A seven-acre parcel just off Folly Road on James Island is cleared to lose three grand trees after the Charleston County Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously Sept. 14 to approve a developer’s request for tree removal and reduced-setback construction near two more.
The property at 1611 Folly Road, near South Grimball Road, is slated for 96 apartments and 16 townhomes under a plan submitted by Robert McIntosh. The BZA’s approval extends beyond the three trees marked for removal — it also authorizes construction closer to the roots of two additional grand trees on the site, a variance requested to fit the density and footprint of the planned buildings.
Public feedback ran heavily against the project. Thirty-four residents submitted written comments opposing the tree removal and additional density, citing worries about James Island’s character and existing infrastructure limits. One resident wrote in support.
The parcel sits within the Folly Road Corridor Overlay Zoning District, known in the code as FRC-O. That overlay caps building height at 35 feet on most parcels and divides the corridor into five mapped areas — North Village, Commercial Core, South Village, Neighborhood Preservation and Conservation — spanning the Town of James Island, the City of Folly Beach, the City of Charleston and unincorporated Charleston County. The 1611 Folly Road parcel falls in a section covered by the North Village Area layer, which stretches from Crosscreek/Tatum Street south to Oakpoint Road at Ellis Creek.
Two nearby developments also weighed on the discussion. A separate project labeled Community Corner includes a mini-golf course, an office building, and a multipurpose building housing a pro shop, restaurant and bar. Another nearby proposal by Levi Grantham LLC calls for 67 single-family homes and one commercial building. Both faced opposition from neighboring residents over infrastructure strain during their own approval paths.
McIntosh’s presentation to the board framed the project as a response to a market gap, noting that no new apartments have been built in that stretch of James Island for roughly a decade. Construction on the Folly Road parcel is expected to proceed once the developer secures the remaining permits from the county’s site-plan process.