Port Royal tackles waterfront development, growth, rentals. The new mayor takes the gavel
Kevin Phillips defeating Joe DeVito to win the Port Royal mayor’s job is old news - what’s new is Phillips is wasting no time spurring action on the issues he campaigned to address. He takes the helm as the council enters 2024 wrestling with redevelopment of the waterfront, regulating long-term rental properties and managing the town’s growth.
No sooner was the swearing in complete when Phillips’ launched first order of business as mayor -- asking for a motion to go into executive session to discuss Safe Harbor Marinas’ controversial development of the port of Port Royal.
For months, residents have been complaining about large cranes and industrial dock building that’s occurring in advance of Safe Harbor plans to build a new marina. They’ve also criticized plans for 200 rental townhomes on Safe Harbor property overlooking Battery Creek. At Wednesday’s meeting, Tricia Fidrych, a frequent critic of the Safeharbor’s plans, described the land where the townhomes are planned as the “prettiest front porch a community could have.”
After discussing Safe Harbor’s plans for the port of Port Royal behind closed doors, the council emerged and passed a motion that directed the new mayor to submit a letter to Safe Harbor advising it of the council’s concerns related to the port development.
“It’s a litany of concerns,” Phillips said later.
During the campaign, Phillips had argued that the town should take a tougher position toward Safe Harbor.
Phillips, a former councilman, won the race for mayor with 628 votes to DeVito’s 411. Jorge Guerrero now occupies Phillips’ old spot on the council while voters returned veteran Councilman Jerry Ashmore to the council for a third term. The council seats were uncontested in the election.
Phillips, who called for a moratorium on new apartment development during the campaign, said the council plans to push up its annual issues retreat to February in order to set priorities and go through the code to look at what’s working and what is not.
While the town needs to make strides in expanding its commercial base, says Phillips, growth most be controlled so it “is not just a bunch of storage units and apartments.”
He also says the town needs to closely monitor the port development to make sure the promised world class marina measures up and the housing portion of the plans fit with the town’s desires.
“People want to see a little more keeping an eye on it,” Phillips said.
Longterm rental changes?
A new issue, the regulation of houses that property owners or managers rent out long-term, has arisen as well.
Town staff sent a letter Nov. 9 notifying some of the rental property owners that it is necessary to get a $15 annual business license and have the property inspected.
The town was able to mail the letter by using a list provided by the Beaufort County Auditor’s office of property owners who pay a 6% personal property tax rate. That 6% tax rate indicates the properties are not occupied by the owners.
The notice caught some property owners and managers by surprise.
“I kind of feel micromanaged,” Pam Johnson, a property manager, told Town Council members Wednesday. While she already has gone through the inspection, Johnson is that the business license is a step toward an accommodation tax like those paid for the owners of short-term rental property.
What bothers Carl Joye, who owns APEX Team Real Estate, is that the business license requirement for long-term rental property owners was not brought before the Town Council for consideration and public input.
It could result in increases in rent, Joye says, which he notes already are high.
“They did this behind closed doors,” Joye says. “I don’t know what exactly happened to get the ball rolling.”
Joye does not plan to comply with the letter, he said. To him, it seems like town staff is using various town codes that don’t specifically address long-term house rentals to require the licensing and collect the fees.
Town Manager Van Willis calls that “fiction.”
An ordinance requiring property owners who rent property short- and long-term to get business licenses has been on the books for years, Willis said. But it wasn’t enforced until now, he said.
What has changed is the town recently hired a code enforcement officer, who is now enforcing ordinances. The town regularly gets complaints about the condition of some rental units, Willis said.
“While I appreciate the concern,” Willis said, “we absolutely have a concern to ensure the safety of our residents.”
The inspection, Willis said, is a new requirement but not the flat fee of $15 a year. Some people have paid it in the past and some haven’t, he said.
Long-term rental fees in Hardeeville, Beaufort County, Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head range from $65 to $85, Willis said. Those communities also collect additional fees, beyond the base. The additional fees are based on rent prices.
Port Royal is the only community that requires an inspection.
The Town Council plans to discuss the issue again at a Jan. 2 work session. Willis said the town is willing to consider modifying the inspection requirement so the town would only do it in response to complaints rather than making it a requirement.
Regarding the long term rentals, Phillips said he was confident “we’ll have that resolved.”
DeVito’s legacy
On Wednesday, family and friends and others packed the chambers as Phillips, Ashmore and Guerrero took the oath of office and DeVito said goodbye after four years at the helm.
DeVito was credited for his expertise in capital improvements and pushing for improvements to better the town like new sidewalks, street paving and water and sewer work during his tenure. Kat Bray, who’s lived in the town for 12 years, said things just started to get done after DeVito was elected.
“I’m proud of you and all the work you’ve done,” Bray told DeVito before turning her attention to Phillips whom she welcomed, adding, “You have big shoes to fill.”
DeVito said he served for one reason, and that was the betterment of Port Royal. He never used his gavel, he said, in his entire four years, preferring to run meetings “as a team.”
“And guess what,” said DeVito, “I’m not going anywhere.” DeVito told Phillips: “It’s your meeting now. I’m done.”
When Phillips arrived for the meeting his own gavel was waiting for him on his chair.
“Straight out of the plastic,” said Phillips, when he unsheathed it after taking the mayor’s seat.
