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County moves forward with plans for St. Gregory's access road

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Beaufort County is threatening to condemn property at the upscale Berkeley Hall to build a road to help churchgoers and alleviate weekend traffic on U.S. 278.

There have been numerous traffic studies and myriad public and private meetings over the proposed frontage road at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church. County administrator Gary Kubic says it's time to move forward with construction, despite the fact that Berkeley Hall residents have opposed the road.

About three years ago, the county said it would build a road in front of St. Gregory that would parallel U.S. 278 and provide an alternative way to get into and out of the church's parking lot.

After Saturday afternoon Mass and on Sunday mornings, traffic at the church, which has one of the largest parishes in South Carolina, backs up so much in the parking lot and on U.S. 278 that Beaufort County sheriff's deputies have to direct traffic.

Engineering designs finished this week show the frontage road would be built to the west through Berkeley Hall and connect to the Buckwalter Parkway-U.S. 278 traffic light. To the east, it would go to the Bluffton Township Fire Station. An opening in the median on U.S. 278 in front of St. Gregory would be closed once the frontage road is built.

"I have clear instruction from County Council to put the road in, so I'm proceeding," said Kubic.

Berkeley Hall has objected to the road because some residents worry it will create an eyesore and safety problems near the community's front gate.

Residents of Berkeley Hall have pleadedwith the county in recent months to build the frontage road only in the direction of the fire station. Kubic and county engineers have maintained that the road should go in both directions for traffic and safety reasons.

Berkeley Hall has threatened legal action to stop the road's construction.

Councilman Jerry Stewart, whose district includes both Berkeley Hall and the church, said condemning the land is a last resort, but efforts to broker a deal with Berkeley Hall have failed so far.

"The hope is that we don't have to go through any kind of condemnation. But make no mistake, if that's what has to happen, that's what will happen," Stewart said.

Adrian Morris, Berkeley Hall's chief operating officer, said Thursday he has not seen the county's latest plans and declined comment.

Though the county is pressing forward, starting construction could be delayed since the western portion of the frontage road cuts across 0.29 acres of wetlands, a tiny fraction of which is on Berkeley Hall property.

McNair Law Firm's Mary Shahid is representing Berkeley Hall and said the community would take its fight to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, agencies that must issue permits before construction over wetlands can start.

"We will be working in both agencies to prevent this from happening," Shahid said in August, predicting the community's legal opposition would delay construction of the road by two years.

St. Gregory's also has asked the Beaufort County Council for permission to expand. Plans include a second school building on the campus, more parking and a rectory. In August, the council tabled a first vote on the church's zoning request after Berkeley Hall residents protested the road.

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