The landscaping plan remains a condition to resolve after Charleston's Design Review Board unanimously approved preliminary designs for 89 apartments at the Crowne at Live Oak Square development near Maybank Highway.
The board approved the preliminary designs Monday for the apartments planned at 3015-3041 Reva Ridge Drive, the Post and Courier reported. The project would expand the existing mixed-use Crowne at Live Oak Square, which includes retail and office space, architect Joanne Riddle of William Blackstock Architects told the newspaper. SeamonWhiteside submitted the apartment designs, according to the report.
Three Buildings, One Plaza
According to the Post and Courier, the preliminary plans divide the 89 units among three three-story buildings, one of which would have a plaza out front. No further site details have been made public beyond the design concept.
The Post and Courier reported that no written comments for or against the project were submitted before the meeting. One person addressed the board in person.
A Fight Over Which Trees Get Planted
The speaker, Liz Munn of the Charleston County Tree Preservation Alliance, questioned the dwarf crepe myrtles in the mitigation plan. The Post and Courier reported that Munn said her group would advocate for grand oaks instead, arguing they handle floodwater better than the proposed trees.
The Post and Courier reported that board chair Erin Stevens suggested reconsidering the dwarf crepe myrtles in favor of a native species with ecological value. The board's approval included a condition requiring designers to revisit the landscaping plan.
Tree preservation has become a recurring flashpoint for development on Johns Island. A separate proposed project elsewhere on the island would require removing 26 grand trees and encroaching on 25 others as part of a 105-townhome development, according to Live 5 News. That dispute, reported in September, underscores the tension between the island's rapid growth and efforts to protect its tree canopy.
What the city’s tree and flood guidance says
The City of Charleston defines a grand tree as one at least 24 inches in diameter measured 4.5 feet above grade, excluding pine trees and sweet gums, according to its tree-removal information. That definition does not establish which trees at Reva Ridge meet the threshold or what parcel-specific replacement planting requirements apply. The city also cautions that areas outside FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas may still have local drainage problems or unmapped flood hazards; its floodplain mapping guidance does not establish the Reva Ridge site's flood status.
A separate River Road matter on the City of Charleston’s September 2, 2026, Board of Zoning Appeals–Site Design agenda listed requests to remove 20 grand trees by variance and nine by special exception, and to reduce the construction setback near 26 others. The agenda identifies a different matter from the Reva Ridge apartment design review, according to the City of Charleston.
For now, the Reva Ridge Drive apartments have cleared a key early hurdle with the Design Review Board, though the preliminary nature of the approval means designers still have work to do on the landscaping details before the project can move further along.
