You soon could be paying a $10 Sea Pines gate fee if this happens

The Sea Pines gate fee is one step closer to increasing from $6 to $10 per car during the summer months.

The Association of Sea Pines Plantation Property Owners board voted unanimously Thursday to increase the fee. The proposed increase must be approved by the Community Services Associates board, which plans to vote Monday. Commercial interests — the management company of the Sea Pines Center — and Sea Pines Resort must also agree to the fee increase, said Charlie Miner, ASPPPO president.

Resort officials have said they would agree to the fee increase as part of the benefit terms Sea Pines residents would receive if a controversial referendum to add 90 rooms to The Inn & Club at Harbour Town is approved this fall.

At Thursday’s ASPPPO board meeting, resort president Steve Birdwell reiterated support for the increase. Miner said about a month ago business owners indicated they’d “think about it.”

“Our support of the gate fee increase is included in the terms sheet, but we also recognize CSA needs to increase its revenue,” Birdwell said Friday, noting the resort would approve the increase before the fall referendum.

ASPPO board members said Thursday the proposed fee hike could increase gate revenues by about $700,000, though they acknowledged a precise figure was difficult to project because the requested $4 increase could reduce traffic into Sea Pines.

“It might also have both effects,” said board member Beverly Serral. “We might raise a little more money, and maybe have a few fewer cars that are here.”

ASPPPO board members said if all entities agree to the increase, the gate fee should go up as soon as possible. If given final approval, it would increase to $10 per car between Memorial Day and the Tuesday after Labor Day, and would remain at $6 the rest of the year.

CSA board president Mark Griffith said Friday if CSA receives written approval from Sea Pines Resort and Sea Pines Center, the gate fee will increase, assuming approval Monday by the CSA board. If one party does not agree to the increase, it will not occur, he said.

Griffith said he hopes the fee change would occur as soon as possible rather than waiting until the fall referendum. The last gate fee increase was in 2013 when it was raised $1, bringing it to the current $6.

This story was originally published June 23, 2017 at 12:45 PM with the headline "You soon could be paying a $10 Sea Pines gate fee if this happens."