By Lolita Huckaby
BEAUFORT
By the time you read this column with your morning coffee, the future of STR’s (short-term rentals) in the city of Beaufort may be a political hot potato “put to bed.”
At least a lot of Beaufort residents, and City Council members themselves, hope so.
After several months of discussion and at least two lengthy public hearings on the matter, the City Council scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday, April 21, to hopefully resolve the issue.
We shall see.
The City Council has been debating changes to the short-term rentals, as part of their ongoing effort to update the city’s development masterplan, for the past several months.
And, like very time the issue comes up, citizens with strong opinions, pro and con, turn out. Those opposed to STRs, who argue the in-and-out arrival of unknown guests ruin their neighborhoods, are usually in the majority.
This current discussion was exacerbated by a proposal to remove the STR ban that exists for the historic Point neighborhood, a suggestion that became a rallying cry for The Point residents who argued they already sacrifice privacy to the tourist traffic that flows through the narrow streets of their neighborhood.
City Councilman Josh Scallate made the proposal to remove The Point restrictions, in an effort to bring equality to all neighborhoods within the city. As of last week’s Council meeting, when second reading of the proposed ordinance was tabled for the special meeting this week, April 21, the future of the exemption for The Point from the neighborhoods allowing STR’s seemed to be uncertain.
Again, we’ll see.
The bottom line is the city already has 250 legally registered STR’s in 24 square miles. One speaker at the public hearings said the city only has 100 long term rentals but that obviously doesn’t include the apartment complexes that appear to spring up from the low lands along Robert Smalls Parkway.
Various arguments have been made – establish a city-wide limit, continue the 3% and 4% percent caps on units for different neighborhoods, ban “corporate” buyouts (where development corporations come in, buy up properties and turn them into STR’s).
Mayor Phil Cromer, who’s made it clear he doesn’t intend to run again in two years when his four-term term is up, said he favors doing away with all STR’s. But he doesn’t have the support from at least two of his council members who deal in real estate – Mayor Pro Tem Mike McFee and Councilman Josh Scallate – who see them as economic development for an area dependent on tourism.
National reports about STR’s vary. Some strategists say they’re still excellent investments with increasing demand. Others contend the market is “maturing” and STR’s become more difficult and expensive to offer for the individual property owner.
There have been studies that indicate STR’s do not impact the availability of long-term rentals, which, according to Zillow, range in average monthly cost in the city of Beaufort from $1,423 to $1,805.
Let’s face it, restrictions for STR’s like all the other development issues facing municipalities are going to continue to be a topic of debate.
The town of Port Royal was one of those which imposed a temporary moratorium two years ago on new STR’s which the council worked out additional restrictions.
The Hilton Head Island Town Council has been debating STR’s of late, rejecting a moratorium proposal but still working to tighten restrictions where more than 10,000 STR’s exist.
We talk a lot about housing, especially those who are looking for a house or an upgrade, and the impact of STR’s is going to continue to be part of that discussion.
Good luck to the City Council. With elections coming up this year for two of the seats, it will be another good question to ask the candidates.
Port Royal and its issues with trees
PORT ROYAL — While Port Royal town officials may not have STR-issues on their current to-do list, they certainly have their issues to contend with, including the recent realization they’re looking at a $349K budget shortfall.
They have to look no further for the source of their financial problem than the 400-unit Preserve apartment complex looming over the landscape on Ribaut Road.
Reporter Delayna Earley outlined the town’s latest financial nightmare two weeks ago in the April 9 issue of The Island News. The Preserve, now owned by Sundance Bay LLC of Utah, had a property tax bill of $1.34 million last year; this year, because of a loophole they were able to find in state law, they pay nothing.
Officials are hopeful the local state delegation can find a way to help.
In the meantime, while struggling to grapple with the financial consequences of a 22-year-old residential development, town officials have been fielding questions about the massive tree removal that took place last week in front of The Preserve.
Land clearing for 123 new townhouses, a Mungo Homes development called Mariners Walk, began on wooded property adjacent to The Preserve.
And because the developer got plan approval prior to passage of the town’s 2024 updated tree protection ordinances, the “credits” they received for leaving approximately 47 trees – notable, per development code because of their size and type – means they’re not required to pay any fees for the removal.
But, not to say Port Royal officials don’t care about trees.
Plans to renew a fight with the U.S. Navy for access to the historic Emancipation Oak, located within the gates of the Naval Hospital Beaufort were recently announced.
At the April 8 council meeting, the elected officials passed a resolution asking for public access to a historic oak tree grove which once stood on the site of the John Joyner Smith Plantation. On New Year’s Day 1863, hundreds of freed slaves were joined on the site by Union soldiers and other citizens to hear a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation.
The area has been officially closed to the public behind Naval Hospital fences since the hospital was built 75 years ago.
A discussion about access to the area took place in 2017 as part of the establishment of the Camp Saxton Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, but town officials are more hopeful their request will be honored this time.
Perhaps they have reason for hope.
Just recently, the town celebrated the completion of a 400-yard sidewalk along the Naval Hospital perimeter fence, a project that took more than 10 years to complete because of government red tape. Because of his efforts to complete the sidewalk, Town Manager Van Willis was honored by naming that stretch of concrete, “Willis Way.”
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.