More than 1,000 housing units already in some stage of development as planners begin five-year review of Port Royal’s comprehensive plan
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Port Royal officials are considering another temporary pause on some multifamily development, this time while the town takes a closer look at how and where it wants to grow over the next five years.
During its Sept. 2 workshop, Town Council discussed an ordinance that would impose a moratorium on the review and consideration of certain multifamily land-use and development approvals.
The ordinance was expected to come before council for first reading during its Sept. 9 meeting. No formal action was taken during the workshop.
Mayor Kevin Phillips said the town currently has more than 1,000 housing units in some stage of development, including apartments, townhomes and single-family homes.
Those projects are spread throughout Port Royal, including along Robert Smalls Parkway, Savannah Highway and in and around the downtown area. Many were approved years ago, before the town completed extensive changes to its development code.
Phillips said that illustrates why officials need to consider the long-term effects of development decisions.
“Something can get approved today and you might not see it come up for three or four or five years down the road,” Phillips said. “So we need to be really intentional about the decisions we make today because, again, it doesn’t just affect today.”
The proposed moratorium comes as the town begins its required five-year review of its comprehensive plan, which serves as a guide for decisions involving development, transportation, natural resources, economic growth and other areas of municipal government.
Port Royal Planning Director Noah Krepps described the comprehensive plan as the town’s “North Star,” noting that development regulations are required to remain consistent with the goals outlined in the plan.
The review is expected to take about six months.
Phillips said officials do not want a major multifamily project approved during that period only to have the Planning Commission recommend a different direction for growth shortly afterward.
“What if something comes on and gets approved right now, and it’s completely adverse to what the Planning Commission brings to us?” Phillips said. “We just think it’s very prudent to just press pause, give the Planning Commission six months, really dive deep into that comp plan, and really focus on where we want to go.”
Not Port Royal’s first development moratorium
The town previously imposed a moratorium on large-scale multifamily development for 12 months and later extended it to 18 months while officials worked through major revisions to Port Royal’s development code.
Phillips said the intent then was similar – give town planners enough time to address development rules without new large-scale projects moving through the approval process at the same time.
He said growth and new housing are necessary, but officials are trying to balance development with infrastructure, public services and the character of Port Royal.
“Those developments are very important. They provide housing, they provide goods and services,” Phillips said. “But we also want to make sure that they are done in a way that honor the character and the history and they don’t put too much pressure on our infrastructure and our quality of life.”
The latest proposal would give the Planning Commission time to examine whether the town’s existing comprehensive plan still reflects Port Royal’s priorities as development continues throughout northern Beaufort County.
The review is not a complete rewrite of the plan.
Krepps said the commission will examine what has been accomplished during the past five years, what should receive greater emphasis during the next five and whether portions of the existing plan need to be adjusted.
The review will cover areas including population and demographics, transportation, the economy, natural resources and cultural resources.
Public will have opportunities to weigh in
Planning Commission work sessions will be held on the second Monday of each month, beginning Sept. 14.
The meetings will be open to the public, and residents and business owners will be able to provide comments related to the portions of the plan being discussed.
Krepps said the town also expects to release an online survey and hold a broader public workshop near the end of the review process.
Council members encouraged residents to participate before recommendations reach Town Council.
“This is a five-year review. This is not a rewrite of the plan,” Krepps said. “It’s where do we hone in for the next five years based on the plan we already have and do we need to tweak it here and there?”
Phillips said the proposed moratorium is intended to give the Planning Commission space to complete that work while growth already approved in Port Royal continues.
“We recognize that we are in a very rapidly growing and changing area,” Phillips said. “While development and growth is going to happen, we can do what we can to try and preserve and protect the things that are important to us.”
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.