By Kevin Phillips
My name is Kevin Phillips, and I’m running for Mayor of Port Royal. Over the last 4 years it has been my honor and privilege to serve as a Town Councilman for the Town of Port Royal. As an elected representative, one of the most important jobs I have is to listen to the People of Port Royal. To hear their concerns and to represent those within my role of the local government.
The message I have received from an overwhelming number of citizens is clear; they are worried and they are frustrated. They are worried because they see their community changing rapidly, and that brings uncertainty about what type of community we are building, and what parts of our community we are losing. They are frustrated because they feel their voices are not being heard, even though we live in a representative democracy.
Well, I hear you. And, I believe your concerns are not unwarranted when you consider the following:
According to the latest U.S. Census data, the population of Port Royal grew 33% from 2010 to 2020. Port Royal grew another estimated 9.9% from 2020 to 2022. Combine those numbers with the more than 600 units that are in some phase of approval/development within the Town and the picture is clear. Port Royal is growing, and it’s growing fast.
To put those numbers in perspective, Mt. Pleasant also grew 33% from 2010-2020, causing the Town of Mt. Pleasant to enact a seven-year moratorium on new apartment construction. Likewise, here in the Lowcountry, Jasper County just enacted a nine-month moratorium on new development in a large part of that county. The reason for this? Jasper County grew 28% over the previous decade.
Here, in Port Royal, all of the “Best Small Town” and “Best Kept Secret” articles have worked. When talking with residents, they do not need Census data to tell them this is true. They see it and they feel it every day.
That is why as Mayor of Port Royal, I will work with Council and staff to enact a one-year moratorium on all new, large-scale, impactful residential and commercial development within the Town of Port Royal.
This is not an anti-growth stance, it’s a smart-growth proposal. If enacted, it would provide benefits in two ways. First, it will give the Town time to assess the growth we have experienced and review current zoning ordinances. Essentially, it will give us the opportunity to take account of where we are and make sure our procedures are working correctly.
Second, it will give the Town time to take a step back and work on recommendations for smart growth and where that growth should occur best as we move forward. It will give us time to prepare our infrastructure and identify environmentally sensitive land for preservation. Overall, it will give the Town the opportunity to press pause, and reset the table for the type of Town we want to see grow and flourish.
In life it’s important to stop from time to time and take assessment of where you are, how you got there, what you are doing right, what are you doing wrong, and make changes accordingly. For anyone who says this might be extreme, I ask you to think how quickly one year goes by. Do you really think a one-year pause will destroy our opportunity for a prosperous future? I do not. Just remember the words of our 32nd President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.”
While growth and development are be inevitable, I believe the people of Port Royal should have a voice in the future of their Town. I want to be that voice. So on November 7, vote Kevin Phillips for Mayor of Port Royal.
Kevin Phillips is a local attorney with Schiller & Hamilton of Lady’s Island. He sits on Port Royal’s Town Council and is running for Mayor of Port Royal. He can be contacted at kphillips@portroyal.org.
