By Lolita Huckaby
Lady’s Island residents push for renewed development plans
BEAUFORT
While the county and city of Beaufort planners are thinking about how to “reimagine Ribaut Road” and Port Royal is working on plans to redesign Paris Avenue, the folks on Lady’s Island are asking, “hey, how about us?”
A lively delegation showed up at Monday’s meeting of the County Council Community Services and Land Use Committee to air their frustrations.
“If any place needs a master plan for future development, Lady’s Island is it,” said Chuck Newton of the Sea Island Corridor Coalition, who has been pushing the county and city to get some plan in place to help with the growing traffic issues.
The County Council, assisted by consultants and residents after a series of public meetings, in 2017 adopted a vision plan for the Lady’s Island Village Center. The plan, as proposed, focused on developing a “walkable” community in the business area between the Woods Memorial Bridge and the Sea Island Parkway/Sams Point Road intersection.
Since then, Walmart on the Island has opened, Harris Teeter is finally under construction and a half-dozen car washes and auto part stores have opened, all adding to the traffic load on that part of U.S. 21.
Whitehall Park, at the foot of the Woods Bridge, has opened and the residential and commercial development which will occur on the privately held part of Whitehall is slowly rising from the ground.
Part of the problem, county planners explained to the Council Committee on Monday, is the area is half within the Beaufort city limits, half in the county. (Monday’s presentation took the form of a lecture since the majority of the 11 members weren’t on County Council when those initial plans were discussed. And a part of the problem, which the planners did NOT mention is that the majority of council members live south of the Broad River which has its own set of traffic problems.)
Just to develop a “holistic” approach to the problem – including not just traffic solutions but infrastructure needs and land use patterns – will cost the county roughly $25,000 with hopes that the City Council will contribute another $25,000 for a master plan.
While business owners along with hundreds of new homeowners moving to the island are experiencing traffic issues, members of Monday afternoon’s audience asked the Committee to come up with some definite schedule to move forward on coming up with a master plan for future growth.
Council members agreed and directed the county planners to meet with city planners (they’re new also, as well as the relatively new city manager) and come up with some recommendations.
As a council member said later in the meeting in reference to another growth development problem, “sounds like we’re just kicking the can down the road.”
Tree lovers have reason to celebrate
BEAUFORT – The County Council DID make one group of residents happy Monday – tree lovers.
The council unanimously authorized the purchase of 12 acres off Paris Island Gateway in a rapidly growing part of the town of Port Royal. The acreage is home to the former Cherry Hill Plantation, site of the county’s oldest live oak, believed to be around 350 years old.
Purchase price is $1.55 million, which comes from the county’s Rural and Critical Lands Program. The current property owners dedicating funds to preserve and maintain the tree.
The future of the tree was at stake last summer when developers put forth a plan to develop apartments on the property. Concerned residents banded together and pushed the county and Port Royal to work together on saving the property and converting it to a public park.
Liquor liabilities ‘Murdaughized’
BEAUFORT – As if there hasn’t been enough fallout associated with the infamous Murdaugh murders in the past two years, yet another unintended consequence has come to light.
Thanks to reports from the Post And Courier, complaints from restaurant and bar owners across the state about the rising cost of insurance were aired recently, along with threats of business closures.
Hospitality businesses struggling with first, COVID restrictions, followed by a shortage of workers, are now facing insurance hikes that make some throw in the proverbial bar towel.
One Horry County bar owner stated his liquor liability insurance alone had increased from $25,000 annually in 2020 to $145,000 last year.
So how do can this burdensome situation be linked to the Murdaugh saga (soon to be played out – again – on a Lifetime TV movie in mid-October)?
A 2017 bill passed by the state legislature required businesses selling liquor to have a minimum of $1 million of liability insurance. And apparently that legislation also made it easier to sue bars, restaurants and convenience stores who sold alcohol.
Readers who have followed the Murdaugh comings and goings know where this is going. The Savannah-based Parkers convenience store chain was sued by the family of victims killed in a 2019 boat accident, in which the now dead son of Alex Murdaugh was accused of driving. The Beaufort County store was cited for selling beer to the underage Murdaugh the night of the accident.
The company’s lawyers agreed to settle in July with $15 million for wrongful death and $3.5 million in injuries to the other boat passengers. Prior to the settlement, Parkers officials publicly threatened to leave South Carolina because of the insurance laws.
The settlement obviously set a precedent which other insurance companies are watching. The Post And Courier reports 14 insurance carriers of liquor liability have pulled out of South Carolina but not in adjoining Georgia or North Carolina.
So, more bars and restaurants serving alcohol and contributing to our tourism economy may be forced out of business. Seems like the only people getting rich in this state are the lawyers.
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.
