A 0.17-acre lot at 36 Lolandra Ave. in West Ashley is at the center of a proposed $145,000 county purchase and stormwater project. The parcel floods during heavy rain, and county officials say runoff through the site puts homes upstream at risk. Charleston County Public Works has asked to use money from the county’s urban unincorporated Greenbelt fund to buy the property.
The Charleston County Finance Committee approved the funding request Thursday night, November 5, but County Council must still approve it before the purchase can proceed, according to Live 5 News. If approved, the county would own the lot through the Greenbelt Program and use it for stormwater management and public greenspace.
What's Planned for the Flood-Prone Lot
Public Works proposes a native-plant rain garden and a drainage inlet connected to the stormwater system, according to the station’s report. The planted area would be designed to hold and filter runoff, while a small public greenspace, or micro-park, would provide an accessible neighborhood gathering place.
If County Council approves the purchase, the improvements are expected to be completed and open to the public within a year, Live 5 reported. Eric Adams described the proposal as a win-win for Public Works and the Greenbelt program. He said the preferred design would renaturalize the area with an open ditch, a bench and natural flora to manage stormwater and give neighbors a place to gather.
Why the Lot Matters to So Many Homes
Adams said about four acres drain through the Lolandra Avenue site, affecting roughly 25 upstream properties. County officials say those homes could be harmed by the drainage conditions if they are not addressed.
Nearby resident Madison Proctor told Live 5 News that flooding has become more frequent and severe. She said she sometimes detours around standing water and has also driven through it, which she considers unsafe. Proctor said absorbing water into the ground instead of letting it pool in the street is necessary to keep flooding from reaching the road. She also said restoration projects give her hope as Charleston’s ecosystems face the risk of being lost.
A First-of-Its-Kind Application
Live 5 reported that this is the first time Charleston County Public Works has applied for Greenbelt funds, a program typically focused on land conservation. County Housing and Land Management Director Eric Davis said the proposal fits the program’s goals by using natural infrastructure to mitigate flooding, filter runoff pollutants and create habitat with native plants.
Adams said drainage is a significant concern across the Lowcountry and hopes the project can provide a model for future partnerships between the Greenbelt program and Public Works on similar sites countywide.
How It Fits Into West Ashley's Bigger Flood Fight
The Greenbelt program is funded through the county’s half-penny sales tax. A 2024 slate included 18 approved projects, among them a $1.6 million purchase of 40 acres on Johns Island, according to Live 5 News. The Lolandra proposal is much smaller than West Ashley’s Windermere Neighborhood Drainage Improvements Project, a more than $12.6 million effort designed with climate-change impacts in mind, according to The Post and Courier. That project aims to add a stormwater outfall and upgrade the neighborhood’s existing collection system.
Other West Ashley projects have used different approaches. In August, County Council approved a federal grant of more than $414,000 to buy and demolish a flood-prone home for stormwater management. A $500,000 pipe project on Boone Hall Drive and William Kennerty Drive, developed from a 2019 study and FEMA grants, was completed in July 2024 after five years, according to WCBD News 2. The result drew criticism from one resident, who told the station that flooding seemed worse farther down the street afterward, raising concern that water may have shifted rather than been eliminated.
Greenbelt goals and West Ashley’s drainage basins
The county’s Comprehensive Plan says the half-cent sales tax referendum included requirements to acquire and protect green spaces known as greenbelts, according to the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan. The plan’s description provides conservation context for the funding source; the proposed Lolandra project would pair greenspace with stormwater work.
The scale and causes of drainage problems can vary by location. In the separate Boone Hall Drive and William Kennerty Drive project described in the WCBD News 2 report linked above, the area was part of a nearly 800-acre basin known to flood during heavy rain and high-tide events.
