Status: The proposed bill to grant tax incentives to this mall is officially dead. The option for Sembler to purchase the greater portion of the property lapsed, leaving them with ownership of only 40 acres. At present, there are no environmental permit applications submitted for this property.

What is the issue?

In 2008, the City of Hardeeville annexed a 282 acre parcel in close proximity to the headwaters of the Okatie River. The parcel lies in both Jasper and Beaufort Counties. Plans for the site include a 1.7 million square foot mall. This represents a tremendous amount of pavement near the headwaters of the already impaired Okatie. The Sembler Corporation submitted an application for wetland fill on the site, which they subsequently withdrew. A bill to offer significant state tax incentives to Sembler for this mall was defeated in the 2010 legislative session.

How would it affect South Carolina?

Several of the waterways in Beaufort and Jasper Counties are classified as impaired. The Okatie River is the first of these rivers in our area to undergo the Clean Water Act mandated Total Maximum Daily Load evaluation with DHEC. A 1.7 million square foot mall in close proximity to the most sensitive area of this river would clearly contribute additional contaminant load at the very moment that our State is spending money to determine how to reduce that load.

What can you do about it?

Our Bluffton Township Watershed Plan identifies this as an area for preservation, meaning that approved development for this site should be transferred to another location. This makes Hardeeville an important participant in the Bluffton Township Watershed Plan.
Beaufort County has legitimate reasons to oppose this project as much of the traffic and infrastructure cost will fall to their jurisdiction.

Flight provided by Southwings

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