MORNING HEADLINES | A longtime Charleston nonprofit that pushes for balance between business and livability is pushing back against a plan for more hotels on the peninsula.
Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) sent an impassioned email Tuesday night asking for people to attend a 5 p.m. meeting today of the city’s planning commission to voice a clear, simple message: “Charleston does not need more hotels.”
The group said it had long supported the city’s accommodations overlay ordinance that outlines a zone where hotels can be developed on the peninsula.
“Years of analysis, advocacy, and intentionality have been invested in where hotels should be located downtown and the criteria used to determine the appropriateness of any new hotel applications,” the call to action said.
But now, the city seeks to extend the zone to allow a hotel to be built at 529 Meeting Street. “If allowed, this could create a problematic precedent.”
HCF says there is no evidence to suggest the city needs more hotels.
“In fact, the Charleston peninsula currently has 5,167 hotel rooms in operation,” the email said. “There are actually 3,650 rooms already entitled without expanding the Accommodations Overlay, representing a 70% increase!”
The organization stressed that with more than 5,000 hotel rooms now and 3,600 in the works, the overlay zone was critical in maintaining balance
Today’s meeting is set for 5 p.m. in the public meeting room on the first floor of 2 George St., downtown.
“While the public comment period for the April 16 Planning Commission meeting is closed, consider standing with HCF at the meeting in person,” HCF said.
In other headlines today:
Charleston Co. airport connector road project receives approval. This project involves the construction of a new five-lane road in the Charleston International Airport, with hopes to reduce traffic congestion that is caused by commuter traffic, airport-destined traffic, Boeing traffic and traffic associated with the North Charleston Coliseum/Performing Arts Center and the surrounding areas.
Port of Charleston’s cargo volume climbed ahead of Trump tariffs. The S.C. State Ports Authority said April 15 that 131,513 cargo boxes crossed its docks in March, an 11% increase from the same period a year ago.
ICE’s growing presence creates distrust with law enforcement. As more sheriff’s offices in South Carolina join a federal program to assist with immigration enforcement, some worry this will undercut decades-long efforts to build trust between local police departments and the Latino communities they serve.
New Lowcountry cemetery offers ‘a return to earth’. At Sacred Grove Preserve, people are buried without many of the modern funeral trimmings: no caskets, vaults or embalming. Green burials have risen in popularity, though some see it as a return to old ways.
Cruise line plots course from Charleston to Alaska. Charleston will be the point of embarkation for an excursion that ends almost 4,000 miles away in Alaska, requiring travelers to board five ships and at least two airplanes to complete the lengthy journey.
Testimony resumes for ex-Charleston Co. deputy charged in crash. The trial of a former Charleston County deputy charged in the crash that killed three Colleton County women will resume Wednesday morning. Prosecutors told the jury they intend to prove the former deputy operated a motor vehicle in reckless disregard for the safety of others and her conduct caused the accident that left three dead.
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