Personal Injury Attorneyin Awendaw, SC.

AWENDAW, SC (WCIV) — For weeks, Awendaw residents have been expressing concerns about the potential of hundreds of new homes coming to their community.

"Town council has approved 822 new residences with more on the docket tonight," Awendaw resident John Cooke said. "Those residences come with a population that will at least double our current population."

Read more: Awendaw residents fear housing boom could threaten town's rural charm

However, Mayor Miriam Green says the population will not be doubled.

"It's not the truth," Green said. "It's not a total of 800 homes. And if it is, they still have to go through planning."

"I can't say it's 800, 9,00, or 1,000 homes because I don't know," she continued. "But in the preliminary plan, yes, it did say certain amount of homes will be built up there."

Green describes the development plans as "smart growth".

Mayor Miriam Green describes the development plans as "smart growth". (WCIV)

"We are following ordinance and processes of procedures and state guidelines," she said.

In response to the concerns about the development plans being too much in too little time, Green says the town has to follow guidelines and the rules.

"Just because someone comes to you and says 'This is what we want,' doesn't meant that's what the majority of the citizens of Awendaw want," the mayor said.

Residents have also expressed concerns about how new developments may affect Awendaw's roads and infrastructure.

Read more: Ten Mile Neighborhood Association challenges proposed approval of development along Seafood Road

"Last meeting, I heard emergency services people talk about the fact that they were concerned about their ability to support the town," Cooke said. "The roads, the infrastructure might not be able to support (new development). The roads that were made in the early 1950s-60s are still the ones being used today and could fail."

Green says the infrastructure, road, and traffic issues are being analyzed as part of the development plans.

"We're looking at all that stuff," the mayor said. "We have a traffic study in place, but it doesn't happen overnight."

Another concern is the septic tanks that will be used for the new development, which Green says the town is working on with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

Read more: Zoning denial a 'win' for some Awendaw residents

"20 years when all these systems start to fail, you could have an ecological disaster that could affect a lot of bulls bay and the intercoastal waterways," Cooke said.

The evening of Aug. 21, the Awendaw Planning Commission reviewed the Harper Valley proposal. It was denied in a 5-1 vote.

Cooke says people who live in Awendaw are banding together in opposition and they are asking for a moratorium to slow down the development.

"It's a growing pain in Awendaw," Green said. "It's not the people that live here. It's the people that came here."

The 2023 white-tailed deer archery hunts on Bulls Island, Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge will be held Nov. 6- 11 and Dec. 4-9. Hunters must possess the required state hunting license. Each hunter will check in and register before setting up camp and hunting. Hunters under the age of 16 must have successfully completed a State approved hunters education course, present a hunter safety certificate and be under the immediate supervision of an adult.

On Nov. 5 and Dec. 3 at 4:00 p.m., the Refuge Manager will meet with archers to discuss refuge hunt regulations.

The camping area on Bulls Island will remain open from 9:00 a.m. on the Sunday preceding each hunt until noon on the Sunday following the hunt. Only registered hunters will be allowed to camp. Water and restroom facilities are the only amenities provided on the island. Overnight parking is permitted at Garris Landing during the archery hunts.

Hunters must provide their own transportation to and from Bulls Island or make transport arrangements with the refuge concession Coastal Expeditions by calling 843-884-7684. Only portable hunting stands that will not injure living trees are allowed. Crossbows, firearms/ammunition, motorized equipment, poison arrows, dogs, nails, wire, paint and flagging are prohibited. Bicycles are allowed for use on service roads. All deer, regardless of sex, must be tagged. One antlered deer and unlimited antlerless deer may be taken. Tags will be provided by Cape Romain NWR.

The archery hunt on Bulls Island assists management in maintaining the deer population at a level compatible with the environment and permits the use of a valuable renewable resource.

Visit the Cape Romain site at www.fws.gov/refuge/cape-romain for a copy of the hunt permit. For additional information, call the Refuge office at (843) 928-3264. Permits are available at the Refuge Headquarters Office Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and, Wednesday – Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center, 5821 Hwy 17 North, Awendaw, South Carolina 29429.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mission is to work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

Visit the Service website at www.fws.gov for more information on the organization’s work.

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A angular swath of timberland known as the Nebo Tract was an early poster child of the development pressures that were bleeding over into Awendaw and the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge some 15 years or more ago.

The debate hasn’t relented about growth in and around the rural town of about 1,500 residents, just up the road from Mount Pleasant.

But as for that particular piece of real estate — it’s off the table.

The Nature Conservancy now owns the 355-acre parcel along U.S. Highway 17, bounded by Mount Nebo AME Church and the 259,000-acre Francis Marion National Forest.

The land-protection group bought it from the previous longtime owner from the Chicago area earlier this month for $3.6 million. The property had been marketed for several years through NAI Charleston for $4.5 million.

“It was Christmas in March when we closed,” said Dale Threatt-Taylor, executive director of the Nature Conservancy in South Carolina.

She said her organization had been keeping its eye on the Nebo Tract for some time. It decided to step in after a deal with another would-be buyer fell through.

“We made an offer to purchase it, and the owners accepted,” Threatt-Taylor said. “So we were delighted and moved forward with it.”

For now, the nonprofit has no firm plans for its latest acquisition in the Sewee-to-Santee district, between Awendaw and lower Georgetown County. Typically, the group will quickly sell or transfer its land holdings to a like-minded owner, such as the U.S. Forest Service, but that’s not likely in this instance, Threatt-Taylor said. She also stressed the conservancy won’t “go off mission.”

“We’re actually going to look at this property to find the best path forward. We want to engage the community in the conversation. ... Also, we may do something totally new ... and innovative that we can lead from here in South Carolina and show our partners across the nation, ‘Hey, it’s a new day in conservation.’”

A historic Broad Street property that’s housed banks, law firms and a publicly traded real estate company over the past 134 years or so is back under local ownership in a deal totaling $6.2 million.

An affiliate of EP Group purchased the 15,500-square-foot, three-and-a-half story building at 39 Broad St. for $5.58 million last week, according to public land records. The deal included an adjacent 16-space parking lot at 28 Elliott St., which sold for $620,000.

The seller was Healthcare Realty Trust of Tennessee.

The vacant commercial building is between East Bay and Church streets. It underwent a top-to-bottom renovation about eight years ago.

EP Group, which said it invests in middle-market, U.S. based businesses and is based on Meeting Street, plans to take part of the newly acquired property. A spokesman said the privately held company is reviewing “a range of possible plans” for the rest of the space.

“We look forward to being the stewards of this building and remaining part of the vibrant downtown community,” EP Group CEO Terry Hurley said in a written statement.

The new owner and The Post and Courier were owned by the same parent company until September 2021, when both were spun off as standalone businesses.

According to Historic Charleston Foundation, 39 Broad dates to the late 1800s — with the “marked verticality” of its arched windows among its most distinctive architectural features. The builder was Charles Otto Witte, a wealthy German-born businessman and consul for various European nations who once lived at what’s now the Ashley Hall school campus.

The structure later became known as the Exchange Bank and Trust Co. building, named for an early tenant was established in 1891. Local archives show a law firm and Merchants’ and Miners’ Bank were operating at the same address a few years earlier.

AWENDAW, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County Board of Zoning Appeals denied a sand mine in Awendaw Monday night after dozens of community members shared their concerns.

Twenty-nine letters of opposition were given to the board ahead of the meeting, with dozens of community members attending the meeting, bringing up concerns about nature, roadways, noise and pollution in the rural area.

The proposed sand mine would be around three acres of land on Lofton Road and North Highway 17, just 900 feet away from Saint James-Santee Elementary and Middle School.

One major concern expressed was the safety of the 215 children who attend the nearby school if the mine was approved.

“Our children are this important as anybody else; they closed the only high school we have,” community member Cynthia Gabbice says. “Our children have so many miles to get to Wando back and forth every day, and if this destroys our children, we don’t know what the side effect of them digging holes now.”

Monday night was the second time the board heard the proposal after deferring it.

The proposed sand mine would be a temporary build and would operate 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday with seven residential lots 100 feet away from the mine.

“I understand the concern from the school, but the school will not see anything will not hear anything will not smell anything.; and while we’re on smell, let me remind you, this is going to be a wet dig, there’s going to be zero discharge from this operation,” Developers Lawyer, Tommy Goldstein, says.

Being located right by Highway 17, the mine would have brought 40 trucks in and outside of the mine each day.

“Turning lanes in and out right across the street from Saint James-Santee are very short, and there’s a lot of traffic,” nearby resident Teresa Danner, says. “If there are trucks coming and going from any direction in any vicinity, whether it’s another access road or not, that’s a severe danger in my opinion.”

The developers could still appeal the decision made by the Charleston County Board of Zoning Appeals.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

AWENDAW, S.C. (WCIV) — Many Awendaw residents are calling it a "win" after the town's Zoning Commission denied a request Monday evening to rezone 66 acres for a possible development.

The land in question is in the vicinity of Boomstraw Hill Road and Sewee Road and was recently annexed into the town limits from Charleston County.

Developer David Weekley Homes recently acquired the neighboring Awendaw Village development, and made a brief presentation at Monday's meeting answering questions from board members and the public.

Read More: Proposed plan to build 72-home subdivision in Awendaw

Their proposal included creating lot sizes of 20,000 square-feet per home with a little more than 60 homes planned. But the current Agricultural zoning designation only provides for a minimum 30,000 square-foot lots. A change to Residential zoning would have decreased that limit to 12,500.

Allen Rioux serves on Awendaw's Board of Zoning Appeals and said the consensus from citizens is a desire to keep development density low.

"We're certainly not anti-development or anti-developer. We understand that this is a desirable place to be, and - in fact - we think that development is important for our community, for our tax base," Rioux said. "But, what the community is against is high-density development. We need to be reasonable. We have great resources here and we need to be careful that we don't negatively impact them."

Read More: Environmentalists fear impacts of 200 new homes near Awendaw wildlife refuge

Others at Monday's meeting called the request premature.

David Weekley Homes faces some challenges with the land. First and foremost, access.

The parcels are currently land-locked, meaning there's no road legal road access. However, a phase to development of their recently acquired Awendaw Village off Highway 17 would provide an adjacent connection to the 66-acres.

Read More: People still concerned after hearing developer's redevelopment plan for Union Pier

A few residents from Awendaw Village were at the zoning meeting and voiced their concerns over unfulfilled promises from their original developer.

David Weekley Homes will likely need to return before town council or the Zoning Commission with an updated development proposal.