Residents organize over Lady’s Island development issues

When Beaufort City Council members considered a proposal earlier this month that could bring a Taco Bell to Lady’s Island, a group emerged to introduce itself.

Members of the Sea Island Corridor Coalition were probably already familiar to council members, but debate over development led the group to organize and select a name befitting their perceived role as resident watchdogs of the stretch of Sea Island Parkway from Woods Memorial Bridge to Chowan Creek Bluff.

The group started with Distant Island residents who were concerned about the forthcoming Walmart near Beaufort County Airport. Their numbers and development interests have since grown to include members throughout Lady’s Island and St. Helena.

On April 12, the group was present for a vote to annex and rezone a parcel near the Walmart underway. Taco Bell is believed to be interested in the land.

Chuck Newton, representing the new coalition, said the group supported the annexation but thought the new highway commercial zoning was too broad and a drive-thru restaurant would negatively affect traffic.

The measures passed, but Newton and others had achieved a goal of staying informed on potential development before it breaks ground.

“We want to shine some light on the development process and be a respected influential voice for the communities that bear the brunt of development decisions,” Newton said Friday.

Some residents learned too late about the planned unit development agreement long in place for the Walmart site. Others didn’t know the details of a possible neighborhood off of Sams Point Road that would have included more than 300 homes.

And a clear-cut site for a D.R. Horton community called Oyster Bluff in a highly traveled area on Sams Point Road drew outrage and has Beaufort County considering its tree rules.

Since its inception, the group has been posting updates from governmental meetings to its Facebook page, such as site plans for the Harris Teeter planned for Sams Point Road and Sea Island Parkway and proposed changes to the planned unit development known as Greenheath adjacent to Coosa Elementary School.

Newton has posted membership information on a popular environmental email group and penned an introduction for the next Lady’s Island Business and Professionals Association newsletter.

Membership has grown to about 100 from throughout the Sea Islands, Newton said, including the communities of Crystal Lake, New Point, Coosaw Point, Royal Pines, Lost Island, Distant Island and Dataw Island.

The professionals group has traditionally been the voice for all things Lady’s Island, but Newton said there was a niche for development issues needing attention. Attempts to reach LIBPA representatives were unsuccessful Friday afternoon.

“We’re still early in the game; we’re still trying to get our act together,” Newton said. “And it’s moving along quickly and very positively.”

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Residents organize over Lady’s Island development issues."