Port Royal plans to take next step in mapping its future

The Beaufort-Port Royal Joint Planning Commission will consider recommending approval of Port Royal's 2009 Comprehensive Plan tonight, one of the final steps before the document becomes the main guide for growth in the area over the next decade.

Port Royal's plan delves into the town's population, economic development, natural and cultural resources, community facilities, housing, land use, walkability and transportation.

Officials "tried to get a little more detailed with intended land uses" throughout the town's distinct neighborhoods and areas, town manager Van Willis said.

In Shell Point, for instance, Port Royal should promote commercial businesses along Savannah Highway, more mixed-use and regional commercial buildings along Parris Island Gateway and maintain a strong neighborhood feel with opportunities for walking and biking, according to the plan.

Port Royal's Old Village, especially Paris Avenue, should have more buildings, shops and residents and improved access to the water and public beach, according to the plan. The document notes that redevelopment of the Port of Port Royal would play a major role in this goal.

Port Royal paid Lott+Barber , an architecture and community planning firm, about $70,000 to prepare the plan with input from town officials and the public, Willis said.

At more than 120 pages, the plan took about a year to develop, town planning administrator Linda Bridges said.

After the planning commission recommends approval of the plan, it moves on to the Town Council for consideration. The council could hear a first reading of the plan Oct. 14.

One of the document's most important accomplishments, Willis said, is its incorporation of guidelines outlined in the Northern Beaufort County Regional Plan -- a growth and land-use plan established in 2007 between Port Royal, the city of Beaufort, Beaufort County and Yemassee.

"We wanted to make sure we're on the same page as far as development goes," Willis said.

The plan advocates moving toward a form-based zoning code, another major change from previous plans, Bridges said. Form-based code focuses more on the appearance and style of buildings and less on their use, she said.

"Our sense of place has been lost and the public realm largely ignored," according to the document. "Port Royal recognizes the need to think more comprehensively about 'land use' than just the distinction of commercial, industrial or residential."

The document also calls for creating an implementation committee that would advance and monitor progress of goals in the document.

PLAN HIGHLIGHTS

Port Royal's Comprehensive Plan lists dozens of goals and strategies, including the following:

• Work with Beaufort County and the city of Beaufort on building a biking and walking trail on the old Port of Port Royal Railroad line and other transit improvements

• Develop a flood-zone map of the town, urge citizens to buy federal flood insurance and become involved in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Community Rating System, which could help Port Royal reduce flood insurance costs for its residents by 10 percent.

• Improve The Sands.

• Create a performance arts venue and a dog park

• Establish an organization to foster development in the Old Village, especially on Paris Avenue

• Adopt an ordinance to reduce light pollution.

• Develop and adopt standards for protecting freshwater wetlands.

• Provide more flexibility in commercial zoning districts to permit smaller non-retail uses such as contractors' offices, small assembly facilities and light-industrial operations.

• Encourage development of an interactive historical museum that would highlight the town's shrimping industry and maritime history.

• Implement a septic tank maintenance program

• Work with established neighborhoods to develop plans and guidelines for redevelopment and new construction.

IF YOU GO

What: Beaufort-Port Royal Joint Planning Commission meeting

When: 5:30 p.m. today

Where: Port Royal Town Hall, 700 Paris Ave.