Zoning Board Rejects Low-Income Development

The City of Goose Creek’s Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4-3 on Wednesday to refuse a permit for a low-income apartment complex on the edge of Crowfield Plantation.

The 60-unit development by Atlanta-based nonprofit RHA Housing is planned for the more than 5 acres directly behind the abandoned Food Lion shopping center on St. James Avenue. The project would be paid for in part with tax credits from the South Carolina Housing Development and Finance Authority. The units would cater to individuals or families on a limited income — somewhere between $20,000 and $45,000.

It’s unclear where the development goes from here. RHA tried to address the city’s requirements for the conditional use permit, but it has had trouble allaying the concerns of zoning board members and Crowfield residents about quality of life and the impact on property values.

The first mistake may have been in misinterpreting those concerns. RHA and its consultants spent much of their time in front of the board Wednesday defending the apartment complex model. They pointed to neighboring apartments and duplexes and they stressed the importance of multi-family developments. That wasn’t the issue.

“We are not against multiple-family dwellings,” said Crowfield resident Barbara King. “We’re concerned about the influx of low-income housing.”

A senior income-restricted development, Crowfield Greens, opened earlier this year after facing years of wrangling. King said residents are fretting over a second low-income project.

Michelle Mapp, executive director of the Lowcountry Housing Trust, spoke in support of the apartment complex, arguing that similar neighborhood opposition came with Seven Farms on Daniel Island and Longborough on the Charleston peninsula.

“Members of the community came out in opposition, not because the project violates any established planning or zoning ordinances, but because of a fear of who is going to be living next door,” she said.

Mapp argued the residents are often young adults beginning careers as teachers or firefighters, or as cashiers or waiters. “These are all critical members of our workforce who are finding it increasingly difficult to find a safe, decent, affordable place to call home,” she said.