A better BAR process for upper peninsula Charleston residents
Above: Wagener Terrace is one of several upper peninsula neighborhoods that will benefit from a new opportunity for more transparent design review conversations at BAR. (Photo by Justin Falk.)
This month, common sense updates to the BAR ordinance are advancing to facilitate a more transparent design review process north of Line Street where increasing development pressure and confusing demolition-only BAR purview have left property owners frustrated and historic neighborhoods vulnerable to incompatible changes.
Developed primarily in the early-20th century and now experiencing intense development pressure, Charleston’s upper peninsula neighborhoods have been historically under-documented. Residents and BAR members need stronger tools to understand their defining architectural characteristics and protect what makes these places unique.
Over the past two years, the PSC and our allies have been building a toolkit to empower neighborhood advocates to build consensus and inform good policy.
Starting with two Area Character Appraisals (ACA) for Wagener Terrace and North Central, PSC worked with Historic Charleston Foundation and residents to document the history and unique features that contribute to the identity of these neighborhoods, now available on the City’s website.
Building on this work, community-led ordinance updates are proposed to make the BAR process north of Line Street more comprehensive and productive. These revisions accomplish three things, while imposing no new rules:
- Resident empowerment: Homeowners seeking to make changes to their property are empowered (but not required) to present their proposed construction plans as part of demolition requests. Currently, BAR conversations are limited to the scope of demolition in this district. The Board can’t consider what comes next, which inhibits residents’ abilities to make a strong case for their projects.
- Enhanced transparency: Neighbors benefit from the opportunity to visualize and fully understand proposed changes.
- Character protections: Board members are enabled to offer project teams guidance on design proposals to honor the distinctive character of upper peninsula neighborhoods based on ACAs and best preservation practices.
There are two upcoming opportunities to learn more about this ordinance amendment and offer your support:
PSC is fully supportive of giving residents the option to seek the Board’s feedback on design proposals for their properties. There are two upcoming opportunities to learn more about this ordinance amendment and offer your support:
- Planning Commission: Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 5:00 PM | 2 George St., first floor public meeting room and on YouTube. Submit comments by Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 12 PM.
- City Council public hearing: Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 5:00 PM | 80 Broad St., Council Chambers and on YouTube. Submit comments by Monday, Oct. 27 at 12 PM.
Read the proposed ordinance:
