By Lolita Huckaby
BEAUFORT
What a weekend.
Hundreds of oyster-lovers turned out Saturday for the 6th Beaufort Oyster Festival, probably to enjoy the sun and mild weather as much as the succulent seafood.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) was doing some political “stumping” in Beaufort on Sunday afternoon as part of a two-day tour of the Palmetto State. His appearance is indicative of the national media attention being paid to South Carolina, which may or may not be the first state to have this year’s Democratic presidential primary in the spring.
Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day when the legacy of the slain civil rights leader — who actually spent time here in the Lowcountry at Penn Center in the 1960’s where he and his team planned strategy for the battles ahead — was honored with a parade and speeches.
And the S.C. General Assembly is back in session up in Columbia, ready to do who-knows-what to our way of living.
St. Helena Island remains in the news
ST. HELENA ISLAND — In case you missed it, Elvio Tropeano, the determined spokesman for the development of Pine Island, got approval from the county earlier this month to move forward with building homes on the isolated 500 acres of land which have preoccupied county officials and citizens worried about development for the past several years.
At the Jan. 7 meeting of the county’s Staff Review Team, Tropeano was given conditional approval to build 20 waterfront homes within the next two years.
It’s far less than the 240 homes the developer originally proposed and does not include the 18-hole golf course which would have required a variance from the existing Community Preservation Ordinance.
The SRT action does not require County Council approval.
The Pine Island legal team is still challenging in federal court the County Council’s decision not to grant a variance to allow rezoning of the property to allow a golf course. A second lawsuit, in state court, was withdrawn late last year.
Opponents of the proposed development, including Gov. Henry McMaster and environmental groups like the Coastal Conservation League, have argued the CPO variance would negatively impact the Gullah culture and history of St. Helena Island.
Home to the Penn Center and one of the least developed areas of Beaufort County, St. Helena has been the target of development projects which supporters contend will bring a new revenue taxes and job opportunities.
The County Council in December also rejected a proposal to accept a $600,000 federal grant for construction of a multi-million-dollar cultural center and entrepreneurial market which supporters also argued would be economic growth to St. Helena area.
And on a much smaller note, but indicative of things happening on St. Helena, at least one local business — Willie’s Bar and Grill – has been closed by the property owners after the location was the scene of a mass shooting in October in which four individuals were shot to death.
News came last week that the property owners have closed the brick building at the corner of Sea Island Parkway and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and Willie Turral, as one might expect, has filed a lawsuit.
Turral had already had his liquor license withdrawn at the request of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
County discusses former Hardee’s site behind closed doors
PORT ROYAL — For those who are still lamenting the closure of Hardee’s fast-food restaurant on Ribaut Road, may you draw some comfort in knowing that you are not alone. At least 75 franchises across the country closed their doors this month.
Apparently, it’s not only Hardee’s connoisseurs who suffering. Eight Whataburger establishments in three Southern States – Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee — also announced closures this past week.
But Beaufort County Council has been having closed-door discussions about the former Hardee’s location on Ribaut Road, at the foot of the McTeer Bridge, actually in the town of Port Royal. Their conversations also, reportedly include the vacant lot – formerly a Parker’s gas station – on the other side of Ribaut Road.
Whatever their plans may be for that property, it’s probably not a fast-food restaurant … maybe a Mexican restaurant.
Lolita Huckaby Watson is a community volunteer and newspaper columnist. In her former role as a reporter with The Beaufort Gazette, The Savannah Morning News, Bluffton Today and Beaufort Today, she prided herself in trying to stay neutral and unbiased. As a columnist, these are her opinions. The Rowland, N.C. native’s goal is to be factual but opinionated, based on her own observations. Feel free to contact her at bftbay@gmail.com.
