Arbor Nature gets permit for a dump on Hilton Head’s north end. Will it stand?
This story was updated March 5 when the permit was issued.
A state permit for a solid waste transfer station, or temporary dump, has been issued to Arbor Nature, a company that owns land on Hilton Head Island’s north end, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
In emails obtained by The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette in late February, DHEC project manager Justin Koon said “the department is finalizing the permit this week and it will probably be issued next week.”
The permit was issued March 4.
The decision comes after months of public hearings in which neighbors and residents, including Hilton Head Mayor John McCann, strongly opposed the plan for a transfer station on Summit Drive.
“I cherish that we have created this desirable community to live, work and play, and this center will not contribute to the betterment of our community,” McCann told DHEC project managers. “Transfer stations do not belong anywhere near residential communities or in our environment.”
Company owner Adam Congrove said Feb. 23 that he’s hoping the drama associated with the solid waste transfer station will soon be over.
That’s not likely.
S.C. Sen. Tom Davis said he is already working to appeal the decision.
What is the permit for?
A solid waste transfer station permit is different from a landfill permit in that it allows waste and debris to be held temporarily at the site instead of permanently stored there.
Up to 240 tons of trash and debris can be on the site at any single time, according to DHEC.
The solid waste transfer station will not be publicly accessible. It is not a town trash dump, but for use by construction and demolition companies to dispose of waste while they’re completing projects on the island.
Up to 10 trucks per hour would take about six minutes to enter the site and deposit construction and demolition materials before heading back toward Dillon Road, according to the permit application.
The permitting process was frustrating to neighbors who oppose Arbor Nature’s plans.
Although two meetings were held to allow public comment, DHEC officials said they do not consider nearby traffic on roads, general opposition to the project, property values, zoning/land use, incompatible uses or suggestions for alternative uses in the permit review process.
Davis said Friday that he has 15 days to file an appeal to the full board of directors at DHEC.
“DHEC needs to stop looking at this so narrowly. They’re looking at this in the traditionally bureaucratic way,” he said in September. “They are the state agency that is supposed to protect the public from having its natural resources denigrated.”
Have questions?
You can find more information and context on Arbor Nature on The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette websites.
The newspapers will follow the permitting process and other Arbor Nature developments.
If you have questions or comments on the permit or Arbor Nature, use the online form below to submit them.
A reporter may contact you about your submission, but nothing you submit will be used without your explicit consent.
This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 3:49 PM.
