Staff reports
Beaufort County held a public meeting Thursday, Jan. 30, in the Lady’s Island Middle School Gymnasium to allow Lady’s Island residents to examine proposed designs for the Hazel Farm Road/Gay Drive (S-497), and Sunset Boulevard (S-186)/Miller Drive West (S-187) Streetscape projects, as approved in the 2018 One Cent Sales Tax Referendum for the Lady’s Island Corridor Traffic Improvements.
The proposed designs for both projects included bicycle and pedestrian facilities and road improvements.
There was no formal presentation during this meeting. Instead, the meeting was conducted as an informal drop-in. Displays depicted the proposed designs, and representatives from Beaufort County Engineering, J. Bragg Consulting, and Davis & Floyd were available to discuss the proposed improvements, answer questions, and listen to feedback.
The Island News photographer Amber Hewitt attended the meeting and said the majority people willing to speak with her were not in favor of these projects as designed. Comments included “horrible idea,” “only cause more confusion” and “the county is forcing people out of their homes and off their land.”
One community member said that the fact the County has no plan to put a traffic light on Hazel Farm Road where they are putting the new Starbucks is going to result in “accident central.”
One community member who has has lived in her home for more than 50 years and it is on the route for one of the projects. She said that they want to take part of her land and that she feels like they are building roads to get people to leave their homes, and once everybody has left, they will no longer need those roads and end up developing commercially.
The proposed design exhibits and other project information can be viewed at https://bit.ly/4aNZ0Iw through Friday, Feb. 14. Citizens can view the information and submit comments by Friday, Feb. 14.
Persons requiring additional assistance due to language barriers should contact the Engineering Department at 843-255-2700.
