The Charleston County Board of Zoning Appeals on Oct. 20 approved a variance permitting the owner of 3862 Abe White Road to reduce the required 15-foot interior side setback to 8 feet for construction of a proposed single-family residence.

The applicant, Luke Wetzel Harper, told the board he purchased the subdivided lot in February 2025 and revised his proposal after a prior hearing. "We adjusted our site plan to shift the home 2 feet back, decreased the driveway width from 20 to 18 feet and shifted the house 2 feet to the right to minimize the side setback that we're requesting," Harper said during his testimony. He told the board the lot is about 60 feet wide, includes a storm drainage easement at the rear and that the narrowing of setbacks was driven by those constraints.

The request drew public opposition at the earlier hearing and the staff report noted a petition of roughly 60 signatures had been submitted previously; staff recorded 13 new public comments in opposition for the current hearing. Taylor Diaz, the adjacent property owner who would be most affected, testified in support after visiting the site with Harper and said she was satisfied that distance between the homes would be maintained.

Board members questioned alternatives and whether the hardship was self-created. Commissioner Neal asked whether other designs were considered; Harper replied that he had explored narrower floor plans and shifting the home but said those options would reduce usable backyard space and were not preferable. Commissioner Jordan and others acknowledged the applicant's outreach to neighbors after the first hearing. A motion to approve the variance, made by Commissioner Sadell and seconded by Commissioner Brown, passed unanimously.

Staff note: The board found the application met the variance criteria in the zoning ordinance as presented. The P&Z staff will mail the boarddecision within 10 working days; approved variances are valid for 12 months unless construction is diligently pursued. If the applicant wishes to appeal, South Carolina circuit court appeal rules apply.