Houses to be Built in Civil War Fort

More than 150 years ago, Fort Palmetto was the easternmost defense in a string of Confederate batteries in Charleston designed by Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Today, at the end of Six Mile Road looking out over Hamlin Sound, what remains of the Civil War fort could be mixed in with a proposed a 593-unit residential development.

That doesn't sit well with some residents who say the 200-acre development called Oyster Point will encroach on a rare jewel that should be protected.

"Historical landmarks should be preserved," said Stephen Hanlon, who lives next to the property in the Ravens Run development. "I think (town leaders) will look back on this project and regret it." Read more about Oyster Point.

D.R. Horton Homes, the developer behind Oyster Point, is seeking a first-of-its-kind conservation landscape district zoning classification. The classification allows developers to preserve the 200-acre property's natural and historical elements with a series of parks and open spaces.

In return, D.R. Horton will be given leeway to build some of the project's homes more closely together. An email message from Patch seeking comment from D.R. Horton's local engineer was not returned on Friday, but the engineers have stressed previously that their plans actually preserve the property's historic elements.

Current plans set aside 25 percent of the project for cultural, historical or environmentally significant elements. Oyster Point will actually add parking for guests who want to see the fort, access that isn't currently available. D.R. Horton's plans will reserve 22 acres of land for historically significant elements, including the preservation of 446 historic trees.

Fort Palmetto is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Though overgrown with trees and vines, several of the fort's earthen mounds are still in place. Read more abou the fort on South Carolina Department of Archives and History site.

OUT OF SCALE
Neighbors worry that Oyster Point could spoil the historic site. But a larger issue, Hanlon contends, is that the project is out of scale with a part of Mount Pleasant that has a more rural feel.

Ravens Run, which will share a property line with Oyster Point, is roughly 100 acres with 93 homes. Properties there sell for $600,000 to nearly $2 million. Many of the area's homes are built on larger lots, and many have been owned by families for generations, Hanlon said.

A planning commission meeting last month featured more than two dozen of those residents who complained about the development's impacts on traffic and the environment.

Commissioners voted unanimously to defer the application and encouraged D.R. Horton to revise its plans and present a project that appeared less dense.

Hanlon said the entire property should be preserved as a park. Though he admits the idea is a long-shot, he would like Mount Pleasant to swap 245 acres of town-owned land on Rifle Range Road for the Palmetto Fort property. That undeveloped property is slated to be a town-county park at some point in the future.

"I think that's land that is more appropriate for what D.R. Horton wants to do, and the (Fort Palmetto) property is more historic and appropriate for a park," Hanlon said.

The project could be discussed again at a July 18 planning commission meeting.