Brookgreen Gardens
Variance needed to cut trees for conservatory
It’s been 30 years since Brookgreen Garden first developed plans for a conservatory, and while the sculpture gardens are timeless, time does not stand still.
Brookgreen is seeking a variance to cut four trees that Georgetown County classifies as “grand trees” to make way for the 10,000-square-foot building. They weren’t an issue when the building was made part of the “planned development” zoning in 1993.
Three trees are in the building footprint: two oaks with trunk diameters of 38.5 and 30.5 inches and a double magnolia of 32 inches. A 29.5-inch oak is the way of an access road.
Georgetown County requires a variance to cut trees over 24 inches on non-residential property. A proposed change to the county tree regulations prompted calls to extend that protection to single-family lots.
The county Board of Zoning Appeals will hold a hearing on the request today.
The planning staff is not opposing the request.
There are over 50 other grand trees in the 20-acre site of the proposed conservatory, which is located between the visitors center and the “Fountain of the Muses,” Holly Richardson, the county planning director, noted in her report.
Moving the building would be a hardship, since it is located in relation to existing structures that it is intended to compliment. Plus, “the grand trees have matured since the original approval in 1993,” she said.
The conservatory will also help expand Brookgreen’s mission of educating the public about art, culture and natural history, Richardson said.
“Brookgreen appreciates the importance of preserving large trees, especially those that change the character of the area and have an impact on the beauty and environmental sustainability of our local natural resources,” Page Kiniry, Brookgreen president, said in the application.
Brookgreen conducted a $20 million capital campaign to build the facility, which will also provide space for events, exhibits and a welcome center.
Kiniry said she plans to present the request to the appeals board when it meets at 5:30 p.m. today in County Council chambers.
