray Collegiate, Brookland-Cayce, Dreher, James Island, South Florence and Beaufort are among the schools appealing to the S.C. High School League for their 2026-28 classification placement.

More than a dozen high schools in total are all asking to drop one classification, The State has learned, from what the SCHSL assigned them during the latest round of realignment.

Schools had until 1 p.m. Wednesday to inform the SCHSL if they wanted to appeal the classification they were put in for the next two school years.

Appeals will be heard by the SCHSL’s executive committee on Jan. 13-14. A second appeal, if necessary, would go before the league’s appellate panel on Jan. 15-16.

Gray Collegiate was in Class 4A in the most recent realignment, and in Class 2A before that. The War Eagles opened up a second campus in Irmo earlier this school year. They’re appealing their new placement in 5A.

James Island was in Class 5A Division II this year, but the classification isn’t splitting its top class this year. James Island was placed in 5A again and will make its case to drop to 4A.

Realignment happens in the state every two years and attempts to level the competitive playing field among schools. This year’s realignment formula is based on 45-day enrollment numbers from grades 9-11 and featured an out-of-zone multiplier for the second time. That multiplier took each student who lives outside the school’s assigned attendance zone and counted them as three for total enrollment purposes.

South Florence and West Florence high schools will make appeals, according to state athletics sources, that contend reporting errors were made in counting their out-of-zone students and in how new students were counted from a merger with Florence School District 4 (Timmonsville).

Lowcountry schools Beaufort and Hilton Head Island are appealing their placement in 4A and want to be in 3A. Factoring in enrollment and the multiplier, the two schools are the 40th and 41st schools among the 42 assigned to 4A.

Brookland-Cayce, the 39th-largest school in 4A, is expected to appeal to move to the 3A. Dreher (25th in 4A) also is appealing to move to Class 3A.

During this year’s realignment, it also was decided that Class A (league’s smallest classification) would have the most teams in it, between 62 and 74 schools, with the chance of being split for sports that have more than 45 participating schools. Other classifications would be between 36 and 44 schools.

SC high schools appealing placement