JAMES ISLAND — A tree that many nearby residents cherish for its cultural and historic significance has been spared from being cut down, for now.

Bryan Heatherly, of HH Action LLC, requested a variance to remove a grand sand live oak tree on Richardson Road from Charleston County's right-of-way so that a parcel of land could be subdivided into two lots.

But Charleston County’s Board of Zoning Appeals did not vote on the request because Heatherly doesn’t own the property the tree stands on; the county does.

Members of the historic Sol Legare settlement community and residents around James Island have been vocal in their opposition of the tree’s removal and hope to preserve it.

Ary Fun, president and co-owner of The Charleston Arborist, estimates the tree to be at least 200 years old. Th

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