By Lolita Huckaby
ST. HELENA ISLAND
It seems like a slow news season for the proposed Pine Island development, but things may soon pick up with the County Council agreeing last week to hire an outside attorney to review the development agreement the developers hope the elected officials will endorse.
It was in May that the County Planning Commission rejected the latest plans from developers of the 400-acre island on the grounds they still violated principles in the Cultural Protection Overlay, or CPO, district which calls for the land to remain rural.
The plans, which have been under discussion for the past three years, are described by the developers as “down zoned” because of a reduction in the number of homes from 149 to 49. But that controversial 18-hole golf course is still included.
The request to remove the property from the CPO zoning district was scheduled to go from the Planning Commission to the County Council Natural Resources Committee, as a prelude to a full County Council review. But that process was put on hold for the summer.
In the meantime, the council voted last week to hire some more attorneys — John Dubose of Smith, Robinson, Holler and Dubose in Sumter – to study the proposed agreement and give some direction.
While developers, planners, lawyers and those concerned about the future scratch their hands and try to work out compromises for the multi-million dollar homes that could be build behind gates on Pine Island, residents at the other southern end of St. Helena are worried about the less expensive housing options quietly popping up in their neighborhood.
Small road signs have been appearing along Sea Island Parkway asking islanders to ban together to stop the increasing number of rental recreational vehicles and tent camping sites.
The problem has become a become a particular point of friction in the Lands End community where residents have witnessed for the past year, wooded lots being clearing to accommodate RV’s and mobile homes which are being rented out on a monthly basis.
According to county officials, including Councilman York Glover, there’s not a lot the county can do to stop individuals from bringing RV’s or pitching tents on their own individual property.
It’s a situation that’s happening not just on St. Helena, but other parts of the county where affordable housing is at a premium and folks with a little cash are looking for a “nice, quiet” place to retire.
The southern tip of St. Helena already has the Tuck in the Wood Campground, with 80-some-odd camping spots, in operation for more than 30 years. County development approval has already been given to a 28-acre RV park to accommodate 113 camping sites on Sea Island Parkway and Yard Farm Road.
And to accommodate all the folks moving to the islands PLUS increase economic opportunities, the county’s Economic Development Corporation has been working on plans for a multi-million dollar community and cultural center for St. Helena.
Councilman Glover held a community meeting last week to discuss on-going plans for the project. According to a marketing analysis done in 2023 and presented to the County Council in September 2024, the center could generate as much as $4.7 million in revenues.
The estimates are based on a 10-year growth plan but would include full-time jobs for individuals employed to run the center and meeting space.
All indications of the change facing this once-rural area of the county, indeed the entire county, South Carolina and the East Coast. People want to move here.
Hooray for Pigeon Point Park; Now to the others
BEAUFORT — City officials celebrated the completion of the Pigeon Point playground renovations last week, a favored recreational spot for families looking for some outdoor fun.
Officials hope to complete the Washington Street Park, also under renovation, within the coming months, leaving them time to turn their focus on what to do with the next phase of the Southside Park and then … the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, which is obviously going to be a much bigger project with a much larger budget.
FYI: City is still waiting on cost estimates for this big one.
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.
