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Subcommittee defers Coakley Chapel Park request, asks for higher match or scaled plan
Summary
The subcommittee deferred consideration of a $1.7 million Greenbelt request for Coakley Chapel Park in the Hamlin Beach settlement community, citing concerns about match, project scale and the need for a conceptual implementation plan.
The Charleston County Greenbelt Advisory Subcommittee deferred a decision on the Coakley Chapel Park project (Hamlin Beach community) and requested the applicant provide a stronger funding match or a reduced scope and a clearer conceptual plan for park implementation before reconsideration.
Sam Sewell of Lowcountry Land Trust presented a proposed fee-simple acquisition of a 6.5-acre parcel that includes the historic Coakley Chapel and associated ponds, wetlands and community resources. The Trust proposed a buy-protect-transfer model where the land would be transferred to the Hamlin Beach Community Association after interim stewardship by the land trust. The project requests $1,714,500 in urban-unincorporated Greenbelt funds with a 23% match; the transcript shows the applicant also expected a $300,000 conservation bank request and $85,000 landowner donation.
Committee members raised several concerns: the applicant’s requested county match relative to lifetime Greenbelt balances for the urban-unincorporated allocation, the fragmented pattern of the parcels (six TMS parcels, with houses interspersed among parcels), and the limited documentation of how the community association would implement and operate the park. Public comment from Hamlin Beach Community Association president Myra Knight Richardson emphasized the community’s desire to protect all six acres because of flooding, pond protection and cultural heritage. Several subcommittee members asked the applicant to either increase outside match funding or reduce the proposed acreage to focus on the core chapel parcel and to provide a conceptual park plan and implementation/operations plan.
A motion to defer passed by voice vote and will be forwarded to the full Greenbelt Advisory Board (GAB) with the subcommittee’s recommendation; the GAB may accept the deferral, approve as submitted, or reach a different decision. The land trust said it would pursue additional match resources and could revise the application before the next meeting cycle.
