New homes are planned near a popular Port Royal beach. Here’s why some are concerned
Environmental groups are questioning plans to build beach homes along a marsh in Port Royal amid concerns about flooding and potential effect on the nearby marsh.
Developers plan 13 home sites along the northeast side of Sands Beach Road, part of the long-anticipated redevelopment of the former state-owned port property. The houses would be raised and offer sweeping views of the surrounding marsh and waterways, the developers say.
But the low-lying area and proximity to the marsh make the sites susceptible to flooding from abnormally high tides, storm surge and sea level rise, local environmentalists say.
“We really question the wisdom of building there and what you would have to do from an engineering standpoint to make it feasible,” said Rikki Parker, a project manager with the Coastal Conservation League.
Sands Beach Road connects the town’s Old Village area to a public beach where vehicles can drive up to the water, to a popular boat landing and a boardwalk along Battery Creek. Across from the proposed home sites is an area slated to be preserved as a 10-acre park and a tall boat storage building operated by Butler Marine.
A recent survey of the home sites with wooden stakes and pink ribbons marking lot lines drew attention from some nearby residents and environmentalists. Some of the stakes marking the lot boundaries are deep in the marsh.
Developers say they are sensitive to environmental concerns and don’t plan to build in the marsh or use excessive amounts of fill dirt, said Whit Suber, with port development group Grey Ghost Properties. The number of homes on the site has been slashed from close to 60 homes proposed by developers in 2011 and from 26 sites proposed by a land planner more recently, he said.
The beach-style homes would be raised on pilings to meet flood requirements with dual driveways. Underneath the homes would remain open to preserve views of the marsh, Suber said.
Parker, with the Coastal Conservation League, and Jessie White, an attorney with the S.C. Environmental Law Project, said they believe developers will need additional authorizations to comply with state law related to coastal development. They said they would welcome a meeting with developers to talk about the possibility of building more homes elsewhere on the approximately 51 acres of buildable land that Grey Ghost purchased from the state.
“It’s just a pretty clear example of land that would not support development,” White said. “...Looking at it from an aerial view, on Google Earth, you can see how vulnerable it looks.”
Developers are already required by a development agreement to maintain 17 acres as park and open space, and room to allow for the Spanish Moss Trail, Suber said. He said the development has received all the necessary approval.
“I don’t know what other efforts we could have possibly taken,” Suber said. “We’re acting completely within code, within the direction of the development agreement. I just am very comfortable and confident in the way we’ve managed that and still are. These are as low-impact homes as you can imagine.”
The lots could be for sale by the end of the month, Suber said. Another 75-80 homes are planned on the north end of the port property on a bluff overlooking Battery Creek. The neighborhood would include five lots with private docks and a community dock.
