By Stephen Murray
Should we speak up when we see something that we know to be untruthful and misleading? When should we speak up? Is there an appropriate time to ask for the truth, or should we wait until some future convenient time?
I ask these questions because there has been a flood of misinformation being shared in this newspaper and on social media regarding two development projects downtown. I also ask these questions because when I spoke up about these incendiary inaccuracies during our last City Council meeting, I was chastised by an Island News columnist for my comments both for their timing and to whom they were directed, the Historic Beaufort Foundation.
As mayor, I fully expect to be criticized, especially when I make a mistake, or when the organization that I lead doesn’t meet expectations. I also expect that some of the decisions I make, or the organization makes, will upset some folks.
As former Mayor Henry Chambers once told me, “Stephen, in politics, if someone isn’t mad with you, you’re probably not doing your job.” So, I generally just try to accept the criticism and move on, with the resolve that my job as mayor is to be fair, objective, and to make decisions in the best interest of the majority of the citizens that I serve today, with a keen eye toward the future.
I also believe that truth, accuracy, and the laws on which our community, state, and nation were founded are important. Especially in this moment in time, where so many seek to mislead for their own purposes and gain. I think it’s important to be accurate in our public debate. I respect the fact that Historic Beaufort Foundation Executive Director, Cynthia Jenkins doesn’t like the downtown garage or hotel project. She is entitled to her opinion, but she is not entitled to her own facts.
The hotel and parking garage projects were both required to appear before the Historic District Review Board (HDRB). Combined, they were considered by the HDRB 13 times since 2016. These meetings were open to the public and allowed an opportunity for public comment. They span councils, mayors, planning directors, and HDRB members. There have been more than 20 articles published in local newspapers regarding these projects over the same time frame.
The HDRB consists of citizen volunteers appointed by Beaufort City Council, including one seat that is nominated by Historic Beaufort Foundation. Approvals by the HDRB for these projects began in 2016. Both projects received significant review by city staff, the public, and the HDRB to ensure they not only comply with our development code but are also aesthetically appropriate with Beaufort design standards.
Shortly after these public approvals were granted, Historic Beaufort Foundation and Graham Trask filed legal appeals challenging the projects and accused the City of Beaufort of not following our codes or procedures. Circuit Court Judge Bentley Price dismissed these appeals in January of 2023, ruling in favor of the City and upholding the decisions of the HDRB. The City of Beaufort has spent approximately $100,000 of taxpayer money and countless staff hours defending this litigation. Are there better places where your tax money could be spent?
In her piece, Jenkins asserts, “It’s not a public parking facility to alleviate Beaufort’s parking challenges.” This is false. While it will be privately owned, the parking garage will be accessible to the public, just as the existing private parking lot is open to the public today.
The city often hears concerns about parking downtown. We are constrained on one side by the Beaufort River, on the other three sides by residential neighborhoods, and only have a limited amount of vacant land to expand within walking distance to Bay Street. While I’m not necessarily excited about a parking deck downtown, I acknowledge that we need additional parking to support local shops, restaurants, and downtown events. The proposed structure will be screened by buildings on the Port Republic Street side and have a passive park with a living wall on the Craven Street side. Additionally, its mass, scale, and design have been reviewed and approved by your neighbors on the HDRB. Having the private sector build, maintain, and operate the parking deck instead of it being funded by taxpayers is worthy of consideration.
Jenkins also states these two structures will be “the two largest buildings ever built in downtown Beaufort.” Look around next time you are in downtown Beaufort. We have plenty of 3-plus-story buildings. There are taller buildings and there are longer buildings than the proposed hotel. The Regions Bank building, 700 Bay, USC Beaufort, the Beaufort Inn, and many other 3-plus-story buildings.
I recognize these two structures will change the view of the existing open parking lots that you see today, including the view from Historic Beaufort Foundation’s office. I also believe we must be careful in what we allow to be built in our Landmark Historic District. I’m certainly not suggesting that we throw the doors open to buildings that don’t respect the mass, scale, and context of their neighbors within the historic district, or anywhere in the city for that matter.
In fact, the city has begun a code review process this year to further refine our Beaufort Development Code to ensure it directs new development that aligns with residents’ expectations and will allow us to better meet the challenges of the future. Meetings will be held the third Tuesday of every month from 5 to 7 p.m., at City Hall. The public is invited to attend in person or virtually.
Private property rights are foundational to our country. Property owners have the right to improve their properties if they meet the requirements in our development code and follow the process for approvals. Neither the mayor nor City Council have the legal authority to simply take away someone’s property rights. It should concern every Beaufort property owner that a local non-profit has consistently advocated for the illegal removal of property rights, simply because they don’t like a project.
We’re not always going to agree about projects, but I hope we’ll all agree that our codes, processes, and legal framework are the best we can do to respect property rights, while balancing new development that is required for a community to be healthy. In the case of the proposed downtown hotel and parking garage, the developer has spent considerable time and money to comply with our process and codes. They have attended over a dozen public meetings and received legal approvals by the HDRB. Courts around the country have ruled that these approvals constitute vested property rights, and once granted they cannot be simply taken away without expensive legal consequence.
As a third-generation native Beaufortonian, I struggle with the growth that is occurring. As a child, I would walk down Bay Street with my grandfather, and it wasn’t uncommon to literally know everyone that you met on the sidewalk. This rarely happens today. I often joke that we should put gates up on the Whale Branch and Broad River bridges with a sign that says, “We’re full.” However, we live in a free country that allows folks to move to the place of their choosing, just as many of you reading this did. I think we’d all agree that we live in a very special corner of the world. So, it’s understandable to want to freeze Beaufort at the moment in which we discovered it, whether you were lucky enough to be born here, or just moved last week.
Balancing many competing interests in a growing city is no easy feat. We need stakeholders around the table to help guide our city into our preferred future. I am proud of the long list of strategic partners in both the public and private sectors the city has cultivated strong bonds with over the past few years. Their expertise and shared resources create a force multiplier that allows us to deliver services at a better value and ensure diversity of thought as we meet our challenges head on.
Historic Beaufort Foundation is a necessary organization that brings an important perspective to our public debate. I personally defended its seat on the Historic Review Board several years ago, when it was being considered for removal. But I hope we’d all agree, it is incumbent for our partners to be accurate, honest, and committed to the rule of law in this public debate.
My mother taught me to speak up when you see something that isn’t right. I can appreciate that Lolita Watson and others don’t think that my speaking up during a council meeting was the appropriate time to share my perspective on this issue. But, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his letter from a Birmingham jail, “we must use time creatively in the knowledge the time is always ripe to do right.”
Please reach out if I or anyone from Team Beaufort can ever be of assistance.
Stephen Murray is the Mayor of the City of Beaufort and can be reached at 727-457-2817 or smurray@cityofbeaufort.org.
