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VOLUME 17 ISSUE 12
Application Withdrawn
ANDELL PROPERTY OWNERS S U R P R I S E AT T E N D E E S M O M E N T S BEFORE MEETING BY THERESA STRATFORD
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For The Island Connection
ven though there was no action taken on the proposed annexation of the Andell property, next to Bohicket Marina, into the Town of Seabrook Island, the Seabrook Island Town Council meeting on August 22 was still quite eventful. Without Town Council Member Pat Fox, who recently resigned from her position, there would have only been only four members of Council to vote on the proposal anyway. But just moments before the Town Council meeting took place, the applicant formally withdrew their request for annexation. Although there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief among the packed room of Seabrook Island residents who had come to share public comments in response to the proposed annexation, there were still many who shared their feelings of skepticism. The letter that was submitted by Bohicket Creek Investors LLC of Charleston came just before the meeting was to start, and therefore there was no
time to even update the agenda. That was the reason that the announcement of the withdrawal of the application by Mayor John Gregg came as such a surprise. Two ordinances were to be voted on at the meeting in relation to the Andell annexation into Seabrook Island. The first one, Ordinance 2023-06, read as, “An ordinance annexing Charleston County Tax Map Number 204-00-00010 containing approximately 17.75 +/acres at 4484 Betsy Kerrison Parkway.” The other ordinance, Ordinance 202307, read as “An ordinance adopting a Mixed-Use Concept Plan and Development Conditions for the Andell Mixed Use project.” A resident on Betsy Kerrison Parkway, Rich Thomas, spoke during the public comment session in opposition to the annexation. He said, “This withdrawal is a typical developer strategy. They will try again later. We’ll see him again. This development is half a mile from where I (continued on page 3) live. It affects my
SEPTEMBER 8, 2023
Andell West: What’s Next? IT’S TIME TO REZONE BY THERESA STRATFORD For The Island Connection
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ndell West will be heading back before Charleston County Council in September, but this time for a rezoning request. The Andell West property that sits next door to Freshfields Village, closer to Kiawah Island, is technically in unincorporated Charleston County. The owners of the nearly 50 acres of land are asking for it to be rezoned from Low Density Residential, or R-4, to a Commercial Planned Development. As an R-4, the zoned area allows for four dwelling units per acre, but the current plan for development by the owners, which took many months of work with plenty of public input, doesn’t even include any residences. As a Commercial Planned Development, the zoned area would not allow for any residences to be permitted at all, which fits more with the owner’s current plan for development anyway. Going from an R-4 to a Commercial Planned Development means that a wide variety of commercial uses would be allowed. For example, R-4 allows for hair, nail, or skin care services and community recreation. It also allows
for catering services, a country club, school, and anything related to residential communities like residential care facilities and complexes – as examples. The Commercial Planned Development status would open the property up for a much more diverse amount of commercial uses only. It would even allow for buildings to be as high as 55 feet. Commercial Planned Developments can have retail, food sales, medical offices, bars, alcohol sales, vehicle stores, microbreweries, even a convention center and more. Seabrook Island Town Administrator Joe Cronin addressed the action of rezoning Andell West to a Commercial Planned Development at the Seabrook Island Town Council meeting on August 22. He said that along with this request, Kiawah Island updated their traffic study which was completed in 2022. “Andell West will have a pretty big impact on traffic. Looking at the impact of that project specifically, not including everything else in the works, peak projection is at about 1,100 trips (continued on page 3) per hour. Traffic
Slow Ride
THOSE DRIVING TO SEABROOK AND KIAWAH WITH A L E A D F O O T S H O U L D TA K E H E E D BY THERESA STRATFORD For The Island Connection
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rive anywhere in the Charleston County area and you’ll find yourself in a traffic jam at some point, and it almost doesn’t matter what day of the week it is or what time. But when it comes to speeding, especially as you approach the Sea Islands, eager drivers seem to take advantage of the area they deem remote and off the beaten path from the larger areas of Charleston County. But not anymore. Dan Kortvelesy, the newest member of the Seabrook Island Town Council since 2022, attributed the work of the Public Safety Committee for the recent crackdown on speeding drivers along the Betsy Kerrison Parkway and Seabrook Island Road. As the liaison for the Seabrook Island Public Safety Committee, he formally recognized their due diligence during the August 22 Town Council meeting. After many conversations with Charleston County
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Sheriff Kristin Graziano, the decision was made on the County’s part to split the already overwhelming amount of land they cover in district 10 into another district, which is now district 11. Kortvelesy described former district 10’s massive size as being all of Seabrook Island, all of Kiawah Island, Johns Island and Wadmalaw, all the way to Maybank Highway and over to the Johns Island Bridge. The new district 11 will take on Seabrook Island, Kiawah Island and the lower Johns Island area from Edenville down to Bohicket Road. He said, “This will allow for a smaller space for law enforcement to patrol because now the sheriff can split the districts up.” Speaking to the crowd in Town Council chambers, he added, “Traveling down Betsy Kerrison, there have been more traffic stops, and I hope you weren’t a part of that.”
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He said that they also asked law enforcement if they could patrol from the traffic circle to Landfall Way. “Basically, when the sign says 35, it’s 35,” Kortvelesy continued. “The deputies have been stopping a lot of cars on Seabrook Island Road.” All security, including speeding, is handled by SIPOA. Kortvelesy said the Public Safety Committee will be meeting with their security representatives in September. “The bottom line is that you will be seeing more patrols on the roads in and around Seabrook,” he noted. Kortvelesy concluded his update saying that the Public Safety Committee will evaluate the speeding issues in about six months to see if there have been any improvements. “We engaged with the sheriff’s department and they responded. Now let’s see the fruits of our labor.”
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