South Coast Newsletter, February 2024
Despite the cooler temperatures, the month of February got off to a hot start as our South Coast team partnered with community members from St. Helena Island and Jasper County to rally against incompatible development threats.
Our corner of the Lowcountry and the people that call its beautiful landscapes home are worth fighting for. From the stately longleaf pines of Jasper County to the expansive St. Helena Island salt marsh, stick around to learn more about the Conservation League’s work to tackle pressing issues facing these two rural communities.
St. Helena Island Advocates Visit Columbia
This February, Conservation League staff loaded up a sprinter van and hit the road with our partners from St. Helena Island. After the two-and-a-half-hour trip, we arrived at the State House in Columbia where we met with Governor Henry McMaster and members of the Beaufort delegation including Rep. Michael Rivers, Rep. Shannon Erickson, and Rep. Bill Herbkersman.
We also ran into local council members from the Town of Port Royal and City of Beaufort in the lobby. We thanked all of these leaders for their time and willingness to listen and serve the people of South Carolina. Overall, it was a successful day advocating for the continued protection of St. Helena Island and its Cultural Protection Overlay (CPO).
The CPO prohibits golf courses, resorts, and gated communities on St. Helena because this type of development has historically displaced Gullah/Geechee residents across the Sea Islands at places like Hilton Head Island.
St. Helena Island residents had the foresight to adopt this policy in the 1990’s and have fought tirelessly to uphold its purpose and intent since December of 2022–when the threat of a proposed Golf Resort on the 500-acre Pine Island property first emerged.
Dr. Martin Luther King’s Legacy on St. Helena
Last month, Conservation League staff participated in the City of Beaufort’s Martin Luther King Jr. parade alongside the Penn Center. Our South Coast Office Director, Jessie White, even voyaged on the Penn Center’s bateau, named Amistad, through the streets of downtown Beaufort.
Did you know the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited St. Helena five times between 1964 and 1967? In the early stages of the Civil Rights Movement, the Penn Center was often used a meeting place by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and it is believed he drafted parts of the “I Have a Dream” Speech while at Penn Center. Dr. King’s legacy continues to inspire the people of St. Helena Island to unite, organize, and stand up for justice.
Penn School for Preservation to Reignite
The Conservation League’s relationship with the Penn Center spans three decades and was forged when we partnered to create the Penn School for Preservation. The Penn School for Preservation launched in October 1993, with a course curriculum focused on rural economic development, environmental protection, and community empowerment.
Participants learned about zoning and planning and honed their leadership and advocacy skills. Classes graduated in 1994 and 1995, wearing the traditional Penn colors of red and white. The Penn School for Preservation laid the groundwork for the community-driven Cultural Protection Overlay (CPO) zoning.
That is why we were thrilled to hear that, in February, the Penn Center received a $650,000 grant from the Coastal Community Foundation to recreate the course. Emory Campbell, the namesake of the new school, was Penn Center’s Executive Director for 20+ years and also served on the Conservation League’s Board. We look forward to partnering with the Penn Center on this impactful programming.
Town of Ridgeland Entertains Annexation
While our work to protect St. Helena Island continues, we have also been busy in Jasper County, where a development threat at Chelsea has resurfaced. In mid-January, the Town of Ridgeland accepted a controversial annexation for 3,000 acres of the Chelsea property.
Part of the Lowcountry Sentinel landscape, Chelsea fronts the Port Royal Sound and is considered a high priority for land protection. You may recall in the summer of 2023 Jasper County placed a moratorium on certain development within the Euhaw-Broad River Planning Area. Chelsea also falls squarely in the moratorium area.
In 2022, the same developers approached Jasper County with plans for Chelsea South, but their rezoning request stalled as a result of consistent and widespread opposition from the community.
This new annexation and development agreement would entitle 2,000 homes and 250,000 square feet of commercial space. Currently, the land is zoned Rural Preservation in unincorporated Jasper County.
In what appears to be a classic case of “zone shopping,” the developers have now approached the Town of Ridgeland in search of a more favorable forum to approve their project. For more information about annexation and how to speak up in opposition to the Chelsea development, visit the Conservation League blog.
“Keep Chelsea Rural” Group Rallies
We are working closely with our partners at the grassroots group known as Keep Chelsea Rural. On February 8th, we participated in a community meeting held at the Port Royal Sound Foundation to discuss the proposed development mentioned above, hear the community’s concerns, and lend our land-use policy expertise.
The Conservation League shares many of the community concerns expressed at this meeting including: impacts to water quality from increased runoff, loss or rural character, and the cost of providing services such as fire, police, EMS, and schools.
Likewise, we are alarmed by the distance from the Town’s core, the lack of infrastructure to accommodate rapid growth, and the potential to exacerbate congestion on narrow and dangerous roads like Snake Road and Highway 462.
The League is committed to championing the conservation of large tracts like Chelsea along the Port Royal Sound. Land protection and conservation in this sensitive corridor is paramount to ensure our quality of life and natural resources are not compromised by suburban sprawl.
While we understand Ridgeland’s desire to grow, we hold the position that growth should be concentrated closer to the Town’s core to protect sensitive lands—and that regional cooperation is necessary to handle rapid growth pressures across the Lowcountry.
Public hearings regarding Chelsea are scheduled for Thursday, March 21,and April 4that 6:00 p.m. Stay tuned for more announcements regarding these meetings. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Events:
March 8th, 2024- Oyster Reef Build with SCORE
March 9th, 2o24- March Madness at Port Royal Sound Foundation-4:00PM-7:00PM
Upcoming Meetings:
March 4th, 2024- Jasper County Council
March 5th, 2024- Hilton Head Town Council
March 7th, 2024- Hardeeville City Council
March 7th, 2024- Ridgeland Town Council
March 11th, 2024- Beaufort County Council
March 12th, 2024- Beaufort City Council
March 12th, 2024- Yemassee Town Council
March 13th, 2024- Port Royal Town Council