# City of Charleston Committee on Community Development 10/22/26

The City of Charleston Committee on Community Development met on October 22, 2026, and focused primarily on preventing demolition by neglect and improving protection of historic properties, following the loss of the Emit Abbott Memorial Chapel at 52 Cooper Street. City staff outlined immediate actions for the next 1–3 months, including formalizing interdepartmental procedures, reconvening the demolition-by-neglect task force with preservation and neighborhood representatives, improving owner access to maintenance resources, updating and sharing an at-risk-building database, improving public notifications, and requiring demolition placards and salvage plans. Longer-term proposals for the next 6–9 months include code amendments to treat buildings neglected or vacant in violation for over six months as public nuisances, stronger and more nuanced accountability, expanded monitoring and enforcement, and identifying funding for stabilization. Staff also cited ongoing work with Bloomberg. Preservation organizations recommended clearer limits on emergency demolition orders, stronger review standards, a deconstruction and salvage ordinance, title-clearing assistance, and improved coordination. Members discussed—but did not approve—a possible revolving matching-grant fund using Cooper River Bridge TIF funds for restoration, potentially with affordability restrictions, as well as the costs, legal constraints, and public-safety responsibilities involved.

The committee approved a resolution certifying properties at 347 Ashley Avenue and 448 Race Street as abandoned building sites under South Carolina law. A separate agenda reference to CHDO home set-aside funds for program years 2019–2024 was unclear in the transcript, so its disposition cannot be confirmed. Planning and preservation staff previewed proposed administrative and review fee updates, including adjustments reflecting staff cost increases since 2019 and a proposed fee for certain subdivision-plat reviews; these were presented as a heads-up for council consideration in November, not as an adopted change. No contract awards, vendor selections, or procurement actions were identified.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 22, 2026

### Sources
- [City of Charleston Committee on Community Development 10/22/26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwq9mYjyWRY) - City of Charleston SC