A 50-foot zoning exception could return—but not across Old City height lines

A zoning line through a lot would not necessarily be the last word under a Charleston proposal: the zoning administrator could extend the less restrictive district’s rules up to 50 feet beyond it. But the draft draws a firm exception for height-district boundaries on the city’s 2017 Old City map.⁠[1]

The proposal was listed for the Planning Commission’s Oct. 21 meeting, with staff recommending approval. A commission vote and City Council adoption have not been verified. The meeting materials say ordinance amendments receive a commission recommendation before going to council for a second public hearing.⁠[2][3]

The 50-foot idea is a revival, not a first. Our earlier account described the proposed boundary checks; the signed 2025 ordinance adds context to the flexibility provision. Ordinance No. 2025-147, ratified Nov. 12, 2025, struck a provision applying the least-restricted portion’s requirements across a split lot, subject to a 50-foot limit. That ordinance instead made the city’s geographic information system scale the official measurement method for zoning-district boundaries.⁠[1][4]

Unlike the provision struck in 2025, the proposed extension would not apply automatically: the administrator would have to find it appropriate and consistent with the zoning ordinance. The height exception covers boundaries on the Old City Height District Map adopted by Ordinance 2017-085.⁠[1][4]

The online zoning-code compilation, labeled a Nov. 14, 2025 version, still displays the older 50-foot provision. It does not match the signed ordinance on this point; the records reviewed do not explain why.⁠[4][5]

The draft also would require the administrator to maintain lists of lots divided by zoning boundaries and parcels split between Old City height districts. For the split-height parcels, the recorded boundary distances would have to reflect the intentions of city staff who helped create the map.⁠[1]

During zoning review of site improvements on those properties, the administrator or a designee would have to confirm the boundary locations. Disputes over those determinations could be appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals–Zoning.⁠[1]

The same draft would add property-owner mediation options to city rules for circuit-court appeals from four bodies: the Board of Zoning Appeals, Board of Architectural Review, Design Review Board and Planning Commission. It also includes provisions allowing nonowners to petition to intervene. The ordinance describes this part of the package as incorporating South Carolina state-law amendments from 2003.⁠[1]