Port Royal protesters send message to Safe Harbor at Town Hall rally: ‘Don’t ruin our port’
Carrying signs that said “Please Care,” “Don’t Ruin Our Port” and “What Happened to the Dream,” Port Royal residents sent a strong message regarding a redevelopment plan for the town’s waterfront during a protest Thursday.
The rally for changes in the port property project coincided with a special closed-door meeting that the Town Council had planned to discuss the development with officials with property owner Safe Harbor Marinas and their affiliates.
Thursday’s meeting was the third executive session to discuss the port development this month. After 90 minutes, members of the council emerged and Mayor Joe DeVito said no action would be taken regarding the situation.
The protest, which drew 20-25 people, was an unusual show of defiance at Town Hall but indicative of the growing frustration with the project planned along a two-mile stretch of waterfront that the town has been eager to see developed for decades.
“It’s one of the most exceptional harbors on the East Coast and we want their development to reflect that,” said Marcy Roy, one of the organizers.
Residents don’t want to see rental townhomes constructed, an idea that was proposed previously, Roy said. They are also worried that the marina will have too much boat storage and heavy duty boat repair.
As Town Council members and officials affiliated with Safe Harbor arrived, residents raised their signs and briefly spoke to some of them.
“Safe Harbor, pay attention!” one person yelled as Scheaffer Watt, a project manager for Watt Inc., a construction management company working for Safe Harbor, arrived. “We’ll be your neighbors.”
“Go fight for us,” one resident yelled as Councilman Jerry Ashmore entered the building. Ashmore shook hands with the residents and thanked them for coming.
Residents then entered the meeting room and paraded around in front of members of the council members before they voted to close it to the public. Council members have raised their owns concerns with the project and that’s why they are getting legal advice and discussing the plans with Safe Harbor in executive session.
Under the state’s Freedom of Information Act, public bodies can hold a meeting closed to the public for certain, specified reasons. One of those reasons is to get legal advice. Another reason relates to economic development or “discussion of matters relating to the proposed location, expansion, or the provision of services encouraging location or expansion of industries or other businesses in the area served by the public body.” Town council members cited economic development as the reason for Thursday’s executive session.
The town needs to get back to the original vision for the port that was developed two decades ago, said Joe Lee, another resident. That vision was a mix of a marina, retail, single family homes and a hotel.
The marina and housing are planned on 50 acres of 317 acres Safe Harbor bought in November 2021 from Grey Ghost Properties. At the time of the purchase, Jason Hogg, chief investment officer for Safe Harbor, promised a “world class boating destination.”
This story was originally published October 19, 2023 at 6:29 PM.
