Safe Harbor discussions not so productive
By Lolita Huckaby
PORT ROYAL
The headline read two weeks ago Port Royal Mayor Kevin Phillips considered a recent meeting with Safe Harbor Marinas LLC “productive.”
Well, that story’s changed, thanks to Safe Harbor.
The City Council was prepared last week to celebrate not just Valentine’s Day but the first reading vote to an ordinance granting certain easements to the international marina development company for extension of the Spanish Moss Trail across Ribaut Road and through their waterfront project.
Alas, the council was jilted by an email prior to that meeting that Safe Harbor wanted more than the agreement.
Specifically, Safe Harbor said they didn’t like the proposed 24-foot wide bike path and wanted that reduced to 8 feet; they wanted town approval to place storage containers on the dock site; they wanted permanent sewer connections for the on-site portable toilets; they wanted temporary dock-building operations for facilities other than Port Royal to be allowed to continue.
Apparently, the discussions will continue, behind closed doors since attorneys are involved. But Phillips, who happens to be an attorney told the council he’s willing to consider condemnation of Safe Harbor property if that’s what it takes to get the bike path across the road.
The council will meet for its annual planning retreat Friday and it’s a sure bet the project will be discussed, if not resolved.
… oops there goes another one … or … Duke Street demolition approved by review board
BEAUFORT – “It’s a sad moment in Beaufort’s preservation story.”
That’s what Historic Review Board Chairman Mike Sutton said last week about his own board’s unanimous vote to demolish two circa 1901 unoccupied structures in the Northwest Quadrant that were deemed too expensive to fix.
Anyone who’s been watching the actions of HRB would know he should have said ‘ANOTHER’ sad moment since we’ve seen building after building being bulldozed for what some would call “progress.”
The two cottages at 1607 and 1609 Duke Street once housed a beauty parlor and a little neighborhood grocery long before the Midtown Center homes across the street were even dreamed of.
The three members of the board – the other two were absent or declared a conflict of interest – continued a debate begun two months ago about the value of restoring versus demolishing the buildings, a debate which has occupied the board for the past decade.
The current HRB ultimately agreed last week with the request of the property owner, who was supported by the Freedmans Art District and its founder Dick Stewart and contended the two buildings would be too expensive to repair.
Their vote was in conflict with the city’s planning director and staff who felt all “necessary options” to preserve the buildings had not been explored.
Beaufort Historic Foundation was part of the debate, asking that the buildings not be demolished, noting that at least 26 structures of historic significance had been lost within the district since 2001.
Sutton countered that the historic preservation community should step up and encourage the City Council to provide funding to help property owners preserve their buildings which are facing demolition by neglect.
Until that happens, he noted, review boards just have to follow the rules. Just like the folks who cut down trees in the city, they’re also following the city rules.
Old buildings … trees … things that gave Beaufort the character to make it a special place are disappearing. In exchange, we’re getting new traffic intersections, more sidewalks, maybe some traffic circles, a new shopping center to include a Hobby Lobby, more apartments complexes without a noticeable drop in rents … the list goes on.
Conservation group delivers some good news for northern Jasper County
YEMASSEE – And now some good news in the battle for land preservation. The Nature Conservancy announced last week – on Valentine’s Day – the purchase of 4,000 acres in northern Jasper County, a piece of prime waterfront real estate.
The $35 million purchase encompasses the Gregorie Neck property which sits on either side of I-95 and has deep-water access to the Coosawhatchie and Tulifiny rivers.
The Conservancy is working with the Beaufort County Open Land Trust to establish easements on the property which will limit construction of homes to no more than six homes.
No information on what the cost of those homes will eventually be but it’s a sure bet they won’t qualify as “affordable housing.”
Town may be growing but not its bank
YEMASSEE – Some not so good news for this little, growing town in the northern part of Beaufort County – they’re losing their local bank.
Citizens showed up at a recent town council meeting to urge the elected leaders to “do something” about Truist Bank’s decision to close the town’s only bank.
The Yemassee branch is apparently one of 72 the Charlotte, N.C.-based financial institute announced they would be closing this year. As most people know, this national trend is a result of budget cuts and the realization that more than 60 percent of current bank transactions are done on line.
Not so for the citizens who showed up at the town council meeting. Many of them reported family members and friends who have limited computer skills and a trip to the bank was something of a social outing.
The next closest banks are 25 miles away in Walterboro, where the Truist branch has already closed. But five other banks are still open.
Just another sign of the times.
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.
