MORNING HEADLINES | The city of Charleston’s design review board on Monday approved design plans for the proposed Angel Oak Preserve, a 44-acre park that will protect the landmark on Johns Island with more room.
Board members described the design for the proposed $13.5 million project as “beautiful,” approving it with little discussion in a unanimous vote. A final review is still required by city staff, and the project is working its way through the city’s technical review process.
The Angel Oak Preserve will expand the current nine-acre park, adding another 35 acres that the trust purchased over a decade ago to protect the aging oak from encroaching development. The added areas are to include a new entrance and parking area along Bohicket Road and a one-story welcome center with a gift shop, offices and bathrooms across two buildings.
Last year, the national Old-Growth Forest Network designated the future Angel Oak Preserve on Johns Island as a community forest, placing the land among a select group of publicly accessible places with ecological and cultural significance.
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Recent headlines
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Old veggie lab in West Ashley to remain standing, with orders to fix it. Clemson University’s request to destroy the former U.S. Vegetable Breeding Lab on its Coastal Research and Education Center was denied at a Jan. 5 meeting. As part of the decision, Clemson must submit a preservation plan to the city by the end of August.
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