Beaufort City Council to tackle tree regs
By Lolita Huckaby
BEAUFORT
The new Beaufort Square shopping center we’ve been watching come out of the dirt for the past two years? 972 trees were killed in that former forest at the corner of Paris Island Gateway and Robert Smalls Parkway to make way for the new Aldi, Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx, PetSmart, etc.
And want to guess how much the North Carolina-based developers paid the city in fees for denuding the place? $82,000.
And the tract across Robert Smalls Parkway, known as the Gray Tract A or Myrtle Bush Apartments, where 312 townhouses and apartments are being built? They removed 590 trees from that 37-acre tract and paid the city $67,582 in fees.
One more piece of evidence: the Garden Oaks Apartments, under construction on Old Salem Road, 2,292 trees were filled and developers paid $33,752 in fees.
These are not made-up figures. They came from the Beaufort planning department for the City Council which was scheduled to tackle the city’s tree ordinance Tuesday night as part of their ongoing update of the city development code.
The council is taking a look at the tree ordinance because currently, the fee for removing a “landmark” or “specimen” tree is $100 per tree.
This compares to Beaufort County’s fee schedule which calls for $250 “reforestation fee” for each tree removed.
And then there’s Port Royal, whose council members drew praise almost exactly one year ago when they passed an ordinance increasing the fees from $100 per caliper inch for “landmark” trees to $750 per caliber inch. For “specimen” trees, the fee was increased from $50 to $500 per caliber inch.
Port Royal’s council agreed at its annual planning retreat to review the ordinance because of complaints that the fees were excessive and making some lots financially unbuildable. But at last week’s meeting, with “discussion of tree ordinance” on the agenda, the result was the council directing their planning director to come back with some suggested changes.
Mayor Kevin Phillips, whose recent election campaign included support for the tree ordinance, stressed he wanted to make sure whatever revisions are eventually made, “there’s still some kick in there. Some bite.” to make sure folks knew the town’s serious about protecting its trees.
We’ll have to see what course the Beaufort City Council will take. In the meantime, trees keep coming down because developers keep building.
Red flags for Bay Point, maybe
BEAUFORT – Clickbait: Something (such as a headline) designed to make readers want to “click” on a hyperlink especially when the link leads to content of dubious value or interest. Merriam-Webster definition
That’s how one friend more familiar with marketing described a recent press release with a “Bangkok” dateline that generated media coverage from those interested in the potential development of Bay Point island.
This release by IHG Hotels and Resorts offered plans for a “eco-conscious resort, spa and residential community” coming to Beaufort County via Hilton Head, Daufuskie and Bay Point. The release cites a management agreement with Bay Point LLC and the international Six Senses Resorts and Management firm headquartered in Bangkok, the foreign backers of a development plan circulated for the isolated Bay Point back in 2016.
At that time, the plans for an “eco-friendly” community called for 50 villas on Bay Point, a plan that was widely protested all the way to the Governor’s office and ultimately rejected by the county.
This latest plan, again calling for “eco-friendly” development, has expanded to include unidentified property on Hilton Head Island and the former Melrose development on Daufuskie Island.
The release, which was picked up by news and hospitality marketing sites, promised the “limited” sale of lots on Bay Point starting in 2024.
To date, no plans for any new development on Bay Point have been presented to the county although the island is, technically, already zoned for a limited number of single-family homes. At least one of those lots has already vanished from the barrier island with the only structure falling into the ocean back in 2020.
Maybe this news is just “clickbait,” a test to see who may be interested as investors or potential property owners. But it’s reason why groups like the S.C. Coastal Conservation League, the S.C. Environmental Law Project and The Nature Conservancy are so important to citizens concerned about the rapid pace of growth and the potential for development harmful to the coastal environment.
These non-profits, supported by members, have paid staff members who pay attention to the multitude of development proposals presented on almost a daily basis to county, state, and municipal regulatory agencies. Those staff members try to monitor the proposals as they make their way through the process and their success, lays in part, with notifying citizens what could be coming their way.
Who knows the future of this latest development idea or others, like the proposed development of Pine Island on the northern end of St. Helena Island? It’s almost certain these challenges end up in the courts, like the earlier plans for Bay Point, Pine Island, even 303 Associates’ plans for the hotel and parking garage in downtown Beaufort.
As long as the popularity of the Lowcountry continues to grow, these development challenges will continue, whether they’re considered “threats” or “evidence of economic growth.” It’s a difficult balance which requires everyone’s attention.
When you can’t win for losing
PORT ROYAL – Town officials were applauded recently for an aggressive road repaving project that saw most roads within the downtown area of municipality get a new level of pavement.
Well, with the accolades come the criticisms, … that started pretty much before the tar even dried. Some residents came to council to complain with the new pavement came speeders. They hope the police will help crack down on the drivers.
Interesting enough, the Beaufort County Council got a similar complaint from residents of Forrest Fields neighborhood, where new paving recently occurred.
The residents said they’d complained to the sheriff’s office in the rural part of the county. The sheriff’s department folks sent them to the Council.
Sound familiar?
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. Her goal is to be factual but opinionated, based on her own observations. Feel free to contact her at bftbay@gmail.com.
