Beaufort County planning commission backs code changes to pursue CLG status and strengthen cemetery protections

The Beaufort County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend staff’s proposed text amendments to the Community Development Code that would create a local historic-designation process, allow the county to apply for Certified Local Government (CLG) status and add new protections for burial sites.

Kristen, a county planning staff member who presented the proposal, told the commission the revisions are intended to meet CLG qualifications administered through the National Park Service and to open eligibility for federal historic-preservation grants. “This opens a door for eligibility to, more historic grants,” Kristen said. She said current CDC language does not qualify unincorporated Beaufort County for CLG status and that the changes would establish a county-maintained local inventory and a more complete designation process.

The draft ordinance would: require public-notice procedures tied to designation hearings (written and published notice at 15 and 30 days), add definitions and Secretary standards for Certificates of Appropriateness, and expand the Historic Preservation Review Board’s duties to include recommending local historic resources and districts. Kristen said the county would initially target National Register-listed properties for local inventory because they already meet many criteria; she estimated staff identified roughly 50–100 potentially historic properties countywide and said a recent above-ground survey on Saint Helena Island recommended about 20 properties for possible local designation.

The proposal also adds a cemetery-buffer section intended to protect burial sites during development. Under the draft, a 20-foot buffer would apply where burials are clearly demarcated with headstones; a 50-foot buffer would apply where the site’s full extent is not visible or has not been surveyed. In those cases, applicants seeking to build within the buffer would be required to perform ground-penetrating radar (GPR) or equivalent subsurface investigation, Kristen said. She told the commission the party proposing development would be responsible for completing any required surveys.

Commission members asked about overlap with municipal boundaries, public outreach and appeal procedures. Kristen said the changes would apply only to unincorporated properties and that the county would coordinate with municipalities when district boundaries overlap. Commissioners urged staff to develop clearer public information and outreach for property owners and realtors; several members noted the county website currently lacks easy-to-find FAQs on historic designation.

After discussion, a commission member moved to support the staff recommendation and another member seconded. The commission read the seven required standards into the record, found the standards met, and issued a unanimous recommendation to forward the text amendments to county council committee for consideration.

Next steps: staff expects to prepare a starter list of local-designation candidates (beginning with National Register sites) for review by the Historic Preservation Review Board, then forward the items through council committee and eventually to full council for ordinance adoption.