Short-term rental owners file appeal in Hilton Head wedding venue case
A North Carolina couple has embarked on a legal battle for permission to operate a wedding venue in a historic Hilton Head neighborhood.
Charlotte-based Steven and Lisa Weston, along with Stroll in the Park, LLC, filed an appeal to the Beaufort County Court of Common Pleas Wednesday after the Board of Zoning Appeals rejected their plans to use their short-term rental property as a wedding venue with a capacity of 200 guests.
According to the appeal, the couple hopes to reverse board’s Dec. 22 decision not to grant a zoning variance that would have allowed them to operate a wedding venue without access to a minor arterial road.
In the appeal, the applicants argue that the denial of the variance “constitutes a denial of due process,” and that not granting the variance would place a “significant hardship” on the property owners.
The proposed venue has been met with strong opposition from residents of the neighboring properties, who raised concerns about noise and traffic in the otherwise quiet residential community. Residents like Nadine Chaplin have family members buried at a neighboring graveyard that they do not want “disturbed” by large wedding parties.
Why did the town reject the plans?
The Westons’ 2.13-acre property, situated along Mitchelville Rd, features two newly-developed single-family homes, a boardwalk with beach access and “majestic” live oak trees.
The homes currently hold active short-term rental permits, according to the town’s online short-term rental dashboard.
The property does not have direct access to a minor arterial road — a requirement for such use in local zoning laws.
At a Dec. 22 meeting, local attorney Chester Williams called the restrictions “odd” and argued that not granting the exception would place a “hardship” on the property owners.
About a dozen residents of the nearby properties attended the meeting. Chaplin stood up at the meeting to speak on their behalf in opposition to the proposed wedding venue.
“Introducing a commercial use that doesn’t meet that town’s own access standards threatens the very character we spent generations preserving,” Nadine Chaplin said at the meeting.
Area has ties to Gullah Geechee history
The property is located in a neighborhood with deep ties to Hilton Head’s Gullah-Geechee history. The Gullah-Geechee people are descended from formerly enslaved people on the Sea Islands.
Many Gullah-Geechee families have owned land in the area since the Civil War. The Drayton Cemetery, located next to the proposed venue, is one of nine historic Gullah cemeteries on Hilton Head Island.
Chaplin’s mother, who passed away in January 2023, was buried at the cemetery.
If a wedding venue is allowed next to the “sacred” site, she fears the noise from a nearby wedding would disturb families burying their loved ones.
Chaplin previously praised the board’s decision to deny the Weston’s requesting, saying they “did the right thing.”
“We just want to have a nice, quiet neighborhood, without the congestion and the noise,” Chaplin said. “This neighborhood is not for commercial use. That’s why the [land management ordinance] reads the way it reads.”
