HISTORIC BEAUFORT FOUNDATION FILES APPEAL OF ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS (ZBOA) APPROVAL OF SPECIAL EXCEPTION FOR 211 CHARLES STREET

BEAUFORT, S.C. — SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 – On Wednesday, September 8, Historic Beaufort Foundation (HBF) filed a petition in Circuit Court appealing the August 9, 2021 decision by the the City of Beaufort’s Zoning Board of Adjustments to grant a Special Exception for a 3-story 27,000 square foot, 19-unit apartment building with retail space on the first floor. The proposed project is located on the southeast corner of Port Republic and Charles Street and will require the demolition of the A & P Grocery store built in 1947 and most recently known as the “old Data w/Alcoa office building”.

This is the second time in two months that HBF has taken the rare step of appealing decisions made by City Boards. On July 9, 2021, HBF filed a petition in Circuit Court appealing the June 9, 2021 decision by the City of Beaufort’s Historic Review Board (HRB) to allow construction of a four-level parking garage and a four-story hotel in the heart of Beaufort’s National Historic Landmark District.

HBF Executive Director Cynthia Jenkins said, “Our Board of Trustees weighed the decision to take these steps carefully. We value the dedicated work of the City of Beaufort to protect the special character of Beaufort but question recent decisions by the HRB and ZBOA regarding numerous large-scale projects to be located within a two-block area in the heart of our historic downtown commercial area. Maintaining the character, sense of place and integrity that we cherish requires careful interpretation of the Beaufort Code, the Beaufort Preservation Manual & Supplement and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. HBF sees these as generational projects that will forever adversely impact Beaufort. Our objective, as always, is not to prevent progress or development, but to ensure that all new construction is compatible with the significant character of Beaufort’s National Historic Landmark district,” Jenkins said. 

HBF is a 501(c)3 nonprofit education foundation created to preserve, protect, and present sites and artifacts of historic, architectural, and cultural interest throughout Beaufort County, South Carolina. For more information on the entity’s mission and history, please visit historicbeaufort.org and follow them on social media, including Facebook and Instagram.