Our Mission Statement
To preserve and maintain the unique and cherished character of Wadmalaw Island by encouraging only the most appropriate and sustainable land use and development and opposing unplanned and inappropriate use and development.
To endeavor to represent the varied interests on the Island while protecting its diverse cultures and natural beauty for future generations.
To endeavor to represent the varied interests on the Island while protecting its diverse cultures and natural beauty for future generations.
Meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7pm. (No meeting in August.)
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Wadmalaw Island PD Guidelines__1988 aka Wadmalaw Plan
Wadmalaw Island Land Planning Committee Bylaws
History of Land Planning on Wadmalaw
In February 1987, responding to a petition from Wadmalaw citizens, Charleston County Council formed an 18 member committee to study land-use, zoning, growth and development issues on Wadmalaw Island. The committee represented both resident and non-resident landowners, owners of large and small tracts, and exhibited both gender and racial balance. Similar committees had previously been appointed on Johns and Edisto Islands. The Deputy Planning Director of Charleston County, Bill Miller, was named the staff liaison to the Wadmalaw Committee.
While the County appointed the Committee to make “recommendations” for Wadmalaw land use, the Committee quickly realized that their work would be meaningless if the result was anything less than a special zoning ordinance for Wadmalaw Island. Although County Council questioned the legality or necessity for a special ordinance, one County Legal Department attorney, Nancy Bloodgood, researched the question and reported that a special zoning district was altogether legal, possible, and in her opinion, practical. The Committee was then empowered to draft a zoning and land use plan for the island which could be presented to County Council as a rezoning or Planned Development of the entire island.
Throughout 1987, the Committee worked through their ideas and dreams for Wadmalaw. On many occasions the final comment after a long working session would echo a statement made by Eddie Chisolm at the very first meeting. When asked what he thought Wadmalaw should become, Eddie said, “I don’t see nuttin wrong wid de way he is!” That thought became a planning principle as the months passed in the un-air-conditioned Community Center meetings.
The principle that was used to guide the group was that if our community is good now, then plans for the future should respect, complement and extend the existing patterns. After all there were reasons for the large tracts of productive lands to be farms, and reasons for the roads to follow the high , dry ridges, and reasons for small housing groups like Birds Nest and Katy Hill to be clustered as they are.
The resulting Wadmalaw Island Planned Development Guidelines, usually called the “Wadmalaw Plan” was “descriptive” rather than “prescriptive”. It established density zones and land use criteria that allowed for traditional cultural patterns, agriculture and forestry to continue.
Upon its completion, the Wadmalaw Plan went through the required approval process of County Planning Staff, Planning Board (now Planning Commission) and Council approval as County Ordinance, which occurred on February 16, 1988.
At every step of the process, Wadmalaw people came to the county meetings in large numbers and were outspoken in their support for the Plan.
During the development of the Plan all committee meetings were open to the public, and on several occasions open public hearings were held to ensure the Committee was representing the peoples’ needs and desires. Near the end of the process in a packed Community Center as the final plan was presented for community approval, the comment was made that the Committee was nearing the end of its work. The response of the audience was immediate: “No, you’re not! You must stay in place and guard this Plan and see to its implementation.” At that point the assembly voted unanimously to re-empower the County-appointed committee as a citizens’ group to continue land use planning for Wadmalaw.
Since that night, the Wadmalaw Island Land Planning Committee has met monthly at the Community Center for 22 years. We now have air conditioning; attendance is better than ever.
In 1988, Charleston County submitted the Wadmalaw Plan in a competition held by their national association of planners. The Wadmalaw Plan took first prize.
Following 1988, there was a period of calm on zoning and land use issues. During the early 1990’s the committee addressed additional issues through forming sub-committees on water quality, public works, environment and natural resources, heirs property and communications. Liaisons with the new Town of Rockville and with Johns Island were established.
In 1994, the State of South Carolina mandated counties to have Comprehensive Plans and, soon after, Charleston County began working on their vision. Over several years of debate, one important issue surfaced often: What do we do with Wadmalaw and its special zoning? At various times, our Plan was first questioned, and then held up as a model of neighborhood planning. In the end, the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan, adopted in April 1999, recognized the Wadmalaw Plan and recommended that its provisions be included in any new county zoning ordinance. Wadmalaw was mapped as “Agriculture Residential” and “Agricultural Preservation”, with densities assigned to each zone that duplicated the density requirements of the original plan.
Once again, the public process was well attended by Wadmalaw folks who made their support clear.
Following adoption of the Comprehensive Plan there was a requirement to create a new zoning ordinance to implement the Comprehensive Plan. The debate over the proposed ordinance, the “UDO”, took another two years and included many contentious meetings. In the end, the name was changed to the Charleston County Zoning and Land Development Regulations – the ZLDR – and it was adopted in November 2001.
Many changes in county zoning were made to achieve the compromises contained in the ZLDR, including road standards, landscaping, buffers, and lot sizes. Again, although there was both criticism and praise, the provisions of the Wadmalaw Plan, were retained and strengthened. The AG15 and AGR zones, previously unique to Wadmalaw, were not regular zoning districts, available to the entire county. As on previous occasions, Wadmalaw was heavily represented in public forums before Planning Commission and County Council. This presence was critical to the maintenance of the provisions of the Wadmalaw Plan.
In 2006, the mandatory five year review of the County Comprehensive Plan took place. Planning staff has proposed many ideas for improving and fine-tuning the County plan. While there is probably always room for improvement, this process respected the history of neighborhood planning and community involvement that existed on Wadmalaw Island. And, once again the participation of the Wadmalaw people was critical.
The Wadmalaw Island Land Planning Committee places notices of regular monthly meeting and special events on signs along the side of the road coming onto the island. Another important communications network is word of mouth especially through the churches and social clubs. In recent years the Committee has maintained a website at http://wilpc.org/. Posted on the website are: a mission statement, minutes of recent meeting, current members of the committee, and a place for individuals to post comments. A new quarterly community publication, Wadmalaw Newsletter, is now distributed to all residents on Wadmalaw. Online copies of the newsletter are also available on the communications tab on this site.
While the County appointed the Committee to make “recommendations” for Wadmalaw land use, the Committee quickly realized that their work would be meaningless if the result was anything less than a special zoning ordinance for Wadmalaw Island. Although County Council questioned the legality or necessity for a special ordinance, one County Legal Department attorney, Nancy Bloodgood, researched the question and reported that a special zoning district was altogether legal, possible, and in her opinion, practical. The Committee was then empowered to draft a zoning and land use plan for the island which could be presented to County Council as a rezoning or Planned Development of the entire island.
Throughout 1987, the Committee worked through their ideas and dreams for Wadmalaw. On many occasions the final comment after a long working session would echo a statement made by Eddie Chisolm at the very first meeting. When asked what he thought Wadmalaw should become, Eddie said, “I don’t see nuttin wrong wid de way he is!” That thought became a planning principle as the months passed in the un-air-conditioned Community Center meetings.
The principle that was used to guide the group was that if our community is good now, then plans for the future should respect, complement and extend the existing patterns. After all there were reasons for the large tracts of productive lands to be farms, and reasons for the roads to follow the high , dry ridges, and reasons for small housing groups like Birds Nest and Katy Hill to be clustered as they are.
The resulting Wadmalaw Island Planned Development Guidelines, usually called the “Wadmalaw Plan” was “descriptive” rather than “prescriptive”. It established density zones and land use criteria that allowed for traditional cultural patterns, agriculture and forestry to continue.
Upon its completion, the Wadmalaw Plan went through the required approval process of County Planning Staff, Planning Board (now Planning Commission) and Council approval as County Ordinance, which occurred on February 16, 1988.
At every step of the process, Wadmalaw people came to the county meetings in large numbers and were outspoken in their support for the Plan.
During the development of the Plan all committee meetings were open to the public, and on several occasions open public hearings were held to ensure the Committee was representing the peoples’ needs and desires. Near the end of the process in a packed Community Center as the final plan was presented for community approval, the comment was made that the Committee was nearing the end of its work. The response of the audience was immediate: “No, you’re not! You must stay in place and guard this Plan and see to its implementation.” At that point the assembly voted unanimously to re-empower the County-appointed committee as a citizens’ group to continue land use planning for Wadmalaw.
Since that night, the Wadmalaw Island Land Planning Committee has met monthly at the Community Center for 22 years. We now have air conditioning; attendance is better than ever.
In 1988, Charleston County submitted the Wadmalaw Plan in a competition held by their national association of planners. The Wadmalaw Plan took first prize.
Following 1988, there was a period of calm on zoning and land use issues. During the early 1990’s the committee addressed additional issues through forming sub-committees on water quality, public works, environment and natural resources, heirs property and communications. Liaisons with the new Town of Rockville and with Johns Island were established.
In 1994, the State of South Carolina mandated counties to have Comprehensive Plans and, soon after, Charleston County began working on their vision. Over several years of debate, one important issue surfaced often: What do we do with Wadmalaw and its special zoning? At various times, our Plan was first questioned, and then held up as a model of neighborhood planning. In the end, the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan, adopted in April 1999, recognized the Wadmalaw Plan and recommended that its provisions be included in any new county zoning ordinance. Wadmalaw was mapped as “Agriculture Residential” and “Agricultural Preservation”, with densities assigned to each zone that duplicated the density requirements of the original plan.
Once again, the public process was well attended by Wadmalaw folks who made their support clear.
Following adoption of the Comprehensive Plan there was a requirement to create a new zoning ordinance to implement the Comprehensive Plan. The debate over the proposed ordinance, the “UDO”, took another two years and included many contentious meetings. In the end, the name was changed to the Charleston County Zoning and Land Development Regulations – the ZLDR – and it was adopted in November 2001.
Many changes in county zoning were made to achieve the compromises contained in the ZLDR, including road standards, landscaping, buffers, and lot sizes. Again, although there was both criticism and praise, the provisions of the Wadmalaw Plan, were retained and strengthened. The AG15 and AGR zones, previously unique to Wadmalaw, were not regular zoning districts, available to the entire county. As on previous occasions, Wadmalaw was heavily represented in public forums before Planning Commission and County Council. This presence was critical to the maintenance of the provisions of the Wadmalaw Plan.
In 2006, the mandatory five year review of the County Comprehensive Plan took place. Planning staff has proposed many ideas for improving and fine-tuning the County plan. While there is probably always room for improvement, this process respected the history of neighborhood planning and community involvement that existed on Wadmalaw Island. And, once again the participation of the Wadmalaw people was critical.
The Wadmalaw Island Land Planning Committee places notices of regular monthly meeting and special events on signs along the side of the road coming onto the island. Another important communications network is word of mouth especially through the churches and social clubs. In recent years the Committee has maintained a website at http://wilpc.org/. Posted on the website are: a mission statement, minutes of recent meeting, current members of the committee, and a place for individuals to post comments. A new quarterly community publication, Wadmalaw Newsletter, is now distributed to all residents on Wadmalaw. Online copies of the newsletter are also available on the communications tab on this site.
“I don’t see nuttin wrong wid’ em de way he is” Eddie Chisolm, 1987