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MAY 20–26, 2021
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Cannon Gate sketch plans approved
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
FRIEDA MITCHELL
100+ townhome development planned for Broad River Boulevard By Mindy Lucas A 100-plus townhome development could be coming to an area off Broad River Boulevard in Beaufort. Cannon Gate would feature 69 two-unit duplexes, for a total of 138 individual townhomes on roughly 16 acres on FC Carter Drive, west of Parris Island Gateway. Preliminary plans for the subdivision were approved at the Monday, May 17 meeting of the Beaufort – Port Royal Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC), though with several stipulations attached. Preliminary, or “sketch plans” are meant only to provide the MPC with an idea of the general layout of a project for the sole purpose of subdividing the land. The intent, as the planning commission has stated, is to “provide the applicant confirmation that the simple line drawing is consistent with the development code in terms of lot dimensions, street connectivity, street dimensions, and the allocation of required open space. … It is not a building development plan.” The property was recently annexed into the City of Beaufort and rezoned to a T4-N, or neighborhood, at the request of Robert Sample, the applicant and property’s owner. A corner of the development would front Broad River Boulevard. The entire site would have an estimated 240 to 276 parking spaces depending on the number of bedrooms in each unit. At Monday’s meeting, Sample said he would like to see three-bedroom units for the development. Though surrounded by a mix of individual homes and tracts of undeveloped land, the overall area has grown in recent years and another project, also approved recently by the MPC, could add to traffic congestion. Beaufort Station, a large-scale, mixed-use retail center, is being planned for the corner of Robert Smalls Parkway and Parris Island Gateway. The MPC gave conditional approval to a conceptual sketch plat for the shopping center on the 28-
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Frieda Mitchell, who died in October at the age of 95, was a tireless civil rights and social justice activist and champion for children and families. She was recently honored for her life’s work at her alma mater, the Mather School. Photo provided.
A lasting impact Beaufort County civil rights and social justice activist honored at Mather School
By Mindy Lucas
T
enacious. Driven. Kind-hearted. Loving. Those were just a few of the words used to describe Frieda Mitchell at a small, intimate gathering held in her honor at the Mather School Museum recently. The longtime civil rights and social justice activist from Sheldon died in October at the age of 95, but her work and contributions have had a lasting impact on the lives of so many and continue to do so, said those who were on hand for the event held at Mitchell’s alma mater on Friday, May 14.
ON THE TRAIL
Former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham chats with Mayor Stephen Murray and former Mayor David Taub in Beaufort on Tuesday. Cunningham, a Democrat who has announced his plans to run in the 2022 South Carolina gubernatorial race, was in Beaufort, then Bluffton on Tuesday to meet with supporters and talk about issues ranging from teachers’ pay raises to law enforcement reform. Photo by Lolita Huckaby.
“She touched so many lives in this community, in this world and internationally,” said Rufus Pinckney, who recounted growing up near the Mitchells in Sheldon. Mitchell didn’t take no for an answer, said Pinckney and many others on hand for the gathering, especially when it came to something that would ultimately benefit that person. Case in point: When Mitchell discovered Pinckney had graduated from high school but wasn’t planning to go to college for a year, she called to tell him he would be going to
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Karen Ulmer (left) and Muriel A. Hawkins stand in front of a new exhibit honoring the life and contributions of their mother, longtime civil rights and social justice activist, Frieda Mitchell. The photos and proclamations are now on display at the Mather School Museum on the Technical College of the Lowcountry. Photo by Mindy Lucas.
USCB Center for the Arts brings the entertainment this summer
By Mindy Lucas From an enchanted bookshop to concerts on the lawn, USC Beaufort’s Center for the Arts has several events coming up that are sure to entertain. First up is the video premiere of The Enchanted Bookshop Musical presented by Beaufort Children’s Theatre. After COVID-19 put a halt to the theater’s production of “Seussical Jr.” last year and in-person rehearsals, the production team decided to switch to The Enchanted Bookshop Musical, about a magical book shop that comes to life at night. Viewers will have several innovative ways to watch the musical. In-person screenings will be held with a limited number of audience members at 7 p.m. on May 21 and 22, at USCB Center for the Arts, 801
Carteret Street. Tickets are $12 and student tickets are $8. Masks are required. Those who would rather watch from home can watch on demand, with the entire family through an emailed link for $25. For schools or donors who wish to hold a screening in their, a classroom rate of $100 for 30 students is also available for viewing on demand. For more information or to purchase tickets call 843-521-4145 or visit www.uscbcenterforthearts.com. Listen on the Lawn If you’ve been missing live music, you’ll want to check out the center’s “Listen on the Lawn Concert Series” coming up the second and fourth Sundays of the month this summer. Katie Lynn Godowns of Beaufort will take the stage on the center’s
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lawn on Sunday, May 23. Godowns released her debut album “Movin’ Mountains” at the center in 2019 and describes her premiere work as “modern country.” The lawn will open at 5:30 p.m., with the show starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10. Children younger than 12 are admitted for free. Next up in the concert series is the Beaufort Mass Choir on June 13. Comprised of singers from more than a dozen area churches, the Beaufort Mass Choir will feature Gospel and Gullah music. Tickets are $10. Participants are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket, and a picnic dinner or snacks and beverages. Tickets must be purchased in advance at www.uscbcenterforthearts. com or by calling 843-521-4145. In case of rain, performances will be moved inside the center.
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