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Real estate attorney says Pine Island ‘downzoning’ plan would cut homes, preserve 360 acres
Summary
Kevin Dukes, a real estate attorney, told the Beaufort County Community Services Committee he submitted a Pine Island downzoning application that he said would reduce density by about 66%, remove roughly 100 homes from the site, preserve 360 acres as open space and include a proposed development agreement and local community benefits.
Kevin Dukes, a real estate attorney with the law firm Harvey & Batty, told the Beaufort County Community Services Committee on April 7 that his firm submitted a downzoning application for property known as Pine Island.
Dukes summarized the plan as a broad reduction in residential density and local infrastructure impacts, saying the proposal would remove about 100 homes — a roughly 66% reduction — and cut traffic impacts by about 60%. "There's a 66% reduction in density over the site," Dukes told the committee, adding the plan would preserve "360 acres permanently preserved as open space." He also said the submission includes a proposed development agreement to secure obligations and enforcement.
Dukes said the plan would remove approximately 1,000,000 square feet of impervious surface (roofs, roads and driveways) and move vertical structures farther from sensitive waterways, with an example that structures would be set back to 150 feet instead of the normal 60-foot pattern. He told the committee the plan limits docks to eight on the roughly 437-acre site and noted a support letter from local waterfront operator Craig Reeves focused on navigational impacts.
Dukes also framed local benefits: land in the Corners community he said is under contract that the developer would donate for a community and recreational center and an initial private contribution "close to $3,000,000" toward that center. He estimated the full project could bring more than $100,000,000 in private investment to St. Helena and create 35–70 full-time jobs.
Council members asked clarifying questions about dock counts and traffic assumptions; Dukes said his plan's dock total is a reduction "from what would be permitted under a similar development of the property in a residential context." The presentation was a public comment; no committee action or vote on the rezoning occurred at the meeting. The chair closed public comment after Dukes' remarks and the committee moved on to staff reports.
