• What is the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan?

Charleston County’s Comprehensive Plan is an expression of the County’s intent for where and how future growth and development should occur. The plan also identifies parts of the County that may or may not be appropriate for certain types of growth, given the Lowcountry’s unique character and natural conditions.

Charleston County Council adopted the 10-year update of the County’s Comprehensive Plan on November 18, 2008.  The Comprehensive Plan Update is the result of the state mandated 10-year update cycle, the need for the County to conform to new state statutes (The Priority Investment Act) that require additional elements in the Comprehensive Plan, and a response to changing economic and growth trends.

The Comprehensive Plan includes ten elements: 

• Population

• Economic development

• Natural Resources

• Cultural Resources

• Community Facilities

• Housing  

• Land Use

• Transportation

• Priority Investment

• Energy*

 *The Energy Element was incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan on February 23, 2012.

Charleston County Comprehensive Plan Five-Year Review

The Charleston County Planning Commission began working on the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan Five-Year Review at their November 5, 2012 and December 10, 2012 meetings.  The Five-Year Review is in response to changing economic and growth trends and is mandated by state law, which requires the Planning Commission to review the Comprehensive Plan at least once every five years.

The Planning Commission will continue to work on this project at the following Planning Commission meetings in 2013:

In addition to these meetings, the Planning Commission will hold public meetings to gather input in late summer 2013.

All Planning Commission meetings are open to the public and will begin at 2:00 PM in Charleston County Council Committee Room, Room B-225, at the Lonnie Hamilton, III Public Services Building located at 4045 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston, SC, 29405.  The meeting agendas can be found on-line at http://www.charlestoncounty.org/calendar.htm or by calling the Charleston County Zoning & Planning Department at (843) 202-7200. 

Once the Planning Commission completes their review of the Comprehensive Plan, they will make a recommendation to County Council in the form of proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan.  County Council will then hold at least one public hearing on the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments, followed by a recommendation from the County Council Planning and Public Works Committee, and three readings by County Council.  All County Council meetings are open to the public.

Please contact Wilma Singleton at (843) 202-7240 or wsingleton@charlestoncounty.org if you would like to receive additional notifications regarding the Comprehensive Plan Five-Year Review (you will need to provide a valid email or mailing address).

The Comprehensive Plan Five-Year Review materials discussed at each Planning Commission held to-date can be found by clicking on the links below:

• November 5, 2012 Planning Commission Meeting Materials
• December 10, 2012 Planning Commission Meeting Materials
• January 14, 2013 Planning Commission Meeting Materials
• February 11, 2013 Planning Commission Meeting Materials
• March 4, 2013 Planning Commission Meeting Materials
• April 8, 2013 Planning Commission Meeting Materials
• May 13, 2013 Planning Commission Meeting Materials