You can enjoy the beach at this gated Beaufort County island — if you time it right

The public can enjoy the beach at a gated northern Beaufort County island community if the timing is right, even though a recent proposal to expand access appears infeasible.

Harbor Island, the small barrier island between St. Helena and Hunting islands, includes private homes and vacation rentals.

Beaufort County officials last month suggested creating public beach access, parking and restroom facilities in exchange for helping the community apply for federal emergency grant money in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. The property owners said their covenants wouldn’t allow such a project on the residential lots.

But that doesn’t mean the public isn’t allowed through the gates.

Based on a provision in the community’s early development plans, a limited number of public beach passes are doled out. Public access is restricted to six cars or 25 people at a time on first-come basis, Harbor Island Owners Association manager Don Woelke said.

Visitors pay a $10 fee for a beach pass, a security officer said Tuesday. Spots are generally gone by 10 a.m., he said

“Those people who do know about it — it fills up very quickly,” Woelke said. “The majority of people who come are left out (because of the limited space), not because we wouldn’t welcome them.”

Some Harbor Island beachfront homeowners have been working to get help in the face of ongoing erosion and the effects of Hurricane Matthew. The property owners were told their application for FEMA assistance to buy and clear the land of the damaged homes had to be processed by Beaufort County.

The county asked for a demonstrated public benefit, in this case the proposed public beach facilities, in exchange for handling the application.

A development plan adopted in 1980 shows provisions for six public parking spaces and 50 feet of public beach access, according to Beaufort County records. Visitors are allowed use of the entire beach, Woelke said.

“We continue to honor it,” he said.

This story was originally published August 29, 2017 at 4:25 PM with the headline "You can enjoy the beach at this gated Beaufort County island — if you time it right."