They’ll quit paving paradise in Beaufort County when we own the land. That means Whitehall

We all say we love the Lowcountry. All 10 zillion of us.

And we all say we want to preserve the Lowcountry’s trees and vistas that have enchanted the ages, but in our era kept the bulldozers growling.

And because there are 10 zillion of us now calling the Lowcountry home, we know that there’s only one way any hint of our professed dream will come true.

Own. The. Land.

If we want to control the land, we must own it. We must own it outright, or own the development rights.

That’s why Beaufort County and the city of Beaufort need to seal the deal on public ownership of a 9.72-acre slice of this paradise at Whitehall on Lady’s Island. It overlooks the Beaufort River and the beautiful city of Beaufort beyond.

It’s a slice of Lowcountry life that fewer and fewer of us can afford individually.

And that’s why we as a people need to vote “yes” on the Nov. 6 bond referendum to pay for this kind of protection of natural land, farmland and water quality.

Whitehall nevertheless has stirred up a lot of bellyaching.

It started with citizens aghast at what could be developed on the site, which is close by the swing-span bridge to downtown Beaufort.

And it has — perhaps — ended with an offer by the developer to sell the riverfront tract to the public. An offer is on the table for the public to own the land, using public money from the Beaufort County Rural and Critical Lands Program.

The city pushed back with concerns of what it would mean to city taxpayers in annual maintenance of a “passive park,” the type of place one goes to rejuvenate the soul, not play tee-ball.

Also, there is concern about the purchase price. We don’t know what it is, but we know it’s high. But we should know what it is. The county, city and land program administrators should not keep that secret from the public. It’s public money. And absent total public trust, that pot of money wouldn’t be there for this purchase. And without public trust, that pot of money won’t be there in the future.

But with all the give-and-take, go back to the beginning. Would you rather there be an apartment complex there, or a park bench beneath a live oak?

And if we prefer the park bench, there’s only one way to secure it: Own. The. Land.

You can do zoning, and they change it. You can do regulations that demand buffers and setbacks and aesthetics and all the rest, and all 10 billion of us will ride by it and not be able to distinguish Whitehall from another strip mall.

Think about it in terms of our neighbor, Savannah. Are people enchanted by Savannah’s ancient squares downtown? Or are they enchanted by Abercorn Street Extension?

So quit piddling with the small stuff. A hundred years from now, our descendants should sit on that park bench in Whitehall. Let them take a load off, and feel the breeze.

Let them own the land.

This story was originally published September 20, 2018 at 12:11 PM.