City Plan Adopted, Sets Priorities For Charleston’s Next Decade

The City Plan recognizes at least 56 historic, African American settlement communities and neighborhoods, which are now included on Future Land Use Maps in the Land Use element of the Plan.

This week, Charleston City Council formally adopted the City Plan, Charleston’s new 10-year Comprehensive Plan. The Preservation Society has been an active stakeholder throughout the drafting process and played a key role in shaping the cultural resources recommendations. Specifically, our input enhanced recommendations to protect cemeteries and African American heritage sites, better inventory historic resources outside of traditionally-protected areas, and create incentives to assist lower-income owners of historic homes.

The Plan provides a strong platform for policies but will take strong city leadership to implement. As the Plan is integrated into day-to-day decision-making in Charleston, the PSC looks forward to partnering with the City to advance a variety of new and innovative planning initiatives, from meaningful protections for settlement communities to the implementation of an archaeology ordinance to enhance our understanding of the city’s history. This is an important milestone for Charleston and we thank our members and supporters for your engagement that has made a positive impact on the City’s most critical long-range planning document.

Click here to view the final version of the City Plan.