During its meeting on Tuesday, June 24, the Isle of Palms City Council unanimously approved an ordinance amending the zoning code to address growing erosion concerns near Breach Inlet. The ordinance prohibits the construction of swimming pools seaward of the maximum building line within the P-2 Preservation Overlay District, requiring all new pools in the district to be built landward.
The P-2 Preservation Overlay District includes all oceanfront properties located between Breach Inlet and 10th Avenue on Ocean Boulevard. The overlay was originally established to protect the area’s natural dune systems and ecological features while also preserving light, air, open space and scenic views.
The zoning change was recommended by the Beach Ad Hoc Committee and reviewed by the Planning Committee prior to its adoption. City Administrator Douglas Kerr cited the growing threat of coastal erosion—particularly its impact on existing pools—as a key motivation for the amendment.
Speaking at a recent Planning Committee meeting, Kerr noted a shift in the city’s approach to erosion-related property threats.
“Historically, it was left to the individual owners to protect their properties,” Kerr said. “But for the last two years, it has been the city responding to erosion.”
He explained the Beach Ad Hoc Committee’s thinking: the city might be more willing to step in and protect properties from erosion if it isn't simultaneously permitting construction that accelerates the need for such intervention.
“We’re allowing things to be right out at the shoreline,” Kerr said. “Then, if it erodes back any amount, you’re dipping into city funds to try and protect it.”
The amendment eliminates subsection (3)(c) of the P-2 zoning code, which previously allowed one swimming pool per lot to extend seaward of the maximum building line.