By Lolita Huckaby
RIDGELAND
Those of us focused on our little piece of paradise this northern side of the Broad River may have missed it, but Ridgeland town officials last week made news that impacts us by saying, “no.”
The town council, after almost three years of discussion, rejected an annexation request for Tickton Hall, 1,400 acres east of Ridgeland, eight miles away on the Euhaw River, where developers proposed to build 1,400 homes and up to 250,000 square feet of commercial space.
Fellow columnist Scott Graber has a report on that meeting in this week’s The Island News. And if you’d like even more information on the impact of the decision, check out Bill Rauch’s July 13 column in The Island News in which he broke down the financial implications of the Tickton Hall development, and other big developments into a simple “kitchen table common sense” argument.
While Tickton Hall property is bordered by S.C. 462 and Snake Road, it also impacts S.C. 170, which serves as a corridor dividing Beaufort and Jasper counties and has been the major focus of traffic impact studies by both counties. In addition to the impact on the roads, the new home sites and commercial development would have put extra strain on the water and sewer services offered by the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority (BJWSA), they would have impacted the environment of the upper reaches of the Broad River.
The Beaufort County Council is well aware of the traffic conditions on that major county thoroughfare, S.C. 170, and is, in fact, considering making traffic improvements on that highway a top priority in the next possible highway sales tax referendum. That debate – when to have another sales tax vote and how much to ask for – is nearing a head as the time for making decisions to put an item on the 2026 election ballot is close.
Speaking of saying “no,” it will be interesting to see what the Beaufort County Council says about the latest proposals from Pine Island developers. By the time you read this, sometime after the Monday (Sept. 22) council meeting, we should know how the majority of council members feel.
Will the additional enticements being offered by the developer – $3.5 million for affordable/workforce housing, home repairs and heirs property assistance, $2.5 million in nonprofit grants, $75,000 for a cemetery survey on Daufuskie Island, $500,000 for a turn lane at Dulamo Road and U.S. 21 — make a difference to at least six of the 11 representatives needed for a “yes” vote on a zoning change? Or will be majority continue to follow the advice of the county Planning Commission and say “no” to requests for variances?
These additional offerings have pretty big price tags, begging the age-old question, does “money talks?”
Hilton Head abandons STR moratorium
HILTON HEAD ISLAND — As a follow-up to the local discussion of what to do about short-term rentals, the Hilton Head Island Town Council last week dropped the idea of a moratorium on new permits in the face of public opposition.
While the council, at their recent meeting, heard from a number of residents who asked for some relief from the 10,000-plus STR’s already in operation on the island, the elected officials told the town staff drop consideration of a moratorium from the ongoing discussions about growth management.
Opponents of the moratorium had argued a moratorium would negatively impact property values.
Beaufort City Council and the Planning Commission continue to revise the development codes to tighten regulations on STR’s and accessory dwelling units, or “mother-in-law apartments.”
Ribaut Road to get new coffee spot
BEAUFORT — In case you missed it, the Ribaut Road building which once housed the popular Athena Gardens restaurant, is getting a new life.
Owners of the Urban Brew + Co. coffee shop on Boundary Street (in the former K-mart building) have announced plans to open a second coffee shop at 950 Ribaut. The building, which is part of the Beaufort Memorial Hospital campus, has for the past two years served as a temporary storage space for HELP of Beaufort, which recently opened its new headquarters at 1600 Ribaut Road.
Owners of the new coffee shop, the Olive Branch Café, say they plan to offer a breakfast and lunch menu once it opens in November.
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. The Rowland, N.C. native’s goal is to be factual but opinionated, based on her own observations. Feel free to contact her at bftbay@gmail.com.
