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Residents and heritage groups urge council to uphold Cultural Protection Overlay as hearings set for Pine Island and Ramsey Farms
Summary
After a night of public comment defending the Gullah‑Geechee Cultural Protection Overlay (CPO), county staff proposed and the council approved hearing dates for Pine Island (Sept. 22 and Oct. 27) and Ramsey Farms (Sept. 8 and Oct. 13) development agreements; speakers from Penn Center, local residents and a state representative urged preservation of cultural resources while a developer’s attorney said the development agreement would reduce density and formalize public engagement.
A steady stream of speakers at Beaufort County’s Aug. 11 council meeting urged officials to uphold the Cultural Protection Overlay (CPO) that protects St. Helena Island’s Gullah‑Geechee cultural landscape, as the council set public‑hearing dates for competing development proposals.
"Penn Center does not try to get ahead of the constituents of St. Helena. The island is solidly for upholding the CPO," said Robert Adams, executive director of Penn Center, who told the council his organization has solicited and collected letters from St. Helena residents in support of the overlay.
Several speakers tied cultural preservation to local history and land stewardship. "This is not simply a matter of zoning, this is a matter of cultural preservation, community integrity, and justice," said Joseph McDonough Jr., a longtime St. Helena resident and former magistrate who testified in opposition to map amendments that would remove land from the CPO.
Representative Michael Rivers, present in the audience and invited to speak, asked the council to protect long‑standing community events and traditions such as the Penn Center Heritage Day Parade and called for a letter of support from the council for state legislation related to the parade route.
Developer interests also addressed the council. Kevin Dukes, an attorney representing the Pine Island plan, said a development agreement can produce stronger public engagement and better outcomes than by‑right development. Dukes stated the plan showed a "66% reduction in density" compared with potential by‑right development and listed projected tax‑revenue figures tied to the proposal.
The council and staff then discussed scheduling the public hearings and legal briefings needed before the council considers whether to enter into negotiations. County staff proposed dates and a calendar that council members later adopted: Ramsey Farms first reading/public hearing on Sept. 8 and second reading on Oct. 13; Pine Island first reading/public hearing on Sept. 22 and second reading on Oct. 27. County staff explained that two public hearings are the minimum required if the council chooses to enter into a development agreement.
Council members emphasized the meetings will be long and that the public would be heard. Several council members and speakers suggested holding development‑agreement and zoning map amendment hearings on the same meeting date so interested community members do not need to appear repeatedly.
What’s next: The council adopted the schedule and asked staff to advertise the public hearings and coordinate legal briefings for council members; executive‑session legal briefings are scheduled in advance of those public hearings to prepare councilors to receive privileged legal advice on the pending matters.
Quotations in this story were taken directly from the public‑comment record and staff presentations at the Aug. 11 Beaufort County Council meeting.
