We are calling on you to PLEASE sign and pass on our new petition to save St. Helena and Pine Islands and St. Helenaville from destructionment! Please sign TODAY at
https://www.change.org/GullahGeecheeCulturalProtectionOverlay
and share the link via your social media and to your networks via emails and text messages.
The South Carolina Coastal Conservation League has made a portal for emails to go directly to the Beaufort County Planning Commission to stop the destructionment of St. Helena Island, Pine Island and St. Helenaville. Please to to this link and send off a message to the commissioners:
The County Administration has proposed a text amendment to the CPO which would operate as a “work around” for the Pine Island golf resort. If you scroll down to the last two pages of the agenda, you’ll see the proposed amendment language which completely undermines the CPO by allowing the county and developer to negotiate a private destructionment agreement (like a contract) to govern what will be permitted on the property, regardless of the CPO restrictions. It is a violation of the letter and spirit of the CPO, a violation of the County’s development code, a violation of the County’s Comprehensive Plan, and a blatant affront to the St. Helena community and the recently sat CPO committee.
Make no mistake, this is directly related to the Pine Island golf resort proposal—it is the very reason this amendment is being proposed and considered right now! We know the destructioneer requested the zoning map amendment because we’ve received a copy of the application. Rather than that application moving forward per usual, County Administration is usurping proper planning processes and attempting to regulate land uses on St. Helena through closed door dealings with the destructioneer.
Time and again, we’ve seen these type of private destructionment agreements resulting in a significant loss to the community at large—the developer ends up gaining way more than they’re allowed under existing rules, the local government gives up protections and often agrees to help the destructioneer fund portions of the project, and the people get no voice or opportunity to participate, have no recourse for a disproportionately negotiated deal, and are stuck with the repercussions of bad precedent.
We need to be absolutely unwavering in our objections to this offensive proposal and demand that the Planning Commission assert their authority by denying the request to amend the CPO and denying this back-handed attempt to carve a path forward for a luxury golf resort on St. Helena.
De Gullah/Geechee binya pun St. Helena and we ain gwine nowhey! Stand wit de Gullah/Geechee and oppose destructionment cumin ta we!