Month: April 2021

Historic District Review Board drops hotel and parking garage from upcoming Wednesday agenda, adds executive session

Reporter

The City’s Historic District Review Board (HDRB) today eliminated consideration of final approval of the proposed oversize parking garage and proposed oversize convention hotel in the historic downtown commercial district from its upcoming 2:00 p.m. Wednesday meeting via Zoom. The Board also added an executive session to receive a legal briefing about the recent lawsuit filed against the City and 303 Associates/The Beaufort Inn alleging failure to obtain zoning variances explicitly required by the City Code.

The Tribune published the original agenda last week, click here, which included 250 pages of plans and other information about the proposed hotel and parking garage. Below is the revised agenda with the City’s email notice to the HDRB members of these changes. Continue reading →

Resistance: Oldtimer hugs his trees and nails signs against Dominion Energy

Reporter

Life-long Beaufort resident and retired veterinarian Dr. Bill Sammons, now 80 years old, isn’t going to take the desecration of his palmetto trees lying down. On Thursday he had three of these signs made, and he nailed them onto the palmetto trees lining his homesite on Elliott Street after Dominion Energy’s tree crew arrived to saw the trees down. “They say they’re coming back with a letter to give them permission to destroy my trees”, Sammons told the Tribune as he hugged one of them. “Maybe the City Council and Dominion Energy don’t understand that I’m part of the Resistance. The Resistance is now everywhere in Beaufort, is not going away, and is going to win. Power to the people!”

Editor’s Note: If you are concerned about the direction the City of Beaufort is taking, especially in its Historic District, you are automatically a member of the Beautiful Beaufort Alliance, sponsored by The Beaufort Tribune. Click here to see the goals of the Beautiful Beaufort Alliance and what you can do to help.

Brutalized Beaufort: Dominion Energy’s tree cutters are ashamed of what they’re doing

Reporter

Above: This ashamed Dominion Energy’ tree cutter hides his face so he can’t be recognized. These men, their elevated buckets, chain saws, tree grinders, and trucks have been all over our beautiful town for the past six weeks slaughtering every tree and limb they can get their destructive hands on. According to the boss of these men, they will return every five years to keep cutting, cutting, cutting.

Editor’s Note: If you are concerned about the direction the City of Beaufort is taking, especially in its Historic District, you are automatically a member of the Beautiful Beaufort Alliance, sponsored by The Beaufort Tribune. Click here to see the goals of the Beautiful Beaufort Alliance and what you can do to help.

Brutalized Beaufort: Church Street in front of St. Helena’s Church

Reporter

Two stumps are all that remain of 100-year-old palmetto trees that graced the entry to one of South Carolina’s most historic churches, St. Helena’s, which was founded in 1711, thanks to the cutting saws of Dominion Energy, the great Satan who has been intent on destroying the beauty of nature here. Palmettos all over town are falling to Dominion’s chain saws ever hour of every working day and being ground into sawdust. Continue reading →

Downtown homeowner: Why isn’t City enforcing zoning code for “big box” buildings downtown?

Reporter

Dear members of Beaufort’s HDRB [Historic District Review Board],

My name is Westley Byrne.  I’m a downtown homeowner, and I’m writing to express my deep concern regarding the hotel, parking garage, and apartment complex that comprise the subject of a lawsuit filed today [Monday, April 5].

I’ve reviewed the Beaufort Code, Preservation Manual, and HDRB and ZBOA [Zoning Board of Appeals] meeting minutes going back several years.  I have to agree with the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that there are code and manual violations that must be addressed before any further actions can be taken. Continue reading →

City & 303 Associates sued for alleged violations of City Code; injunction sought

Reporter

The City of Beaufort and 303 Associates, the largest owner of commercial properties in Beaufort’s nine-square-block historic downtown core commercial district, were sued today in the Court of Common Pleas by two downtown property owners, West Street Farms, LLC, and Mix Farms, LLC, for alleged violations of the City Code involving three alleged “Large Footprint Buildings” that 303 Associates proposes to construct in the area: a large hotel, a large apartment building, and a large parking garage. Continue reading →