By Tony Kukulich
New owners are breathing life into a failed Beaufort apartment complex that was abandoned in mid-construction approximately two years ago.
Maxwell Creative Contracting (MCC), the new owner of Pine Court Apartments located at 2307 Pine Court Road, received final approval on its architectural plan and preliminary approval on its site plan when the project went before the City of Beaufort Design Review Board (DRB), Thursday, April 14.
“I was a little apprehensive before getting up here not knowing if there was going to be any eyebrows raised,” said Hank Maxwell, MCC owner. “Or, if you know anything about this project, if (we) were going to get a boo. But hopefully we’ll get some smiles from some people knowing that we’re taking over this project to get it moving forward. We understand that there’ve been some bad feelings about this project and the state that it’s currently in.”
The original project received final approval in May 2017. Three of five planned apartment buildings were partially constructed and a concrete slab was poured for the fourth building, but no construction was completed before work on the initiative ceased. The last construction audit was performed in March 2020 and all approvals and permits expired 180 days later. The existing buildings are wrapped in a weather resistant barrier that has degraded over time. There are some doors and windows in the structures while others are boarded up.
MCC acquired the site in October of last year and presented a plan to the DRB that very closely followed the original plan. It calls for 60 apartments — 12 one-bedroom and 48 two-bedroom units — in five buildings totaling slightly more than 58,000-square feet on a 3.35-acre lot.
“We’re here to work with the board and the city to be in compliance to follow the current code,” Maxwell said. “To be extremely clear about this project we are not wanting to make changes in any way. We don’t want to change aesthetics. We don’t want to change anything with the building. We don’t want to add any floors to the building. We just want to move forward as quickly as possible to get them built.”
While their appearance before the DRB was successful, the developers still have some significant challenges. Maxwell said that City Building Official Bruce Skipper expressed concern over the condition of the existing building, and feared that if work to stop the degradation of buildings wasn’t started soon, the city could be forced to condemn them. He recommended hiring a forensic engineer to ascertain the buildings’ structural integrity and determine what actions were necessary to ensure their continued viability.
Maxwell did that and delivered the engineering report to Skipper in January. It was at that time Maxwell learned that all permits and approvals related to the project had expired.
Appearing before the DRB, Maxwell requested the project receive final approval so they could begin to address the actions spelled out in engineering study. The city’s staff report recommended only a preliminary approval.
“We would recommend preliminary approval understanding that a lot has to be gathered to come back to a final (approval),” said Jeremy Tate, architect with Meadors Architecture who completed the city’s staff report.
Among Tate’s concerns was the fact that two of the existing buildings don’t meet the minimum setback, and will require a zoning variance from the county’s Zoning Board of Appeals. Tate said that if the developers begin to invest work in the buildings before that variance is granted, there is a risk that the variance won’t get granted and the money invested in restoring the buildings will have been wasted. While Maxwell acknowledged the risk, he appeared willing to accept it.
“We will take the risk of doing these repairs,” said Karl Kokinakis with MCC. “We also feel honestly that we have some good faith to show. The track record from the last guy is terrible.”
Tony Kukulich is a recent transplant to the Lowcountry. A native of Wilmington, Del., he comes to The Island News from the San Francisco Bay Area where he spent seven years as a reporter and photographer for several publications. He can be reached at tony.theislandnews@gmail.com.
