As Washington’s Planning Board works toward a recommendation regarding converting single-family dwellings in the city’s B1H district into multifamily dwellings, a developer continues efforts to convert what was once a single-family dwelling into 11 apartments.

Washington’s City Council, during its meeting Monday, heard Don Stroud ask for a moratorium on converting single-family dwellings in the B1H district into multifamily dwellings. About eight people in the audience supported stroud. Stroud contends the city’s existing zoning ordinances prohibit such conversions in that district. The council sent the matter to the Planning Board for review and a recommendation.

The council, for the time being, chose not to impose a moratorium. City Attorney Franz Holscher indicated that imposing such a moratorium may not be allowed, and he noted that a public hearing might be required before the council could impose a moratorium, if it has the power to do so.

The house in question is at 121 E. Second St. It was sold to California-based McLean Investment Co. LLC on Aug. 28 for $171,000, according to Beaufort County deed records and other real-estate transaction records.

The city’s zoning regulations note that the B1H district is “primarily designed to provide convenient shopping and service facilities by promoting compact development of commercial, office, and service uses while preserving the historic character of the district.”

Stroud read from the city’s zoning ordinances a section that he says prohibits the conversion of single-family dwellings in the B1H district. “So, that basically is saying that in the B1H district the division of homes into multifamily dwelling is not legal,” he said.

Stroud also voiced concerns with possible parking problems if the house is converted into 11 apartments. Scott Campbell, the real-estate agent who sold the house to McLean Investment Co. LLC, said a parking study shows plenty of parking spaces in the area near the house.

Mona Penner, one of the house’s owners, said McLean Investment Co. takes pride in taking historic buildings and “making them useful with adaptive reuse.” Penner said city building officials assured her and Calvin McLean, the other owner, that their plans to convert the building into 11 apartments is allowed under city zoning and building regulations.

“We have had many neighbors come in and tell us they are so happy that someone has finally purchased the building, and that they are going to make it habitable again,” Penner said, adding that the building has been vacant for six years.

McLean said his engineer has submitted plans as part of the process to obtain a building permit.

“As I said, when we first came to the city, I asked the building department, ‘Can we do what we want to do?’ They said, ‘Yes, you can.’ Based on that, we went ahead, paid cash and bought this property. That’s the only reason we did it. If there was any question there may be a moratorium or you can’t do it, whatever, we would have flew home and not bought anything,” McLean said.

McLean said that as far as he knows there is no reason for the project not to proceed.

Councilman Doug Mercer noted that the house, at times, has been used for about 50 years as apartments. “Why are we calling it single-family?” he asked.