Aerial view of 295 Calhoun site
In fall 2021, a Georgia-based owner appealed the Board of Architectural Review’s denial of a design for an 8-story, mixed-use, residential building at 295 Calhoun Street. The applicant’s request for conceptual approval was twice denied based on inappropriate height, scale, mass, and architectural direction. Having strongly supported the BAR’s denial, the Preservation Society was unsettled by the applicant’s effort to subvert the public review process by seeking a closed-door settlement.
Conceptual design for 295 Calhoun Street, denied by the BAR-L in August 2021
After unsuccessful mediation, the project returned to the Board of Architectural Review in late 2022, ultimately being denied a third time. Shortly after the project’s latest denial, the developer again filed a lawsuit against the City of Charleston and the Board of Architectural Review.
While the PSC may not always agree with BAR decisions, its authority is fundamental to why Charleston continues to be one of the best-preserved and unique historic cities in the country. As Charleston becomes an increasingly desirable place to live and invest in, the BAR has come under tremendous pressure as development explodes across the peninsula. The PSC stands firmly behind the authority of the BAR and will be pressing the City to defend the Board’s ability to turn down inappropriate proposals, especially as the 295 Calhoun case progresses.
Resources
UPDATE: 295 Calhoun Street will again go before the BAR-L next week, on March 8, according to agendas released Friday by the City of Charleston. Denials of projects at BAR are challenging for everyone involved in the process – we all much prefer to see projects succeed. That’s why we routinely meet with project teams […]
Image Source: November 9, 2022 BAR-L Image Overview The Board of Architectural Review- Large denied the 295 Calhoun project for the third time last night. The decision is a critically important rebuke of a proposal that board members have agreed, time after time, is inappropriate for this significant site. It also demonstrates that this board […]
Image Source: November 9, 2022 BAR-L Image Overview This week’s Board of Architectural Review – Large (BAR-L) meeting could be the most important in years. After an unprecedented deadlock among four BAR-L members present last month forced the project to be tabled until November 9, the proposal for 295 Calhoun Street returns on Wednesday, and […]
After the top two buildings were denied in 2021, the team is back to present the bottom two designs to BAR this week The developers of 295 Calhoun Street will be back before the Board of Architectural Review – Large (BAR-L) this week, with not one but two separate proposals for the large mixed-use building […]
Rendering of 295 Calhoun Street, denied by the BAR August 25, 2021 On November 5, Circuit Court Judge Roger M. Young, Sr. heard the Preservation Society’s request to intervene in an appeal of a Board of Architectural Review (BAR) decision on 295 Calhoun. The developer objected to our intervention, claiming that the PSC did not […]
Charleston County Courthouse, courtesy Warren LeMay, Wikimedia Commons The PSC has submitted a Petition to Intervene in a lawsuit filed by the developers of 295 Calhoun that challenges the authority of the Board of Architectural Review (BAR). The Board’s decision to deny the proposed 8-story, mixed-use building echoed comments presented by PSC that the design […]