Charleston Planners Reduced Long Savanna Project Size
The city and developers cut 1,900 housing units to manage traffic and infrastructure in West Ashley.
Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Remote Work
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The Charleston Technical Review Committee recently reviewed revised plans for the Long Savanna development on Bear Swamp Road. To address growing infrastructure concerns, the city and the developer agreed to reduce the total housing units by 1,900 and add an elementary school.
Why it matters
The changes aim to mitigate traffic congestion and strain on local roads before the project build-out begins. By placing a school directly within the development, officials hope to reduce the need for vehicle trips on major thoroughfares.
The Long Savanna site plan was modified to lower the total residential count by 1,900 units. The developer now intends to build an elementary school instead of an apartment complex originally slated for the Bear Swamp Road location.
The players
Charleston Technical Review Committee
This local municipal body oversees and approves the site plans and development phases for large-scale construction projects in the city.
The details
City leaders are leveraging zoning code rewrites and urban growth boundary enforcement to control density in the West Ashley area. The development still requires further site plan revisions before the committee grants final approval.
Timeline
The Technical Review Committee held the development plan review on September 24, 2026.
A transportation sales tax referendum is scheduled for November 2026.
Market Landscape
This development adjustment follows established patterns of enforcing Charleston urban growth boundaries to manage regional density. It highlights a shift toward prioritizing infrastructure capacity over maximum residential yield in growing urban corridors.
Residents in West Ashley may experience fewer traffic impacts as project density is scaled back and infrastructure is integrated into the site. The city is also pursuing grants to retime traffic signals, which could improve daily commute times in the surrounding area.
The takeaway
Large-scale developments are increasingly being reshaped by infrastructure-first planning requirements. Residents should monitor local planning committees for further changes as these multi-year projects progress.
What happens next
A transportation sales tax referendum is set to appear on the ballot for local voters in November 2026.
Further reading
For more information on local development trends, visit the Remote Work section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Live5news.
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