From staff reports
The Department of Community & Economic Development has completed a working draft of the City of Beaufort’s 2021 Comprehensive Plan. The draft was presented to City Council at its July 13 meeting, and is now available on the City’s website for review and comments from stakeholders and the public.
The Comprehensive Plan is the document that guides all decisions related to planning, zoning, and development in the City of Beaufort, as required by South Carolina law. It was last updated in 2009. The new working draft was informed by the current Comprehensive Plan, the City’s Strategic Plan, the Civic Master Plan, and Beaufort 2030 Future Vision exercise.
Among the most significant changes in the proposed Comprehensive Plan: an update of City demographics, a new future land use map, a resiliency element, and an update of the City’s vision, goals, and objectives.
The Comprehensive Plan’s various components include land use, housing, community facilities, cultural resources, natural resources, transportation, and resiliency.
Timetable
July 14: Electronic public comment period opens. Public and various stakeholders are invited to review document and submit comments via email. The Comprehensive Plan can be reviewed by subject matter.
July 19: Working draft presented to Metropolitan Planning Commission.
Aug. 5, 12: Public is invited to a daytime and evening session at City Hall to review details of document and submit comments.
Aug. 20: Electronic public comment period closes.
Aug. 24: Synopsis of public comments is presented to City Council at Work Session.
Sept. 14: Public Hearing during City Council Regular Meeting is held on proposed plan.
Sept. 20: Final draft is presented to MPC for approval.
Sept. 28: Final draft is presented to City Council during Work Session.
Sept. 29-Oct. 5: Final revisions made.
Oct. 12: Final Comprehensive Plan presented to City Council for approval.
Public comment
The draft Comprehensive Plan can be found on the City’s website at www.cityofbeaufort.org/491/Comprehensive-Plan. The Dropbox link can be found here: bit.ly/2021CompPlanWorkingDraft. A more detailed timeline can be found here: bit.ly/CompPlanTimetable.
Comments may be emailed to Senior Planner Dan Frazier at dfrazier@cityofbeaufort.org. Those who wish to comment are asked to submit their names and addresses, so that we can map where responses are coming from.
In addition, the draft Comprehensive Plan will be posted several times on the City’s Facebook page and distributed through the Nextdoor social media platform. The draft will also be shared with the City’s Neighborhood Association and all stakeholder organizations and governments.
The public can also comment by attending one of three sessions on Aug. 5 and Aug. 12 at City Hall. On Aug. 5, the session will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. On Aug. 12, the afternoon session will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and the evening session from 5 to 7 p.m. City Planning staff will share highlights from the proposed plan, as well as answer any questions. The public can submit comments via cards during those sessions.
