Town says school is not civic use

New urban development must make case at state high court. I’On, a lauded traditional neighborhood development (TND) in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, faces continued opposition from town officials. The latest hurdle for the 243-acre, 759-unit development is the town’s refusal to categorize a Montessori school as a civic use. A circuit judge has ruled that the proposed 292-student school is appropriate for the civic site, yet the town is appealing to the state Supreme Court. The Montessori School, meanwhile, is forced to locate elsewhere — at least temporarily — while the developers pay legal fees for the appeal, which may take two years. Last fall, town council turned down a request by I’On developers to build 60 townhouses in place of 60 single homes, add 10,000 square feet of commercial (including a bed and breakfast inn), and add a civic site with a basketball court. I’On originally faced an uphill battle for approval. It was turned down once, resubmitted and approved in 1997. In the process, residential units were reduced by more than a third (from 1,250), all multifamily and accessory units eliminated, and commercial space was cut in half. Most connections to adjacent developments were severed. Not long after the project was approved, officials who voted in favor of I’On lost their seats on council. Since the project began construction, the critical and market response to I’On has been overwhelmingly positive — yet public officials have remained adversarial. I’On’s ongoing entitlement battles highlight the gulf between conventional zoning regulations and the new urban approach to development. Conventional zoning restricts density, mixed-use, mixing of housing types, and interconnected networks of streets. New Urbanism promotes these characteristics. Meanwhile, the principal of the Montessori School, Nicole Viglotti, reports that the neighborhood design of I’On is what attracted school founders to the site. “We have searched all over (the area) and have not found as good a fit as I’On,” she told the Post and Courier, a local newspaper.