A victory for the beauty of Aiken

It's reassuring to know that the seven members of the Aiken Historic Preservation Commission see that trees are an important part of our historical landscape.

In a mere 17 minutes, the Commission gave unanimous approval to Orville and Lynn Henry to construct a garage and potting shed behind their Newberry Street home.

One of the primary sticking points had been the Henrys request for a variance to allow for a 5-foot setback, rather than City's requirement of 10 feet. Their reasoning for the request is that the small lot - less than 2/10 of an acre - was home to several mature oaks, and the variance would allow two of the trees to be saved.

The Henrys have done everything one could want from a historic district homeowner. They have sought to preserve the integrity and history of their home (the home was originally built by Edward Stoney, a black man who served as an Aiken County Commissioner in the 1870s). They have worked to accommodate concerned neighbors (they have dropped the height of the garage by three feet and added a retaining wall). And they have gone through the proper channels to ask for officials' help in keeping the botanical beauty of the lot (they won a 4-3 decision from the Board of Zoning Appeals after several contentious meetings).

While the prior two are noble and admirable, the latter is the most laudable, as the Henrys prove they are perfect for their roles as some of our downtown stewards. New neighborhoods are being built around the County where hundreds of acres are clear cut and everything is built from the ground up. If you don't think the impact of a leafy skyline matters, think about it the next time you drive beneath the canopy of South Boundary.

Thankfully, the Henrys have taken that initiative to ensure that we do not have to wait 150 years to see their property have the beautiful shade of a mature oak.