Beaufort’s updating its approach to housing, flooding, development, more. How to have a say
Affordable housing and resiliency in the face of natural disasters are just two hot-button issues Beaufort addresses in a once-in-a-decade update to its comprehensive plan. The city wants to hear from the public before it finalizes the document next month.
A public hearing on the final draft of the 2021 Comprehensive Plan is at 7 p.m. Tuesday during a regular City Council meeting. Those who wish to comment may do so in person or via Zoom.
The document will guide planning-, zoning- and development-related decisions over the next 10 years. It was last updated in 2009. The state requires updates to comprehensive plans every decade.
The city took some criticism early in the process for not involving interest groups and the public in crafting the draft plan before it was released in July.
Afterward, the city went on a public comment-seeking spree, holding workshops with groups such as University of South Carolina Beaufort, Beaufort Jasper Water Sewer Authority, Historic Beaufort Foundation, Sea Island Corridor Coalition, Coastal Conservation League, the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, various chambers and neighborhood associations. Planners even went out to apartment communities to meet with residents. An online software program was also set up that allowed residents to access the plan and insert comments. The deadline to get involved was also extended.
“We had a robust public comment effort,” senior Planner Dan Frazier said.
The plan addresses 10 subjects.
One is “resiliency,” Frazier said. The new subject, required by the state, is a result of growing concerns about climate change and its impacts on people and communities. It has to do with how quickly communities can respond to the impacts of flooding, high water and natural disasters.
Coastal communities such as the Beaufort, the plans notes, are experiencing higher levels of impacts from major storm events and rising sea level elevations.
Adding more workforce housing to the area has also been a hot topic of discussion, Frazier said. The proposed plan says the city will pursue affordable housing opportunities for all segments of the population.
Future land use is addressed as well. The city is promoting higher density housing and infill development before annexing property, Frazier said.
In the plan, the city is also in support of adding another bus route to serve the Beaufort-Port Royal area. That issue came about in meetings with apartment residents, Frazier said, adding that some of those residents don’t have their own transportation. One issue they raised, he said, is the difficulty of going to the grocery store and getting their groceries back home.
“This is another opportunity for them to speak,” Frazier said of Tuesday’s meeting. “This is the big one above and beyond the public effort we’ve already had.”
Frazier will accept email comments on the plan at dfrazier@cityofbeaufort.org through 5 p.m. Tuesday. More information about the plan can be found at the city’s website: http://www.cityofbeaufort.org/491/Comprehensive-Plan.
What’s next
Nov. 15: Final draft to Metropolitan Planning Commission
Nov. 30: Final draft to City Council at work session
Nov. 1-7: Incorporate final revisions
Dec. 14: City Council holds first reading of Comprehensive Plan
