Town stresses permitting, landowner consent as SAPOA seeks inlet relocation permit

Town officials summarized recent activity around an inlet-relocation proposal advanced by SAPOA and said federal and local permitting remain complex obstacles.

Moderator said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has raised issues because the landscape and records have changed since previous actions, and cautioned that a USACE permit alone does not authorize on-the-ground work: town permits, property-owner consents and other local approvals would still be required.

“USACE can grant the permit, doesn't mean that the project can go forward because you're talking about engaging in extensive land disturbance activities on the town of Kiawah Island's municipal boundaries, and there are probably half a dozen of town's ordinances that are implicated that would require town permitting,” the moderator said.

The town noted that ownership questions remain unresolved for parts of the spit and that multiple stakeholders would be involved if a settlement agreement proceeded — potential stakeholders named included South Carolina DNR, the Heritage Trust, the Conservancy of the Sea Islands and state agencies that manage public-trust lands.

The Conservancy is hosting a listening session that will include Sapoa, an environmental group and an academic expert to present competing positions so trustees and town representatives can “listen and learn,” a participant said. The town said it will follow the science and conduct its own environmental and legal diligence before endorsing any settlement.

A resident with prior EPA permitting experience said he found deficiencies in the application and asked that required items — including landowner notification and environmental assessments — be addressed before the town considers support.