The Charleston Planning Commission gave the OK for eight lots to be developed at 2221 Yates Ave. and Aubrey Drive in the Riverland Terrace neighborhood.

Peter Evans, owner of the property, still lives on the property, which is just over 7 acres. Evans said he has no plans to move.

He is, however, making plans for a planned unit development of six lots facing the Stono River on Yates Avenue and another lot slated for a guest house somewhere near his existing house. His house sits on the eighth lot, an old fort site, Fort Pemberton.

On Aug. 15, the city Planning Commission approved plans for a larger lot to be built facing the Stono River and six smaller lots to be built nearby. Evans said the city originally gave him permission to build 11 to 13 houses on the property, but he said he wanted to keep the development to a smaller scale.

The commission voted unanimously to give concept plan approval for the lots with stipulations that all utilities and access easements be in place for the entire development before construction begins. Even if construction starts on the large lot first, utilities on the other lots must be in place, commission members said.

Evans said that securing the utilities will be the next step in the project.

Nearby residents came to the commission meeting with concerns about the access points to the lots.

The development will have entrance points for cars and an entrance point just for emergency vehicles and heavy construction equipment.

Cars will be able to enter and exit the development on Yates Avenue from Aubrey Drive and from Riverland Drive. The emergency-only access point will be at Stono Drive and Aubrey Drive between two brick pillars.

At the commission meeting, resident Joyce Wichmann said the emergency access road is very narrow. "I'd hate to depend on a firetruck to get through there," she said.

The Charleston Fire Department had approved that access way, said Charleston senior planner Amanda Herring. Additionally, the city received a "letter of coordination" from the James Island Public Service District Fire Department saying the access was fine, Herring said.

Evans said he isn't sure if he will sell the lots once they are developed. He said family members have shown interest in retiring there.

In other planning commission business, members gave unanimous approval for a development at Harbor View Road and Old Summer House Road to be built a half-foot taller than currently allowed for "architectural interest."

The owners, LOTinc. and Point Verona Partners LLC, asked for an amendment to the planned unit development zoning for the property to allow a higher building height.

Right now, building heights are restricted to 35 1/2 feet above the building's base height, or minimum elevation above sea level that a structure is required to maintain.

In this case, the minimum is 14 feet, meaning the structure must be elevated 14 feet before heated space can be built. The owners asked to increase the height restriction to 36 feet to add architectural features such as stair towers and widow walks and to embellish the roofscape.

Lee Batchelder, director of Charleston's zoning division, recommended the approval, saying that the change would not adversely affect nearby residents. The development has several buildings already constructed and is on its own cul-de-sac off Harbor View Road.

"It's not a dramatic change," he said.

The owners said that in exchange for allowing the higher limit, they will make the buildings two stories rather than three.