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We believe that the proposed development
of Pinckney Point is contrary to the intent of the following Beaufort County
Zoning Ordinance:
Sec. 106-1022 Rural (R) district
(a) The rural (R) district provides for limited residential
development. The district intensity is kept low to encourage landowners to
sell development rights {i.e. create conservation easements that prevent
development}, thus preserving rural character or continuing
agricultural or forestry uses.
(b) If a landowner must develop the land residentially, the standard of
density and very high open space ratios ensure the retention of an overall rural
character after build-out. Landscaping, lot size, and open space are
intended to provide a rural land use pattern with residential in the background.
Open space, clustering in communities, natural vegetation, agriculture, and
landscaping work together to ensure this character.
(c) Clustering with 70 percent or more open space requires the use of
centralized water and wastewater systems. The maximum density of
development can be obtained only when the development has made arrangements to
ensure the development is serviced by publicly owned, community-scale water and
sewer systems.
(d) Public sewer extensions into a rural district shall only be
permitted when a documented health condition warrants such expansion, and not to
merely accommodate new development.
(e) New development may access existing wastewater trunk lines if such
lines are located within 300 feet of the development, and service the area as of
the effective date of the ordinance from which this chapter derives
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Another important concern would be the
impact on the water quality of the Okatie and Colleton Rivers which encircle the
Pinckney Colony peninsula. Surface run-off from the development and the
potential for pollution from proposed private and communal docks will certainly
degrade the water quality of these Rivers.
Please note the reference to the proposed
Pinckney Colony development in the following newsletter from "Friends of the
River."
Friends
of the Rivers
Weekly Newsletter: May 8,
2005
Eco-Alert
Prepare
for Monitoring
Water Quality Monitors: Inspectors from
the community will be incorporated in plans for monitoring waters throughout
Beaufort
County. These monitors
will function together as a network and in coordination with state and federal
agents operating in the region. If problems are detected, the information can
reach the community immediately and others in the area can respond to verify
the findings. Current plans would rely on certified state employees
repeatedly monitoring specific locations for the physical, biological and
chemical composition while volunteer monitors sample a greater number and
broader distribution of locations for the same parameters to help identify
problem areas if/as they arise.
Bluffton
Advancing with Monitoring: This month
Bluffton's town council is expected to receive the final recommendations from
the Watershed Advisory Committee, regarding a plan for monitoring in the
May
River. A similar plan is
in the works, through the stormwater utility board to support
Beaufort
County.
Friends
Volunteers: To get involved, please
contact Friends by replying to this message. We are looking to further
develop our county-wide network of volunteer monitors. Volunteer
monitoring provides a great opportunity for those of us that get involved to
get first-hand information, faster than any real-time, regarding the state of
our environment. We are developing our list of volunteers for water quality
monitoring, as we are contacted. Working with Bluffton and
Beaufort
County we are currently
establishing our protocols and finalizing strategies for them.
Friends of the Rivers is still looking
for experienced and/or enthusiastic volunteers to form a network of water
quality monitors throughout the county. Interested individuals should contact
Friends’ director
Straud Armstrong at
straud@friendsoftherivers.com
or 521-4134 and plan to attend the Watershed Advisory Committee Meeting
on Monday May 16th.
Shedding a
New Light on Old Port Royal Sound
A new major
scientific investigation into the productive nature of Port Royal Sound would
reveal information about what’s coming in and going out of our rivers. As a
follow-up to the 1972 Port Royal Sound Environmental Study, Friends is working
with the Port Royal Sound Conservancy, state and local institutions proposing a
modern study of the nutrient exchange, sediment transfer, as well as
phytoplankton and larval fish stock distribution in Port Royal Sound. This
study would document and compare the drainage from the Broad, Beaufort and
Chechesee
Rivers as well as the tidal source
water from the
Atlantic. This project could provide technical
assets for the county, in terms of equipment and labs, as well as bring in some
new research to improve our understanding of the natural resources on which our
current prosperity depends.
Correction to
last weeks report on “Plans for Pinckney
Colony Development”
In the
sentence: Please keep your eyes, ears and voices on
the tragic
Pinckney
Island story as it
develops. I meant to say ‘Pinckney Colony story’ rather than ‘Island’;
these are two distinctly different locations. The issue involves a 229 acre
peninsula on the
Okatie
River near Pinckney Colony
that the county tried to purchase. Unfortunately the county cannot compete and
was outbid by a developer planning to put nearly 100 homes on it. You can keep
informed on this story through the Islandpacket.com and Blufftontoday.com
Thanks to
all!
We really
appreciate those who came to support Friends and participated in the Earth
Day/Taste of the Town Festival on Saturday at Beaufort’s
Waterfront
Park. It provided us a
great opportunity to showcase some of our recent community involvement,
information outreach efforts and plans for volunteer water quality monitoring as
well as new scientific research studies planned through the Port Royal Sound
Conservancy.
Upcoming Events
Friends with
Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Leadership Class
Wednesday, May
11 – 1:45 PM at
Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce
-Friends will
be presenting the mission of the organization and opportunities for
community members to become involved through volunteerism.
Friends with
Brays
Island
Friday, May 14
– 3:00 PM at
Brays
Island
-Friends will
be presenting information on the qualities and resources of Port Royal Sound
Watershed
Advisory Committee Meeting, Town of
Bluffton
Monday, May 16
– 3:00 PM at the Bluffton High School Lecture Hall
-Come see
Friends in action. The committee meets to advise the Mayor and Town Council of
best watershed management practices and outreach options for mitigating the
impacts of land use on drainage and water quality. The committee will hold an
emergency meeting on the 16th to finalize advisement for how the town could
conduct water quality monitoring and plan mitigation response options for the
watersheds of the May, Colleton and Okatie Rivers. Please contact Friends’
director
Straud Armstrong through
Straud@friendsoftherivers.com
to assist by contributing your thoughts and expertise.
Straud Armstrong
- Director, Friends of the Rivers -
straud@friendsoftherivers.com
801 Carteret St
-
Beaufort,
SC - 29920 - 843.521.4134
www.friendsoftherivers.com
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