Active moratorium: major subdivisions in Charleston County Historic Districts

This is the one development moratorium in force. Ordinance No. 25035, 'An Ordinance to provide for a temporary moratorium on the acceptance and processing of major subdivision applications in Charleston County Historic Districts,' received final reading and was signed at Town Council on July 8, 2025, after first reading June 10, 2025 and a Planning Committee recommendation June 2, 2025. Council's stated reasoning at final reading was that the ordinance 'would match the county's moratorium and provide a disincentive for annexation to circumvent the county's restrictions.' A Town staff report presented July 14, 2026 describes it as: adopted July 10, 2025; paralleling the County moratorium; a 2-year County moratorium adopted January 2025; purposes being 'to study and analyze the impacts of Major Subdivisions (4 lots and greater) to properties within Historic Districts' and 'to review what revisions are needed to the County's existing ordinance in order to develop more community-specific criteria'; set to terminate July 23, 2026. Districts involved: Hamlin Beach Community (Architectural/Character Appraisal adopted 06/25), Phillips Community (National Register listed, similar documentation but no ACA), and Ten Mile Community (ACA not completed; zoning overlay adopted). EXTENSION PENDING: Ordinance No. 26039 received first reading July 14, 2026 on a unanimous motion to extend the moratorium for two years, with the pending ordinance doctrine placed on the record. At final reading August 11, 2026 the motion to approve was withdrawn and the ordinance was DEFERRED to the September 2026 Council meeting on an 8-1 vote, to await Charleston County's third and final reading scheduled August 21, 2026. Corporation Counsel Pagliarini confirmed that 'because the pending ordinance doctrine was written into the record at first reading, a temporary subdivision moratorium on the historic districts remains in effect regardless of deferral.' At County second reading, Ten Mile was included for one year while the other historic districts were subject to a two-year moratorium.