This property at Beaufort gateway isn’t much to look at. Here’s what’s planned
A proposed new commercial self-storage facility would improve the look of an ugly parcel located at one of Beaufort’s gateway intersections, a city board agrees, but major details — including required setbacks, buffers and colors — have slowed approval of the redevelopment.
Right now, a run-down building greets those who pass by 1 Parris Island Gateway, which is at the intersection with Boundary Street, the city’s western entrance, and 1.5 miles southeast of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
Under-utilization and neglect have made the property an eyesore at the crossroads entrance to Beaufort, Savannah developer Jefferson Bennett says. The property’s irregular shape and limited access, he adds, make reuse of the the property with other types of development problematic.
ExtraSpace Storage, which would have 70,485 square feet of storage space, would remove a hazardous property from a prominent Beaufort intersection, he says.
“This is a gateway location coming into the city, and we are looking to improve it,” said Bennett, adding he almost got mugged by a person living on the property when he visited it one night.
Last week, the Design Review Board voted 2-1 to grant preliminary approval, against the advice of city planners, but the project has other hurdles: 23 conditions the city says must be met before final approval is granted.
Bennett complained about the number of conditions, arguing the city was, in effect, asking him to pay for his permit before the advisory board approved the plans. But DRB members countered that he couldn’t ask the city to change its process.
Bennett, with Jefferson Bennett Development Group LLC, says the project will transform the 2.4-acre property. The existing building will be refurbished, and a two-story building will be added, along with a drive-through feature.
“What we’re proposing is the highest and best use of the property,” said Bennett, noting the property is accessible from Ice House Road but not from Boundary Street, the city’s main thoroughfare.
The DRB approved the conceptual plans in June, but city staff noted that six conditions from the conceptual approval still had not been satisfied. That includes city requests regarding setbacks, buffering and colors. There remain 23 conditions attached to the project’s approval.
In light of the unfulfilled conditions, city planners had recommended that the board defer preliminary approval. Final approval still is required.
Bennett, saying he was a “little upset” by all of the conditions at this stage in the process, argued the requests were beyond the scope of the DRB and should be handled during the permitting process.
To meet every condition, he said, he would need to spend $100,000 before he knows whether DRB members are on board.
City planners responded that the items addressed in the conditions involve the exterior of the project, which fall under the purview of the DRB.
“You’re asking us to change our process,” Kimberly McFann, a member of the board, told Bennett.
City planners, McFann added, are just asking for more details. She also noted the DRB had given preliminary approval to the concept, an indication that it was on board with the project.
The Spanish Moss Trail runs past the property. City staff supports building a screen wall along the trail, which Bennett has proposed.
This story was originally published October 19, 2021 at 1:38 PM.
