|
HOME SIGN ANGEL OAK PETITION Double your power – Include a comment |
Protect the Angel Oak & Save 55 Grand Trees on Johns Island UPDATE: Angel Oak Developer to Meet with Johns Island Citizens Meeting Deferred Until September Good news! In response to growing protest about plans to cut down or harm 56 grand trees surrounding the Angel Oak, the developer has temporarily postponed his request. The following appeared in the Post & Courier August 6th: "A request to remove 34 protected grand trees to make room for Angel Oak Village has been deferred at the developer's request. The item was scheduled to go before the Charleston Board of Zoning Appeals - Site Design meeting on Wednesday." We will let you know if there are other steps to be taken in the future. In the meantime, please keep the signatures coming! Background & What's at Stake: Charleston City Council has just approved a plan to put 600 homes, shops, and offices on 42 acres immediately surrounding the Angel Oak. This is an INCREDIBLY dense development right on the edge of Johns Island's urban growth boundary. To build their giant "village," developers are asking to cut down 34 grand trees and be allowed to put an impervious surface (like asphalt) abnormally close to the trunks of 21 other grand trees -- this can prevent the trees from getting adequate water, compact their roots, and lead to their deaths. A grand tree is defined as any tree over 24 inches at chest height. Normally it is illegal to cut down such trees, but the developers are going to ask for a special variance because they say the trees are causing them "hardship." (Obviously, they will also be cutting down an entire forest of other trees that don't happen to measure 24 inches.) We contend that it is not a hardship if they can only build, say, 500 homes instead. They don't HAVE to build at maximum density; they just want to make the most money possible. PLEASE COME OUT AUGUST 6th TO ASK THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS TO DENY THEIR REQUEST. The Board of Zoning Appeals is a non-elected group of officials. They are appointed by Mayor Riley, and many of them are also in the real estate/development business themselves. In order to get them to listen to us, WE ARE ALL GOING TO HAVE TO SHOW UP. 50 people won't do it; we have to have so many people we are overflowing into the hall -- and then some! In the meantime, please sign the petition against this and forward it to everyone you know: The Angel Oak is one of the most beautiful and important parts of our island -- and our nation. Please come to the meeting Wednesday, August 6th to stand up for the Angel Oak, 55 grand trees, and Johns Island! The meeting is at 5 PM in the Main Conference Room, 3rd Floor, Charleston County School District Building, 75 Calhoun Street (across from the library). See you there! :) |