These new cottage designs are coming to Port Royal. Here are the details
As development rages across the Lowcountry, complaints about trees being mowed to make way for new buildings are not uncommon. But there was no outrage when large equipment began leveling 2.5 acres of ground a few weeks ago in Port Royal’s old village to make way for London Square, a new 18-lot housing project that will feature of variety of sizes and architectural styles.
That’s because live oak trees still guard the perimeter like sentries. Pecan, magnolia, sweetgums, pine and laurel oak trees also dot the property.
Planning Director Noah Krepps credits a new tree ordinance passed in 2023 for the way the old trees are being seamlessly incorporated into the new housing development. That ordinance imposed some of the highest financial penalties in South Carolina for taking down the big trees that characterize the town. London Square was the first residential development to be approved under the new rules.
“This development is an excellent example of what the town was trying to achieve with its tree ordinance,” Krepps said.
The push to toughen the town’s tree rules first started in July of 2023, when a property owner prepared to move two large live oak trees as part of a small infill development on 12th Street. The move sparked an uproar among residents.
The new tree ordinance provided additional protections for specimen trees, which are valuable because of their age and potential to reach landmark size. A live oak landmark is at least 24 inches in diameter, compared to a specimen, which has a width or diameter of 12 inches.
With the regulations in place, the town can better communicate to developers how important trees are to residents, Krepps says. Builders are then forced to decide if their plans are a fit for the town.
Every significant tree on the London Square property was examined and ultimately saved at London Square, Krepps said.
The development is located within the original village of Port Royal. With its tight-knit neighborhoods, classic Lowcountry architecture and location south of Ribaut Road near Battery Creek, the old village is one of the most desirable areas of the town. But geographically, it represents only about a fifth of the town’s current size.
“It is the core of our town, so what we try to achieve and what the town and residents have envisioned over the past 30 years is exactly this type of redevelopment,” Krepps said. “Modest homes, carefully looking at what’s around it and trying to maintain the large trees on the site.”
A total of 18 cottages are planned, and one guest house. Homes will range in size from 675 to 1,800 square feet, with most under 1,400. Houses will front London and Richmond avenues and 14th Street; some will overlook a pond on one corner of the property. Pedestrian paths are planned as well.
London Square is also a good example of urban “infill” development, or a project that recycles underused land without having to build new infrastructure or pave over green space and trees, Krepps said. It’s the only major subdivision infill project of more than five lots to be approved in the past four years.
“Overall, I think that the architect and land planner did a great job of being sensitive to the environment with the wetland and large trees,” Krepps said.
Lauren Kelly of MK Design Group, the architect and land planner for London Square, said the diversity of housing sizes will fill a need for smaller units in Port Royal, which tend to “sell right away” when they hit the market.
The houses will have large front porches and wrap-around porches on the corners, Krepps said, “fitting seamlessly into the surrounding context.” The one-to-three-bedroom cottages should appeal to young families or older residents who don’t want too much property to maintain, he said.
The project shares similarities with the neighboring “duck blind” housing development, where houses surround a pond. Neighbors in that development originally had concerns about London Square, Krepps said, including about trees.
“We had a process that started with people having some concerns about the infill development next door,” Krepps said. “By the end of the process, all of the comments we got were positive and in favor of the overall design.”
A wetland on the property is in poor shape, but it will be improved and the town may eventually connect it to the Cypress wetlands trail system, Krepps said.
The London Square property was previously used as a pecan orchard; most recently, it was a meadow with some wetlands. An older house and shed were torn down to make way for the project.
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 3:01 PM.
