WEST ASHLEY — Environmental groups and community members are concerned with a permit application that seeks permission for a developer to fill in more than two acres of wetlands. The proposed development is located a short walk from the site of Charleston’s largest FEMA flood buyout.

Critics say the small development in the Shadowmoss neighborhood is emblematic of larger issues facing Charleston and other coastal cities. Despite pouring billions of dollars into efforts that address flooding and sea level rise, the city can’t, or won’t, stop poorly planned developments in vulnerable areas, they say.