POSTAL PATRON LOCAL
MAY 25–31, 2023
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PRESORTED PERMIT NO. 97 BEAUFORT, SC 29902
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Developer seeks to have Pine Island rezoned
Developer Elvio Tropeano has filed an application with the County’s Planning Department to change the zoning on Pine Island. Submitted photo
By Mike McCombs The Island News If the prevailing question is what’s next for Pine Island and St. Helenaville, developer Elvio Tropeano has an idea. Less than two weeks after a 9-2 decision by Beaufort County Council to adopt a strengthened Cultural Protection Overlay (CPO) for St. Helena Island, Tropeano has filed an application with the County’s Planning Department to change the zoning on Pine Island. Approval would change the T2R CPO
zoning for Pine Island to T2R. For property zoned T2R, golf courses are permitted use. The developer is also appealing the rejection of plans for three separate, six-hole golf courses. The County Planning Commission is slated to consider the application at its 6 p.m., Monday, June 5 meeting in County Council Chambers. The meeting is open to the public. Though strengthening the CPO and the potential development of the Pine Island/ Helenaville land are not the same issue,
LOWCOUNTRY LOWDOWN
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BEAUFORT s the Greek philosopher Heraclitus noted centuries ago, we must accept change. And as much as the Lowcountry is changing, why should we be surprised when a couple of community leaders change. Take the Beaufort city attorney Bill Harvey for example. A city-issued press release two weeks ago announced Harvey was “stepping down” to do other things. Most citizens probably couldn’t care less that Harvey, after 36 years, was “stepping down.” The somewhat surprising element, besides the fact that Harvey doesn’t usually come across as someone who would “step down” from a job he confesses he loves, but that the announcement was made with only seven months remaining on his contract. And that it came while the ongoing legal battle between 303 Associates, the city and Graham Trask continues ... and is likely to keep on continuing
SEE LOWDOWN PAGE A6
SEE REZONED PAGE A2
MEMORIAL DAY
Gullah Festival highlights holiday weekend
LOLITA HUCKABY
‘There is nothing permanent except change’
this move shows just how inter-related the two are. “These revisions are so important because they make it very clear what the people of St. Helena want,” Councilman York Glover of St. Helena Island said after the May 8 County Council meeting. “It’s not about keeping development out, it’s about what these things represent. They don’t want to become another Hilton Head Island and lose their Gullah Geechee identity.”
of the 12th Street property, CHS Coastal Homes and Sunrooms, and the removal of the live oak was proceeding in accordance with the town’s regulations. But one resident rushed to the town hall to appeal the issuance of the construction permit. Later, the South Coast Director for the Coastal Conservation League,
From staff reports The Original Gullah Festival returns to Beaufort this Friday, May 26 through Sunday, May 28, at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. According to the festival’s website, storytelling, dancing, the sounds of jazz, blues, reggae and African drums are some of the things you’ll see and hear. And the Vendor Market will be filled with arts and crafts, while the Food Court will be filled with local cuisine and traditional Gullah favorites. The Gullah Festival has been celebrating the Gullah Geechee heritage of the Sea Islands of the Lowcountry and honoring the preservation of the Gullah culture and the descendants who lived in the region for 37 years. The festival was established in 1986 to honor and recreate the atmosphere of a celebration called Decoration Day, now named Memorial Day. As a result, every year during the festival weekend, there is a Decoration Day Play to commemorate the historic event. The Festival provides a unique
SEE TREES PAGE A5
SEE WEEKEND PAGE A7
Master Arborist Michael Murphy, who participated on a technical team that drafted a new tree ordinance for the Town of Port Royal, is pictured in Port Royal on Feb. 8, 2023. Tony Kukulich/The Post And Courier
They speak for the trees
Will Port Royal’s new approach to protecting its trees discourage growth? By Tony Kukulich The Post And Courier
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PORT ROYAL n an otherwise quiet morning in August 2022, residents in the center of town awoke to the sound of chainsaws buzzing through the hot, still air. As temperatures were rising, crews were preparing to take down a landmark live oak that occupied a lot on the north side of 12th
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Street between Paris and Madrid avenues. The Town of Port Royal had issued a construction permit to the developer
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Memorial Day parade set for 10 a.m. Monday in Beaufort.
Bruner, Edl winners of YMCA’s 17th annual Beaufort River Swim.
Pinckney awarded TCL’s Presidential Medallion at commencement ceremony.
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Come visit us at our garden center! 1 Marina Blvd | Beaufort, SC 843.521.7747 lowcogardeners@gmail.com www.lowcogardeners.com
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