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Developer files Pine Island downzoning, pledges open-space, dock limits and community center funding
Summary
A developer submitted a downzoning application for the Pine Island property that would cut residential density and permitted docks, preserve hundreds of acres as open space and pledge initial funding for a Saint Helena community and recreation center.
Developer Kevin Dukes told the Beaufort County Community Services Committee on April 7 that he submitted a downzoning application for the property commonly known as Pine Island.
The filing, Dukes said, proposes a 66% reduction in residential density on the site — “the removal of a hundred homes from the landscape,” he said — a roughly 60% reduction in projected traffic impacts and preservation of 360 acres as permanent open space.
The application includes a proposed development agreement, Dukes said, intended to secure the obligations in the plan and to let the public and county council review the same documents at the same time.
Why it matters: Dukes framed the plan as producing environmental protections, fewer docks on shared waterways and reduced impervious surface. Dukes said his team is offering roughly $3 million initially toward construction and funding of a community and recreation center on St. Helena Island and estimates more than $100 million in private investment and 35–70 full‑time jobs over the life of the project.
Details and claims: Dukes said the plan would remove about 1,000,000 square feet of impervious surface (roofs, roads and driveways), cut the number of permittable docks by about 90% (the proposal includes eight docks for a 437‑acre property that is largely water‑front) and shift vertical structures on 365 acres to a 50‑foot setback rather than a typical 60‑foot standard. He said the team’s public engagement spanned three years and “over 2,000 touch points.”
County and public reaction: Committee members asked staff clarifying questions about the dock reduction and noted a letter of support included from Craig Reeves, who was described in Dukes’ remarks as running the working waterfront upstream on Village Creek. A committee member raised a separate news‑media reference to Mr. Reeves’ recent appearance on national television; the chair said the committee would note that comment.
Next steps: Dukes said the application and an attached development agreement were submitted that morning and that electronic copies would be provided to council and staff for review. Committee members did not vote on the rezoning at this meeting; Dukes’ remarks were delivered during the public‑comment portion of the agenda.
Ending: The committee did not take formal action on the application at the April 7 meeting; staff and council will review the submitted materials and the application will proceed through the county’s standard rezoning review and public hearing process.
