Yemassee votes to annex 260 more acres into the town. This time SC has to approve it
For at least the second time this year, the Town of Yemassee swiftly voted to annex a portion of unincorporated Beaufort County land into town limits during a special meeting.
One local environmental group is calling on the town to slow its acquisition of land until it can fully revisit its comprehensive plan, which exists to guide growth in a responsible way.
Town leaders argue the most recently acquired land won’t be developed.
Town Council unanimously — and without discussion — twice voted to annex two portions of land along U.S. 17 totaling about 266.31 acres. Council voted to approve the annexation in a first reading during its regular meeting on July 13 and then again during a second reading in a special-called meeting less than a week later.
Typically the council meets once a month.
The first piece of land is roughly 251 acres running beside Tomotley Plantation, which is owned by pro-Trump lawyer Lin Wood and was annexed into the town in February. It starts on Bailey Road and ends at U.S. 17 abutting the Bull Point Plantation neighborhood. Almost all of the parcel is the Huspah Creek watershed.
The second parcel, only 15 acres, is on the opposite side of U.S. 17 adjacent to Bull Point neighborhood on the southern portion of Huspah Creek.
The town is saying “there is no chance of development since 95% of the parcels are waterways” and staff is recommending the area be zoned as Conservation Preservation District, according to meeting minutes. Staff also said they’d work with local stakeholders “to ensure this critical natural resource remains undisturbed for years to come.”
The land is owned by the S.C. Department of Transportation, so the council’s annexation vote is contingent upon approval of the State of S.C. Department of Administration/State Fiscal Accountability Authority, which is scheduled to meet Aug. 24. An agenda for that meeting has not yet been posted to the agency’s website.
Because the land is state-owned, Yemassee can’t levy any taxes or fees on the property.
Before the council’s votes, “the town received correspondence from the state advising they have no objection” to the annexation, according to meeting documents.
Although the annexation proposal did not appear on the town’s agenda until last month, a letter from DOT to Yemassee Mayor Colin Moore and Town Clerk Matt Garnes saying it has “no objection” to the proposed annexation was dated months earlier in March. The letter was signed by Secretary of Transportation Christy A. Hall.
In a letter of public comment to the council dated this May, Coastal Conservation League’s former South Coast Project Manager Juliana Smith urged council to update its comprehensive plan to include “recommendations for implementing an urban growth boundary” showing concerns about the rapid annexations. Smith now works for Beaufort County.
The letter notes the Town of Yemassee has grown more than five square miles in three years.
The town began as a perfect 2-mile circle around the now-historic train station in 1868 and had grown to about 11 square miles as of February when two out of three of Lin Wood’s newly purchased plantations were added to the town. Wood’s land accounts for 2.2 miles.
Town Clerk Garnes said Yemassee has had “exponential amount of changes for the better” since the last comprehensive plan in 2006, and council has voted to begin the search for a consultant to aid in pursuing an update.
“The town appreciates the natural beauty surrounding it and how everything is now,” Garnes said. “Our perspective is wanting to take a more active role in the case of the Huspah Creek annexation” such as being able to have a quicker emergency response and working proactively on cleaning litter.
“It was the next logical location for us,” he said.
Garnes said council supports environmental groups’ mission and looks forward to working with stakeholders but also “wants to be afforded a fair opportunity to expand our limits and ensure the land is protected.”
Jessie White, Coastal Conservation League’s South Coast Office Director, recently told The Island Packet the group has been trying to building a working relationship with Yemassee to support its growth in a responsible way.
White said the group appreciates the efforts Yemassee has begun to update the comprehensive plan but is concerned the town is still moving forward with large annexations regardless.
“In our minds, if you’re annexing large tracts of land that are opening up vast pieces of properties that can then be annexed, it’s important to have a plan in place,” she said, adding that the issue is not always about the specific property on the agenda but the consequential ones.
“We can appreciate the desire to grow, but growing without a plan is really risky,” White said, noting the town’s proximity to the ACE Basin. “Taking actions that feel inconsistent with responsible growth is a growing and continued frustration of ours,” White said.
This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 2:05 PM.
