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Residents urge Council to uphold Cultural Protective Overlay for Pine Island; developer says full plan will address concerns
Summary
Multiple public commenters urged Beaufort County Council to deny a zoning map amendment that would remove the Cultural Protective Overlay (CPO) for Pine Island, calling the application a 'bait and switch.' A developer representative said the development agreement will present guarantees including reduced density.
Dozens of residents addressed Beaufort County Council during the public-comment period to oppose a developer’s zoning map amendment for Pine Island that would remove a Cultural Protective Overlay (CPO) protection. Speakers emphasized historic Gullah Geechee ties to the land and urged Council to reject the map amendment and preserve the CPO.
Robert Neu told the Council the application was “a bait and switch,” saying the filing claims to be a down-zoning but in effect seeks to remove the CPO and allow more development than current protections permit. Dean Pence and Donna Cole urged geographic and cultural protections, asking for a cartography edit that would move the CPO boundary to better protect shorelines, woodlands and fisheries.
A developer representative and attorney, Kevin Dukes, responded to public concerns by explaining that the Planning Commission’s scope limited its review to a map amendment and that the development agreement is the venue to consider the full package—including density reductions, removal of certain docks, and other commitments that the developer said will accompany a consolidated application. “This body has control over, the development agreement and zoning map amendment. It will be considered as 1 project,” Dukes said, urging Council to evaluate the development agreement when it appears.
Speakers repeatedly asked Council to honor the planning commission’s unanimous denial and to apply the county comprehensive plan; residents also cited the Gullah Geechee Cultural Corridor’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Council took public comment under advisement; the record shows no immediate vote on the zoning map amendment at this meeting, and staff noted that the development agreement application had been deemed complete for review steps that follow the Planning Commission’s action.
Because the matter spans planning, zoning map amendment and a development agreement, Council members said they will consider the procedural posture when the formal development agreement and related materials reach the Council for decision.
