Port Royal wants Ribaut Road to be more than storage units and a way to Lady’s Island
Port Royal Mayor Joe DeVito says he would like to see the town’s residents get better value from the businesses along highly used Ribaut Road. Right now, he says, the road is mostly a pathway to Lady’s Island.
“Is Ribaut Road the right place for self storage units?” he asked.
Ribaut Road, from Johnny Morral Circle/Mossy Oaks Road to the Bell Bridge, would become the sole focus of a reconfigured Redevelopment Commission under a proposal by the town. A public hearing is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Final approval could come Oct. 13.
Other commercial corridors, including Robert Smalls Parkway, Savannah Highway, Parris Island Gateway and Paris Avenue, currently are included in the responsibilities of the board, which is charged with promoting the town’s business climate. That would end if the changes are approved.
Due to resignations, the seven-member commission also is down to just two members, leaving it unable to meet..
Reducing the number of members five also is proposed, a move toward ensuring enough people are able to serve.
A 1976 state law allows local governments to create redevelopment commissions to recommend redevelopment plans for spiffing up rundown areas and generating more tax revenue.
Town Manager Van Willis says about 35,000 cars a day use Ribaut Road.
“And we would like to take advantage of that traffic rather than being a thoroughfare,” Willis said.
Ribaut Road has a number of non-conforming uses that would not allowed under current zoning, Willis added. The city wants more “conforming uses” along the corridor, said Willis, noting the town is “dwarfed” by Beaufort when it comes to commercial development.
With fewer members, and a smaller territory, Port Royal officials hope to breathe new life into the commission.
Town officials say continuing growth of other commercial corridors over the years necessitated an update and the proposed change with a focus on Ribaut Road.
DeVito says the town may be able to use some of the $5.4 million it has coming in federal COVID-19 relief funding for stormwater and sewer projects along Ribaut Road to assist with redevelopment efforts.
Will changes work?
The Redevelopment Commission was formed to promote the Town of Port Royal as an inviting community in which to locate and do business. The commission reviews and recommends activities and facilities to the Town Council that attract businesses.
The commission, made up of volunteers appointed by the Town Council, currently has two members, Mare Deckard and Rand Ward. Both of their terms end in April 2023. Other members resigned prior to the expiration of their terms.
Deckard maintains the proper ordinance already is in place to empower the Commission to seek grants and take other actions that benefit the town. She says it reports directly to the council, which has ultimate authority to approve its ideas.
“The Town should look to other municipalities in the state and study how they have successfully established and run their redevelopment commissions, as I have,” says Deckard, adding it will be interesting to see how the proposed changes, if approved, work out.
If the commission is changed, DeVito said residents will be asked to apply.
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 10:57 AM.
