OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Charleston City Council Meeting – February 24, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, February 24, 2026
BodyCharleston, South Carolina
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 24, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:24:36

Transcript — Verbatim
0:16

Like to call this February 24th meeting of City Council to order.

0:20

Madam Clerk, please call the role.

0:22

Councilmember Greg.

0:23

Councilmember Sheila.

0:25

Councilmember McBride.

0:26

Here.

0:26

Councilmember Polkane.

0:28

Councilmember Brady.

0:30

Councilmember Dialessandro.

0:31

Here.

0:32

Councilmember Waring.

0:33

Councilmember Seekings.

0:35

Councilmember Tinkler.

0:36

Councilmember Balladin.

0:38

Councilmember Appel.

0:40

Councilmember Scardon.

0:41

Mayor Cogswell.

0:43

Here.

0:44

I'd now like to ask Councilmember Tinkler to give the invocation and lead everybody in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:50

Thank you.

0:51

Please bow your heads.

0:55

Gracious God, as we gather this evening, remind us that the privilege of serving the city carries with it a profound responsibility to place the interests of Charleston above all else.

1:06

May the decisions made in this chamber tonight reflect genuine dedication to every resident we are honored to serve, as well as the hardworking city staff, the police officers and the firefighters who show up every day to keep our neighborhood safe, clean, and resilient.

1:20

May their service inspire ours.

1:22

Amen.

1:22

Amen.

1:29

And to the Republic, which stands one nation, under God, indivisible with Labor City trust with all.

1:41

Okay, before we get on to presentations and recognitions, well, I guess this is a recognition.

1:48

I did want to give a shout out and welcome our new director of cultural affairs, uh, Mrs.

1:57

Rochelle Riley.

1:58

Mrs.

1:58

Michelle Riley, if you could stand, please.

2:05

So Rochelle comes to us from Detroit, where since 2019, she has served as Detroit's director director of arts and culture.

2:15

And before that, she had a 20-year career as an award-winning winning columnist.

2:21

Her impact work includes conceiving Detroit's largest art installation in history that received international attention for its focus on remembering the victims of COVID, the COVID-19 pandemic.

2:35

And I believe that was maybe the first week in office, as I understand that when you came in.

2:40

She's also an essayist, a renowned public speaker, photographer, and an advocate for art, children, and education, all of which causes she has dedicated her life to.

2:53

She has elevated the landscape of arts and culture in Detroit, making its art accessible to everyone and from all walks of life.

3:02

She believes in blight turning into beauty, which I thought was a very poetic uh way of putting it, and that art matters in the built environment, something that I think we would all agree with.

3:15

So we are excited that she has agreed to take over this position.

3:19

Uh, and very fortunate, I think, to have her in the city of Charleston.

3:23

So please, if everybody would give her one more round, warm round welcome.

3:33

And now for an additional recognition, I would like to call on Councilman McBride.

3:38

Thank you, Mr.

3:38

Mayor, for the opportunity.

3:40

Um, first, I want to start off before this recognition to lead up to it.

3:43

I want to thank the mayor again for back in November, October, November time frame, um, make making the initiative to push more of the city's uh Christmas and holiday decorations out to other parts of Charleston.

3:56

That was a great initiative.

3:57

Uh, I want to thank uh Councilman Appell for coming up with the idea to use our unused travel money to pay for that initiative to some extent.

4:05

And I know it's kind of that was round one.

4:07

It'll get better and better, hopefully every year.

4:09

Uh, but without those two ideas, um, we wouldn't have had what we had on John's Island and in James Island.

4:15

There was the big joy sign on on both ends of um Stone River Bridge, and it really did have a positive impact on the community.

4:22

Got a lot of positive feedback on that.

4:23

So thank you for that idea.

4:25

Thank you for that idea.

4:26

And in addition to that, uh, I was meeting with some constituents that were trying to get more ideas for other decorations on Johns Island and in the area.

4:35

And Jennifer Zincon is who I want to uh thank.

4:38

Um, she had the idea.

4:40

If you can pull up the picture.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Historic Preservation██████████████████18%
Water And Wastewater Management████████8%
Public Engagement███████7%
Public Safety███████7%
Pending Litigation████4%
Arts And Culture██2%
Community Engagement██2%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Charleston City Council Meeting – February 24, 2026

The Charleston City Council met on February 24, 2026, to address a range of topics including recognition of community leaders, public hearings on annexations and zoning, and a contentious settlement agreement with Clemson University regarding the demolition of the historic USDA Vegetable Lab. Key votes included approval of multiple zoning items and approval of the Clemson settlement.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the minutes of the previous meeting.
  • Approved the Ways and Means Committee report.
  • Approved items 4 and 5 together, and items 5, 6, and 7 together for approval and third reading.

Public Comments & Testimony

During Public Hearings:

  • Anthony G. Bryant spoke about a deferred item and general grievances.
  • Edward Green urged the city to install a bathroom at Washington Park instead of a pool.
  • Former Councilmember Jackson urged extra scrutiny on stormwater management for Zero Folly Road, noting the applicant’s engineer could not describe outfalls.
  • Charles Wilson (James Island Flood Action Committee) spoke on Zero Folly Road, suggesting the city buy the property to convert it into a stormwater park. He later spoke during citizens’ participation about Grimble Road Extension drainage maintenance problems.
  • Councilmember Scarden gave remarks supporting the conservation zoning for Zero Folly Road and emphasizing the importance of greenbelt funding.

During Citizens’ Participation:

  • Mark Farnam supported the Clemson settlement, arguing the old lab building was not historically significant and deterioration makes saving it unwise.
  • Ruth Miller opposed the settlement, likening the lab to the historic Exchange Building and urging preservation.
  • Miller Harper (B Mock Capital) updated on Union Pier planning and invited public input.
  • Jerome Harris (former CPAC member) praised Paul Tamborino’s leadership and requested adding public comment time to standing committees.
  • Former Councilmember Jackson requested recognition for Pierre Manigault of the Inter-American Press Association.
  • Anna Catherine Alexander (Preservation Society) urged rejection of the settlement, arguing demolition was negotiated outside public process and the feasibility of preservation had not been properly evaluated.
  • Another unnamed speaker also urged rejection of the settlement.
  • 35 online comments were received in opposition to the Clemson settlement.

Discussion Items

Annexations and Zoning (Items 2–9):

  • Staff presented multiple annexation and zoning items (1744 East Avalon Circle, 1352 South Edgewater, 32 Rosedale Drive, 1598 Boone Hall Drive, 2206 Weepeload Trail, and 0 Folly Road).
  • The Zero Folly Road property (Item 9) was the subject of extensive discussion. It had been rezoned to conservation (second reading) and was later approved for third reading. Councilmember Scarden noted that annexation allows the city to apply its stronger stormwater regulations.

Clemson University Settlement Agreement (Item 3):

  • The council moved this item to the end of the agenda, entered executive session for legal advice, and then returned to vote.
  • The city attorney explained that the settlement allows Clemson to demolish the 1936 USDA Vegetable Lab while preserving other historic structures on site (headhouse and greenhouses). The building is not suitable for modern ADA-compliant lab use, and demolition is necessary for a new facility. Clemson already has federal and state approval (USDA). The settlement requires judicial approval.
  • Several members of the public and council expressed concerns, but the settlement was ultimately approved.

Key Outcomes

  • Items 2–8 (Annexations and Zoning): Approved on a single motion. (Ayes have it.)
  • Item 9 (Zero Folly Road, Second and Third Readings): Approved on separate motions. (Ayes have it.)
  • Clemson Settlement (Item 3): Approved after executive session. Mayor Cogswell recused himself. (Ayes have it.)
  • Ways and Means Committee Report: Approved. Councilmember Cote noted his recusal on the Gateway Housing item.
  • Next Meeting: Scheduled for March 10, 2026, at 5 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Like to call this February 24th meeting of City Council to order. Madam Clerk, please call the role. Councilmember Greg. Councilmember Sheila. Councilmember McBride. Here. Councilmember Polkane. Councilmember Brady. Councilmember Dialessandro. Here. Councilmember Waring. Councilmember Seekings. Councilmember Tinkler. Councilmember Balladin. Councilmember Appel. Councilmember Scardon. Mayor Cogswell. Here. I'd now like to ask Councilmember Tinkler to give the invocation and lead everybody in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you. Please bow your heads. Gracious God, as we gather this evening, remind us that the privilege of serving the city carries with it a profound responsibility to place the interests of Charleston above all else. May the decisions made in this chamber tonight reflect genuine dedication to every resident we are honored to serve, as well as the hardworking city staff, the police officers and the firefighters who show up every day to keep our neighborhood safe, clean, and resilient. May their service inspire ours. Amen. Amen. And to the Republic, which stands one nation, under God, indivisible with Labor City trust with all. Okay, before we get on to presentations and recognitions, well, I guess this is a recognition. I did want to give a shout out and welcome our new director of cultural affairs, uh, Mrs. Rochelle Riley. Mrs. Michelle Riley, if you could stand, please. So Rochelle comes to us from Detroit, where since 2019, she has served as Detroit's director director of arts and culture. And before that, she had a 20-year career as an award-winning winning columnist. Her impact work includes conceiving Detroit's largest art installation in history that received international attention for its focus on remembering the victims of COVID, the COVID-19 pandemic. And I believe that was maybe the first week in office, as I understand that when you came in. She's also an essayist, a renowned public speaker, photographer, and an advocate for art, children, and education, all of which causes she has dedicated her life to. She has elevated the landscape of arts and culture in Detroit, making its art accessible to everyone and from all walks of life. She believes in blight turning into beauty, which I thought was a very poetic uh way of putting it, and that art matters in the built environment, something that I think we would all agree with. So we are excited that she has agreed to take over this position. Uh, and very fortunate, I think, to have her in the city of Charleston. So please, if everybody would give her one more round, warm round welcome. And now for an additional recognition, I would like to call on Councilman McBride. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for the opportunity. Um, first, I want to start off before this recognition to lead up to it. I want to thank the mayor again for back in November, October, November time frame, um, make making the initiative to push more of the city's uh Christmas and holiday decorations out to other parts of Charleston. That was a great initiative. Uh, I want to thank uh Councilman Appell for coming up with the idea to use our unused travel money to pay for that initiative to some extent. And I know it's kind of that was round one.

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