Tensions rise: Pine Island development debate comes to a head. Over 100 residents show up
Tensions around a newly-submitted zoning amendment request for development on Pine Island came to a head Monday night during a county council meeting.
This is not a new debate to the community, nor is it a simple one, but it is one that has recently struck the hearts of those who fall on either side of it.
Well before the meeting started, the parking lot at the St. Helena library was nearly full. People wearing green T-shirts and holding signs labeled “Downzoning = Appropriate Growth” filed into the library’s meeting room. Others wore small pink stickers that said “Uphold CPO” or “Protect St. Helena.”
By 6 p.m., the room was packed — at least 100 community members filled the rows of seats and stood wherever they could find room to stand.
Pine Island has been protected by a cultural protection overlay (CPO) since the 1990s that prohibits the development of resorts, gated communities and golf courses on most of St. Helena Island.
Most recently, developer Elvio Tropeano submitted a new proposal on April 7 to amend the zoning map and remove the Pine Island property from the CPO. The new proposal, described as a “voluntary and permanent downzoning” of the island, would consist of 49 residential units and an 18-hole golf course upon removal of the property from the CPO.
The plan also includes providing land and $2.5 million in funding for a community center on the island and pledges to preserve open space, some of which is the proposed golf course. Further, a foundation supported by property transfer fees will donate to local non-profits.
Should the county deny Tropeano’s request, the developer proposes a denser residential development of 149 homes with 90 docks. This is referred to as the “full density plan” and can be developed as a matter of right. This iteration of the plan would not include a community center, open space preservation nor a community foundation.
Words from the community
Even though the zoning amendment request for Pine Island was not on the meeting’s agenda, community members from St. Helena spoke out on the topic during the public comment period. This is the second time this month that Pine Island has been a main talking point during public comment.
Community members representing both sides of the argument used their three-minute talking period to address the council Monday.
Marque Fireall captured the complexity and divisiveness of the issue when he addressed the council: “As y’all can see, I am in support of the CPO, while a lot of my friends and neighbors are wearing green shirts. That can tell you how complex this issue is.”
Fireall was not convinced that the development would serve as an economic engine for the community as was marketed to community members.
“We don’t need extra,” said Ivan Glover, who wore the small “Uphold CPO” sticker on his T-shirt when addressing the council. “We don’t need a golf course… We don’t need extra people to come into town and say ‘This is what we need to better ourselves.’ We work with what we have. If you give us what we need, we’ll build what we have to have for our community.”
“They are listening to the community,” said Elizabeth Ann Hayes, a 20-year community member and small business owner on the island, when addressing council. “Most developers are seeking more density, which is more homes, more septic systems, more docks. But this developer is setting precedent, y’all, by asking for less, which is downzoning.”
Willie Turral, another community member, said that although he agrees with the concept of the CPO, he believes it has not done what it was intended to do.
“When you talk about a CPO and what it’s designed to do, you gotta open your eyes when it doesn’t meet that design,” Tural said. He specifically noted what he described as a dwindling Black population on the island since the CPO was adopted.
The Beaufort County comprehensive plan states the biggest threat to Beaufort County’s Gullah community is land development and that policies aiming to protect rural land are critical to protecting Gullah Heritage. The plan also states that the CPO protects St. Helena from gentrification.
As tensions rose, the council’s chair, Alice Howard, had to remind speakers to address the council and to be respectful. One of the speakers, a Black resident, was told to return to his seat after using a racial slur.
Councilman York Glover said from the front of the room that the comment “truly insulted” him.
What is next?
There are a number of steps that have to be taken before the request goes before the county council.
The applicant has submitted a map amendment request to remove the property from the CPO district, which will go through the county’s “established procedures for requests of this nature,” according to county spokesperson, Hannah Nichols.
After staff review, the proposal will go before the Planning Commission. As of Tuesday, Pine Island was listed on the agenda for the Planning Commission’s meeting on May 5. That committee will make a recommendation to the Natural Resources Committee, which will then make their recommendation to the full county council, Nichols said.
More information regarding the developer’s plan can be found here.
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 11:45 AM.
