Brown v. County of Charleston/Charleston County Council

This is a zoning case. Allison Brown applied to the Charleston County Office of Zoning and Planning for a permit to operate a commercial outdoor gun range. The Zoning Board denied the permit. County Council upheld the Zoning Board’s decision. Brown then appealed to the circuit court which affirmed the Council. Brown appeals. We reverse and remand.

The County desired to decrease the number of zoning districts in the County and also to simplify the table of existing land uses through an amendment to its zoning ordinance. However, one provision of the amendment, in effect, proposed changes in…