[00:00:01]
CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY.
UH, ARE THERE ANY OBJECTION, AGENDA, UH, AS ADOPTED, UH, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
DO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? MOVE SECOND.
ANY OBJECTION OR ADDITIONS TO THE MINUTES FROM LAST MEETING? SEEING NONE MINUTES ARE APPROVED.
WE'RE GONNA, WE, TONIGHT WE'RE, WE'RE DOWN A FEW SOLDIERS.
UH, THREE, ACTUALLY, UM, TRADE'S GONNA BE HANDLING OUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT.
UH, HE'S GONNA GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE OF THE TASK FORCE AND WHY WE ARE HERE.
AND WE'LL PROBABLY DO THAT EVERY MEETING.
AND WE'RE GONNA GO OVER A SPECIFIC ITEMS OF THIS AGENDA.
I KNOW THAT I'VE, UH, RECEIVED A LOT, NOT A LOT, A FEW TEXTS AND A FEW EMAILS ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PACKET THAT WAS PUT OUT.
UM, BUT WE'RE GONNA BE SPECIFIC TONIGHT, AND WE'RE GONNA COVER SPECIFIC ITEMS OF THIS PACKET.
AND, UH, AND IT'S GONNA BE A, AND IF WE HAVE A CHANCE, IT'S GONNA BE D AS IN DAVID.
UM, OTHERWISE IT'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT MEETING.
UM, BUT STILL WE'RE GONNA TRY TO KEEP OUR COMMENTS TO THOSE AREAS.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE IN THIS PACKET, UH, PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL AND COPY STAFF.
UH, OTHER THAN THAT, UH, TREY, YOU READY? UH, SURE.
AND WE ALSO HAVE OUR FACILITATOR ON STAFF THAT'S HERE, UH, TO KEEP US ON POINT.
TREY, DID YOU WANNA KICK US OFF? SURE.
SO I'LL, I'LL JUST, UM, KICK US OFF.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE EVERYONE AGAIN.
AGAIN, MY NAME IS DENISE GRABOWSKI.
HAPPY TO, TO BE HERE TO HELP FACILITATE OUR CONVERSATION.
JUST A REMINDER OF A COUPLE OF GROUND RULES THAT WE HAD, UM, TALKED ABOUT LAST TIME.
UM, EVERYONE, UH, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS AT ANY TIME, JUST REMEMBER TO STAND UP YOUR NAME CARD.
UM, I'LL DO MY BEST TO PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME CORRECTLY.
AND, UM, KEEP AN OPEN MIND, BE MINDFUL OF LISTENING TO WHAT, UH, EVERYONE HAS TO SAY.
IF YOU HAVE OBJECTIONS TO A PARTICULAR POINT OR A PARTICULAR RECOMMENDATION, IT'S VERY HELPFUL TO BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT YOUR OBJECTION IS OR IF YOU HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UM, IN MOVING FORWARD.
SO I'LL COME BACK AFTER, UH, TREY GIVES A LITTLE BIT OF THE OVERVIEW.
HE'S GONNA COVER A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT'S IN THE MEMO, AND THEN WE'LL START, UM, DIVING IN.
I'M THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES PROGRAM MANAGER HERE.
UH, AND I'M ALSO THE INTERIM PLANNING DIRECTOR FOR THE MOMENT.
UM, SO I WILL NOW GO OVER THE, UH, GOAL AND THE, UH, PURPOSE OF THE TASK FORCE.
AND THE GOAL OF THE, UH, OF THE LMO TASK FORCE IS TO REACH CONSENSUS OF THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS, NOT UNANIMOUS APPROVAL OF EACH INDIVIDUAL AMENDMENT.
IN THIS REGARD, THE LMO TASK FORCE WILL REVIEW, DISCUSS, PROVIDE DIRECTION, AND MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND TOWN COUNCIL TO ACCOMPLISH THIS.
DURING UPCOMING MEETINGS, THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS WILL OCCUR.
STAFF WILL PRESENT EACH REMAINING AMENDMENT FOR DISCUSSION.
DRAFT REVISIONS WILL BE DEFINED BASED ON A AMO TASK FORCE INPUT AND A CONSOLIDATED DRAFT OF ALL AMENDMENTS, BUT WILL BE RETURNED TO THE TASK FORCE FOR VERIFICATION PRIOR TO FORMAL RECOMMENDATION TO PLANNING COMMISSION AND TOWN COUNCIL.
SO, FOLLOWING LMO, LMO TASK FORCE CONSENSUS, THE AMENDMENTS WILL BE REVIEWED FOLLOWING A PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS ESTABLISHED BY STATE AND TOWN REQUIREMENTS.
THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS WILL ADVANCE TO THE GULLAH GEECHEE LAND AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION TASK FORCE WITH ITS SUBCOMMITTEE OF PLANNING COMMISSION.
PLANNING COMMISSION WILL REVIEW AND RECOMMEND.
ACCORDINGLY, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE WILL REVIEW AND RECOMMEND TO TOWN COUNCIL, AND THEN IT WILL GO TO TOWN COUNCIL FOR FINAL READINGS AND ADOPTION.
UM, AS, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, DE SIMON HAD, UH, ALLUDED TO EARLIER, WE HAVE RECEIVED SOME EMAILS, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME ARTICLES OUT THERE ON SOME OF THE ITEMS IN HERE.
WE WILL GET TO ALL OF THOSE, UH, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT EVERYTHING IN COLUMN THREE OF THIS, UH, MATRIX HERE WHERE IT SAYS REMAINING
[00:05:01]
IDENTIFIED AMENDMENTS, THESE ARE THE AMENDMENTS FOR DISCUSSION.THESE ARE NOT AMENDMENTS WE ARE CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH IN DRAFTING CODE ON.
SO JUST SO WE'RE CLEAR ON THAT.
UM, AND WITH THAT, WE WILL GET INTO FIRST AND, AND AGAIN, UH, AS COUNCILMAN SIMON D SIMONE SAID, WE ARE GOING OVER ID NUMBERS A AND D, SO WETLAND PROTECTION, TREE PROTECTION, AND THEN IN D WE WILL BE GOING THROUGH OUR APPLICATION PROCESSES, WHICH ARE TRANSPARENCY AND CLARITY OF PROCESS AND REGULATIONS AND MINOR SUBDIVISIONS.
UM, NEXT THURSDAY'S MEETING, WE WILL SEND OUT BY MONDAY WHAT WE, WHICH AREAS WE WILL BE COVERING AT THAT MEETING.
BUT WE PLAN TO START WITH B AND TRY TO GET THROUGH SOME OF THOSE TIME, TIME, UH, WILL OR TIME WILLING.
SO THIS PROCESS WILL PROBABLY TAKE THREE, FOUR, MAYBE FIVE MEETINGS TO GET THROUGH BEFORE WE GET THROUGH ALL OF THESE ITEMS, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT SOME OF THEM ARE LITTLE HOT TOPIC ITEMS AND THERE'LL BE MORE DISCUSSION.
SOME OF THEM ARE, WE'LL, WE'LL MOVE THROUGH RATHER EASILY.
SO BEFORE YOU JUMP IN TO THE TABLE, JUST A, A COUPLE THINGS I I DO WANNA MENTION.
SO ONE OF THE OTHER AREAS OF THE MEMO THAT WAS SENT OUT TO YOU IN ADVANCE FROM STAFF ON PAGE THREE, UH, BOTTOM OF PAGE TWO AND, AND MOST OF PAGE THREE, THERE ARE GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE 2026 LMO UPDATE, UM, INCLUDING ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, COMMUNITY CHARACTER AND AESTHETICS, SUSTAINABLE AND CONTEXT SENSITIVE DEVELOPMENT, QUALITY OF LIFE AND ACCESSIBILITY, ECONOMIC VITALITY, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND TRANSPARENCY AND EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE.
I FIND WITH A PROCESS LIKE THIS, HAVING GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT ARE CL CLEARLY ARTICULATED CAN BE VERY HELPFUL, PARTICULARLY IF WE'RE HAVING MOMENTS OF DISCUSSION WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO GAIN, UM, DIRECTION.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE SAW THESE IN THAT MEMO, UM, AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO REFERENCE BACK TO THESE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
AND THEN BEFORE TREY STARTS TO KIND OF DIVE INTO EVERYTHING, UM, IF YOU'LL RECALL AT OUR FIRST MEETING WE TALKED ABOUT, I THINK IT WAS A TOWN MANAGER WHO REALLY TALKED ABOUT, WE'RE FOCUSING ON SPECIFIC AREAS FOR THIS UPDATE BECAUSE OF A LOT OF THE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE PAST.
UM, AND ALSO TO BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
SO AS WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, YOU'LL SEE THE FAR RIGHT HAND COLUMN, UM, OF THE TABLE IDENTIFIES THE AMENDMENTS THAT ARE PROPOSED FOR DISCUSSION.
AS A PART OF THIS PROCESS, IF THERE ARE OTHER AREAS THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN DISCUSSING, WE HAVE A FLIP CHART HERE.
UM, OUR EASEL WAS NOT COOPERATING WITH OUR FLIP CHART, SO WE DO HAVE IT HERE WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE.
HAPPY TO HOLD IT UP AT THE END.
WE ARE, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY ARE OPEN TO INCLUDING ITEMS FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION.
SO IF THERE ARE ITEMS AS WE GO THROUGH EACH OF THESE MAJOR SECTIONS, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED AND YOU DON'T SEE IT LISTED HERE, WE WILL INCLUDE IT ON OUR ITEMS FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION.
WE'LL HAVE, UM, AT THE END OF GOING THROUGH THIS WHOLE TABLE, THE TEAM WILL LOOK AT THOSE ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION AND TALK ABOUT WHETHER THAT MAKES SENSE TO INCLUDE THOSE IN THIS UPDATE.
OR AS YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY SEEN IN THIS TABLE, THERE ALREADY ARE SOME ITEMS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION KNOWING THAT A CODE IS ALWAYS A LIVING DOCUMENT.
SO I JUST WANNA BE MINDFUL OF THAT PROCESS.
WE COULD PROBABLY SPEND THE NEXT SIX MONTHS ON ANY ONE OF THESE TOPICS.
SO THIS IS A WAY TO TRY AND KEEP OUR WORK FOCUSED AND STREAMLINE.
IT IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A WAY TO SHUT DOWN CONVERSATION OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT AT ALL, BUT THAT'S THE PROCESS THAT THE TOWN MANAGER HAS SET FORWARD IN THIS PROCESS.
SO WE JUST WANNA BE MINDFUL OF THAT, BUT I DON'T WANT THAT TO DISCOURAGE YOU FROM BRINGING UP ITEMS THAT YOU THINK ARE IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION.
ALRIGHT, WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO TRIP.
ALRIGHT, WITH, WITH THAT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ID NUMBER A ONE, WHICH IS OUR NATURAL RESOURCE OR ID NUMBER A IS OUR NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTION.
A ONE IS WETLAND PROTECTION SPECIFICALLY.
SO THE, I SHOULD HAVE SAID IT IS THE FOURTH COLUMN NOT, BUT, SO THE SECOND COLUMN IN THIS, UH, MATRIX HERE IS WHAT WAS ADOPTED IN 2014 AND SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE THAT WAS MADE FROM THE 98 CODE IN THE 2014, UH, VERSION OF THE LMO.
THE THIRD COLUMN OR THE MIDDLE COLUMN HERE ARE AMENDMENTS THAT WERE, HAVE BEEN MADE, UH, SINCE THE 2014 ADOPTION.
AND THEN AGAIN, THAT LAST COLUMN OVER THERE ARE REMAINING, UH, IDENTIFIED AMENDMENTS OR WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING THE DISCUSSION ITEMS TODAY.
SO, UH, IN, IN 2014 WHEN WE CODIFIED THE, THE CURRENT,
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UH, ORDINANCE IN WETLAND PROTECTION, THERE WAS AN ALLOWANCE OF 10% ADMINISTRATIVE REDUCTION IN WETLAND BUFFER IN CERTAIN CONDI IF CON CERTAIN CONDITIONS WERE MET.UH, ALSO A WETLAND MITIGATION THAT CANNOT BE A, A ACCOMMODATED ON SITE CHANGED FROM BEING REQUIRED TO BE LOCATED IN THE SAME WATERSHED TO BEING PERMITTED TO OCCUR WITHIN A WATERSHED ON THE ISLAND.
SO WHERE THERE WAS, IT HAD TO BE ON SITE, THERE WAS SOME OFFSITE MITIGATION REQUIREMENTS THAT WERE, OR, UH, MITIGATION ALLOWANCE THAT WAS, UH, ADDED AT THAT POINT.
UH, SINCE THAT 2014 ADOPTION, WE'VE MADE THREE, UH, SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES.
WE'VE ADDED LANGUAGE TO BETTER PROTECT VEGETATION AND WETLAND BUFFERS.
WE'VE ESTABLISHED AN ACTUAL HEIGHT IN WHICH DUNE VEGETATION CAN BE TRIMMED, WHICH IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE, UH, LAW, WHICH IS FOUR FEET.
AND WE ELIMINATED THE ALLOWANCE OF ANY ADMINISTRATIVE WAIVERS, UH, FOR ANY REDUCTIONS IN OF THOSE.
JAY IS, HAS THE CURRENT LMO UP, AND IF YOU WANTED TO LOOK AT THE LANGUAGE THAT WAS FROM 16 6 1 0 2 D FOR WETLAND PROTECTION, IF ANYBODY WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THAT AS WE GO THROUGH TO DIS THIS.
AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE NO REMAINING ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION TODAY.
SO ANYTHING THAT YOU, THAT WE TALK ABOUT NOW WILL BE ADDED TO OUR LIST OVER HERE FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION.
SO WITH THAT, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY ITEMS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS AS IT PERTAINS TO WETLAND PROTECTION FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION? OR QUESTIONS FOR CLARIFICATION OR, OR QUESTIONS? YES.
MR. STRAW, SORRY, I YOU ON STORM
THERE'S, UM, WE HAVE ONE OF THE, THE SMALLEST BUFFERS OF ANY MUNICIPALITY.
SO I THINK, UH, OURS TYPICALLY RUNS FROM 20 TO 35 FEET.
IT'S ALSO CALCULATED, UH, USING A, A VARIABLE CALCULATION.
LOFTON RECENTLY, UH, UPDATED, ACTUALLY LAST MARCH, THEY UPDATED THEIRS FROM 25 FEET TO 50 FEET.
UH, KIAA IS 50 TO A HUNDRED FEET.
UH, SO THAT'S JUST ON, ON THE WETLAND PORTION.
WE DON'T HAVE AN ORDINANCE OR A OVERLAY FOR WILDLIFE PROTECTION.
SO, UH, WE HAVE A ROOKERY THAT'S IN AT RISK RIGHT NOW.
SO AGAIN, USING KIVA AS A, AS A MODEL, THEY HAVE A 300 FOOT PROTECTION AROUND A ROOKERY.
SO I'D LIKE TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
JUST AS A, AS A QUICK, UM, TEMPERATURE CHECK ON THOSE ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THEIR FUTURE, ARE THERE OTHERS THAT WOULD FEEL, UM, THAT THOSE ARE ALSO ITEMS THAT WE SHOULD, UH, CONSIDER? YEAH.
I'M SORRY, MS. BECKER, I'M TRYING TO LOOK AT MY
UM, SOME OF THESE MAY BE EASY TO ANSWER, BUT I DO WANNA HEAR THEM, UM, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE CONSIDERED THEM FOR ADOPTION INTO THE LMO SO THAT THEY'VE BEEN CODIFIED, UM, WITH REGARD TO A WETLANDS WHO, IN WHAT ENTITY DECIDES THE, WHERE THE WETLANDS ARE, HOW EXTENSIVE THEY ARE, AND, UM, WHAT IMPACT ANY DEVELOPMENT NEAR THEM WOULD BE.
SO THAT'S THE FIRST, UM, I HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, SOME OF THIS EARLIER TODAY AND I WANT, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DISCUSS IT THOROUGHLY SO THAT WE KNOW DEFINITIVELY WHO MAKES THAT FINAL DECISION ON WETLANDS.
UM, I WANNA HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WAIVERS AND, UM, AND I DON'T MEAN WAIVERS AS IN WHOLE, BUT I MEAN WAIVERS IN TERMS OF A REDUCTION IN SETBACKS AND REQUIRED BUFFERS.
I WANNA HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE REMEDIATION, UM, WHERE THAT, UM, TYPE OF MITIGATION TAKES PLACE.
IS IT ONSITE OR IS IT, UM, IF IT WERE TO BE ALLOWED, IS IT ONSITE? IS IT INSIDE OF HILTON HEAD TOWN LIMITS OR IS IT SOMEWHERE ELSE WHERE THERE MIGHT BE A BANK AVAILABLE? UM, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SPECIFIC WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THOSE ITEMS. UM, ALSO RELATED TO THAT IS THE IDEA OF AN AVERAGE BUFFER, UM, WHERE WETLANDS ARE CON CONCERNED, UM, WHERE THE WETLANDS ARE CONSERVED, WHERE A CREEK OR A A, UM, OR SOMETHING WITH SOME SORT OF WATERWAY ALL COMES TOGETHER.
WE HAVE THOSE CONDITIONS ON THIS ISLAND AND I'M NOT SURE THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT THAT CAREFULLY.
SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE LOOK AT AND SCRUTINIZE WHAT AN AVERAGE BUFFER REALLY MEANS, WHERE IT IS APPLIED AND THE, UM, THE CONSEQUENCES OF THOSE ACTIONS IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT.
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WITH REGARD TO WETLANDS THAT I THINK THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO EVALUATE, TO DISCUSS AND MAKE SURE THAT WE PUT IN APPROPRIATE, UM, ORDINANCES TO PROTECT THE ISLAND, OUR WETLANDS, OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.AND AS WAS ALREADY MENTIONED IN THIS SPECIFIC CASE, THESE ALL APPLY TO SOME CONCERNS ABOUT A, A WELL-ESTABLISHED, UM, MERCURY.
SO I THINK YOU HAD A QUESTION RIGHT HERE AS WELL.
IS THAT RIGHT? WANNA GO? YOU DIDN'T, NO, MAYBE BECKER PROBABLY TOOK CARE OF THAT QUESTION FOR YOU.
I'M JUST TRYING TO, I'M JUST TRYING TO BE RESPECTFUL.
MAKE SURE I HAVE EVERYONE'S NAME.
WE'RE ON EIGHT DASH ONE RIGHT NOW.
PETER, WE'RE ON EIGHT DASH ONE.
I'M SORRY, I'M ON EIGHT DASH TWO
THAT'S, THAT'S, I'M ALREADY THINKING.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER, UM, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THE WETLAND SECTION ONLY? ONLY COMMENT I HAVE IS I, IF I BELIEVE IF I'M CORRECT, THERE, THERE ARE NO WETLAND MITIGATIONS ON HILTON HEAD, IS THAT CORRECT? TREY BANKS? YES.
ANYTHING ELSE? ALRIGHT, WELL WE CAN GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO YOUR
YEAH, SO WHAT I'LL DO IS, AGAIN, I'LL COVER 2014 FROM 98 CHANGES SINCE, AND THEN THIS ONE DOES HAVE SOME DISCUSSION ITEMS ON IT.
I WILL GO THROUGH THOSE AND THEN WE WILL TAKE DISCUSSION ON THOSE ITEMS ONCE WE GO THROUGH THOSE.
UH, IN 2014, A SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE FROM THE 98 UH, ORDINANCE WAS THE SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISION WAS EXEMPTED FROM MINIMUM TREE COVERAGE REQUIREMENTS, UH, AMENDMENT SENSE, UH, ANY CLEARING OTHER, ANY CLEARING OR OTHER SITE DISTURBANCE AND BUFFERS MUST HAVE PRIOR APPROVAL TO THE LMO OFFICIAL OF THE LMO OFFICIAL.
CLARIFY THAT THE REMOVAL OF INVASIVE SPECIES WITH A BUFFER IS PERMITTED, BUFFERS MUST BE REPLANTED SO THAT THE FUNCTION OF THE BUFFER IS ACHIEVED AN EXEMPTED PRESERVATION OF SPECIMEN TREES ON SINGLE FAMILY LOTS.
UH, THE NEXT ONE WOULD BE, UH, REQUIRED PRESERVATION OF EXISTING GROUPINGS OF NATIVE PLANTS AND BUFFERS.
ENHANCING PLANTING REQUIREMENTS WERE ADOPTED TO PROTECT TREES OF SPECIFIC DIAMETERS AND HEIGHTS AND ESTABLISHED A PRESERVATION OF SIGNIFICANT TREES.
UH, AND THEN THE LAST ONE WAS ELIMINATED EXCEPTIONS TO SPECIMEN TREE PRESERVATION ON SINGLE FAMILY LOTS LOWERED SIZE OF CERTAIN TREES TO BE PROTECTED, THEREFORE PROTECTING MORE TREES, INCREASED SIZE OF REPLACEMENT PLANNINGS AND UPDATED THE NATIVE PLANT.
LIST ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION TODAY.
NUMBER ONE, REMOVE EXEMPTION FOR ALL SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISIONS AND MEETING MINIMUM TREE REQUIREMENT OR COVERAGE REQUIREMENTS.
UH, NUMBER TWO IS REQUIRE TREE REMOVAL TO BE COMPLETED IN PHASES.
INITIAL TREE REMOVAL, LIMITED TO APPROVED ACCESS, UTILITY EASEMENTS AND RIGHTS OF WAY FOLLOWED BY TREE REMOVAL BASED ON SITE SPECIFIC TREE PROTECTION AND REMOVAL PLAN APPROVED AT THE TIME OF BUILDING PERMIT BEING ISSUED.
AND THE LAST ONE, NUMBER THREE, ADD CLARITY TO REASONABLE EFFORTS LANGUAGE FOR PRESERVATION OF TREES BY REQUIRING SITE DESIGN.
ADJUSTMENTS TO PRESERVE TREES REQUIRE TREE REMOVAL TO MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA.
PROPERTY USE IS IMPRACTICAL WITHOUT REMOVAL.
SITE FEATURES ARE DESIGNED AROUND TREE CANOPIES, REMOVAL OF A REMOVAL PRE PRESERVES HEALTHIER TREES AND SITE PLAN ADJUSTMENTS AREN'T FEASIBLE AND TREE ISN'T IN A REQUIRED SETBACK OR BUFFER IF, IF IN A TREE IS NOT IN THE, IF LMO OFFICIAL DETERMINES THAT CRITERIA ARE NOT MET, APPLICANT CAN APPEAL TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
SO I'M GONNA SUGGEST WE TRY AND TAKE THESE ONE AT A TIME.
AND FOR THE FIRST ONE, I THINK SHAY YOU HAVE A GRAPHIC THAT MIGHT ILLUSTRATE THE INTENT OF THIS.
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DO YOU WANNA TALK THROUGH IT SHAY OR YOU WANNA OH, SORRY.UM, SO WE JUST HAVE A, A QUICK CHAT GPT, UH, RENDERING OF WHAT THE EXISTING SUBDIVISION, UH, CLEARING WOULD BE LIKE AND WHAT IT COULD LOOK LIKE IF THERE WERE, UH, REQUIREMENTS THAT, UH, THERE'S A MINIMUM TREE COVERAGE SO THAT ENCOURAGES, UM, TREES TO BE PROTECTED, UM, EVEN AT SMALLER SIZES, UM, AND RESULTS IN A, UM, A CANOPY AND A LANDSCAPE THAT'S MORE ESTABLISHED THAN, UM, CLEAR CUTTING SITES.
AND, AND SHAY, WHILE YOU'RE UP THERE, CAN YOU PLEASE PULL UP, UH, LMO SECTION 16 6 1 0 4 G ONE JUST FOR A VISUAL.
THIS IS, THIS IS THE CURRENT LANGUAGE IN THE LMO THAT WE ARE DISCUSSING.
SO WHEN SHE PULLS SAID G ONE, MR. CHAIR, WHILE SHE'S PULLING THAT UP, I DO HAVE A HARD COPY OF THE WHOLE LMO RIGHT HERE, IF ANYONE WANTS TO SEE THE HARD COPY.
YEAH, WE'VE GOT SEVERAL COPIES AROUND IF I'M HAVING DIFFICULTY.
SO, CURRENTLY, UH, AND THE LANGUAGE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT, OR DISCUSSING CURRENTLY IS ALL NEW DEVELOPMENT EXCEPT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF ANY PUBLIC STREET PATHWAY, DRAINAGE PROJECT, SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISION, ATHLETIC FIELD, AIRPORT RUNWAY GOLF COURSE, OR MINOR MINOR UTILITY.
AND THE REDEVELOPMENT OR ALTERATION OF EXISTING DEVELOPMENT, UH, SHALL, SHALL INCLUDE OR YES, EXCEPT FOR THAT, THAT SHALL, AND THAT IS EXEMPTING THEM FROM USING THE 900 ADJUSTED CALIPER CALIPER INCH OR A CI CALCULATION THAT IS CURRENTLY USED FOR, UH, COMMERCIAL SITES ON THE ISLAND.
UM, THEY, THE RESULT IS IT GOES TO A, UH, 16 SIX, UM, 16 6 1 0 4 G, OR 16 6 1 0 4 I, WHICH IS A, UH, RATIO OF INCHES REMOVED TO, OR TREE REMOVED TO INCHES REMOVED.
SO IT'S, UH, A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT CALCULATION AND IT RESULTS IN A-A-A-A-A, UH, LESS TREES BEING PLANTED ON SITE.
SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS.
TRE, IF YOU WOULD GIVE ONE AN EXAMPLE OF A REPLACEMENT SO EVERYONE REALLY FULLY UNDERSTAND A TREE.
SO THERE'S SOME, IF YOU SAY, IF YOU'LL SCROLL A LITTLE BIT, GO TO G AGAIN, THERE'S AN EXAMPLE.
SO FOR, FOR AN A CI CALCULATION, WHICH THEY, WHICH IS CURRENTLY BEING EXEMPTED FOR SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISIONS, A TWO ACRE SITE IN PARKS AND RECREATION IS PERMITTED A MAXIMUM IMPERVIOUS SURFACE COVERAGE OF 45% OR NINE TENTHS OF AN ACRE.
THIS LEAVES 1.1 ACRE OF PERVIOUS SURFACE, WHICH IS HOW YOU CALCULATE THIS.
AND IT'S MULTIPLIED BY 900, UH, ADJUSTED CPER INCHES OF TREES.
IT GIVES A SITE STANDARD OF 909 ADJUSTED CALIPER INCHES.
WHAT, WHICH MUST BE MET POST-DEVELOPMENT.
NOW IN I, WHICH IS, WHICH IS WHERE THE EXEMPTION TAKES YOU TO, OR SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISIONS, YOU ARE REQUIRED, TREES THAT ARE REMOVED SHALL BE REPLACED AT THE RATE OF ONE TREE FOR EVERY 10 INCHES REMOVED.
SO EVERY 10 INCHES OF TREE REMOVED, YOU GIVE US ONE TREE, WHETHER IT BE CATEGORY 1, 2, 3, 4, UM, YOUR, YOUR MINIMUM.
SHE'S GOT A, IF YOU'LL BRING UP THAT TABLE THERE, YOUR CATEGORY ONE, YOUR MINIMUM TRUNK SIZE IS FOUR, CATEGORY TWO IS FOUR, CATEGORY THREE IS TWO, AND CATEGORY FOUR IS ONE.
SO FOR EVERY TREE YOU GIVE US 10 BACK AND THAT PLANT THAT UH, UH, FOUR INCH CALIPER THERE IS ADDED TO THAT 10 INCHES FOR EVERY TREE THAT IS REMOVED.
SO IT TAKES, UH, TWO CATEGORY ONES AND A CATEGORY THREE TREE TO MAKE UP ONE, UH, 10 INCH TREE REMOVED.
THAT'S THE RATIO THAT WE'RE ACCEPTING IT TO RIGHT NOW AS INSTEAD OF A FULL A CI CALCULATION,
[00:25:01]
WHICH IS A HIGHER STANDARD FOR REMOVAL.ALRIGHT, SO MY OBSERVATION ON THIS, AND I'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS IN STAFF ABOUT IT, IS THAT, UH, I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK CLOSELY AT LOT SIZE, UM, BECAUSE, UH, IT'S VERY, UM, POSSIBLE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TREMENDOUS CROWDING OF MITIGATION OF TREES BY FOLLOWING THIS METHOD.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO FOLLOW OR AT LEAST LOOK INTO BEST PRACTICES AND WHICH MAY LEAD TO A TREE BANK.
UM, AND THAT'S JUST UP FOR DISCUSSION.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU TREY, FOR, UM, FOR GOING THROUGH THAT AND OVER THE COURSE OF TIME WE HAVE MADE BIG IMPROVEMENTS IN TERMS OF, UM, THE TREE REPLACEMENT AND WITH GOOD REASON.
UM, BECAUSE SO MANY PLACES WERE CLEAR CUT AND WE LOST SO MUCH OPPORTUNITY TO, TO, UM, MAINTAIN OUR, OUR, UM, FORESTRY AND LANDSCAPING AROUND THE, THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT WERE HAPPENING WHEN I GOT CONFUSED IN, AND I, I HAVE ONE OF THOSE BOOKS TOO, AND I COULDN'T POSSIBLY BRING IT BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY DOG EARS AND MARKS AND HIGHLIGHTS THAT YOU WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO MAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH IT.
SO, UM, SY I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING YOUR, YOUR CLEAN COPY.
THE, UM, BUT FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO, TO THE BOOK, COULD WE IN THE FUTURE GET, OR MAYBE IT CAN BE EMAILED OUT TO EVERYBODY EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS THAT YOU JUST SAID.
IF, IF I GOT A LITTLE BIT LOST IN LISTENING TO YOU, I'M CERTAIN THAT THE FOLKS AROUND THIS TABLE WHO MAY NOT HAVE HEARD THIS EVER BEFORE OR THOSE SITTING WITH US, UM, OR WATCHING ARE A LITTLE BIT LOST.
SO IF WE COULD PUT OUT A PART OF THE MEMO TO, TO GO BACK AND AND GIVE THEM A COPY OF WHAT YOU JUST SAID SO PEOPLE CAN REALLY READ IT AND UNDERSTAND IT, THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLY HELPFUL.
I THINK IF Y'ALL DON'T AGREE, THEN JUST TELL THEM, FORGET IT.
BUT I COULD USE, I COULD USE THAT.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I'VE WRITTEN DOWN HERE WITH REGARD TO THIS AND I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF OTHER QUESTIONS, UM, ALONG THE WAY.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT OR HAVE NOTICED, UM, IS TRUE IN SOME CASES THAT WITH THE MITIGATION AND THE REQUIREMENT FOR PEOPLE TO REPLANT, THERE'S NEVER, THERE'S NOT, AND THAT IS CHECKED, OUR GREAT STAFF GOES OUT AND THEY MAKE SURE THAT THAT MITIGATION WAS DONE, BUT THERE'S NOT A RECHECK.
SO, UM, IN A YEAR, SIX MONTHS, THREE MONTHS, UM, WITH INTENTION, SOMETIMES MAYBE WITHOUT INTENTION CERTAINLY CAN HAPPEN, BUT THOSE TREES DIE OFF.
AND SO WE REALLY ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING.
AND SO I THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECHECK AT SOME POINT IN TIME, WHETHER IT'S A YEAR LATER OR WHATEVER IS DETERMINED TO BE ADEQUATE, TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE TREES REMAIN HEALTHY AND ARE GROWING AND ARE DOING WHAT WE'VE ASKED OF THE REPLANTING, UM, AND MITIGATION.
UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S ONE THING THAT I WANNA PUT ON YOUR LIST TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TALK ABOUT.
I ALSO NOTICED DRIVING AROUND TOWN, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE, BUT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS FOR SURE, UM, OUR EDGES, OUR BUFFERS ALONG OUR MAJOR CORRIDORS HAVE BECOME FAR MORE EXPOSED BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE TAKING DOWN WHAT MAY BE SCRUB OR MAY BE NATIVE, UM, PLANTS.
AND IT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT LOOK OF THE ISLAND NOW.
AND SO I THINK THERE'S SOME DISCUSSION THAT WE NEED TO HAVE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THAT.
UM, HILTON HEAD HAS A, UM, A STYLE AND IT'S, YOU DRIVE DOWN THE ROAD AND WHAT YOU SEE IS THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, NOT THE BUILDING AFTER THE BUILDING WITH THE BUFFER HAVING BEEN CLEANED OUT.
AND SO I THINK WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S APPROPRIATE, WHICH I THINK IS APPROPRIATE.
I KNOW WHAT I PREFER, BUT, UM, I THINK WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT AT SOME POINT.
UM, SO THAT, THAT, THAT SOMEWHAT ADDRESSES THE MIDDLE COLUMN NUMBER TWO.
UM, AND I'M NOT SURE IF WE ARE ADDRESSING THE THIRD COLUMN YET, BUT UNDER NUMBER TWO, UM, THE REQUIREMENT FOR TREE REMOVAL TO BE COMPLETED IN PHASES, I THINK THAT GOES SOMEWHAT, AT LEAST AS I UNDERSTAND IT, SOMEWHAT ALONG WITH SUBDIVISION AND DEVELOPMENT, LARGER DEVELOPMENT PLANS, RIGHT? BECAUSE CURRENTLY WHAT WE KNOW HAPPENS IS PEOPLE COME IN AND THEY'VE GOT THEIR DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND THEY'RE READY TO GO, THEY'VE GOT THEIR PERMIT AND THEY ARE CLEARING THE ENTIRE PLACE.
AND SO WE GET THIS BIG BEAR AND LAND, AND I
[00:30:01]
THINK, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, AND HELP ME UNDERSTAND IF I DON'T, UM, WHAT THIS IS TRYING TO DRIVE AT IS THAT THOSE TREES WOULD BE REMOVED IN PHASES SO THAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO REMOVE THE NECESSARY TREES TO DO THE DEVELOPMENT THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE TO MOVE TREES TO BUILD, THAT'S PART OF THE PART OF IT.
BUT IT, IT HELPS TO PREVENT UNNECESSARY TREES FROM ALL BEING CUT DOWN, UM, IN BIG ONE, BIG SWATH.
AND THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE IMPACT OF THE REMOVAL OF THOSE TREES.
AND IT HAPPENS IN PHASES OVER TIME AND COULD POSSIBLY, UM, SAVE TREES, CREATE A BETTER AESTHETIC TO THE, THE AREA THAT'S BEING DEVELOPED.
SO, AM I RIGHT? IS THAT WHAT THAT'S TRYING TO GET AT? YES, I AM.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD MOVE AND I LIKE IT, BUT I JUST WANTED TO HAVE CLARITY ON THAT AND HOPEFULLY IF NOBODY UNDERSTOOD WHAT I JUST SAID, UH, THAT FURTHER DISCUSSION AS YOU MENTIONED WILL BE HELPFUL TO, TO OTHERS AS WELL.
AND, AND WE DO HAVE A GRAPHIC ABOUT THAT, BUT BEFORE WE GO TO THAT, I, I WANNA GO TO MR. CHRISTIAN.
AND THEN, UM, WE'LL GET TO MR. CARSTEN'S.
JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON, UH, COUNCILWOMAN BECKER, WE'RE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ELIMINATING CLEAR CUTTING OF AN ENTIRE AREA THAT IS GOING TO BECOME A SUBDIVISION.
'CAUSE I KNOW THAT WAS A CONCERN THAT'S BEEN RAISED SEVERAL TIMES BY FOLKS, CORRECT? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ADDRESSING HERE.
DOES THIS HAVE ANY WAY OF FILTERING DOWN TO AN EXISTING SINGLE FAMILY LOT IN AN ALREADY DEVELOPED SUBDIVISION? TREY? SO JUST FOR REFERENCE, HE'S, HE IS, UH, REFERRING TO ITEM TWO, WHICH WE'RE DISCUSSING ONE RIGHT NOW, BUT, AND, AND WE'LL GET TO THAT.
CAN WE, CAN WE MOVE TO THAT ONE ONCE WE GET, ONCE WE GET TO IT? YEAH, LET'S JUST, UH, MR. CARSON'S WAS, WAS YOURS ABOUT ITEM ONE OR GETTING TO ITEM TWO? IT'S KIND OF BOTH.
BUT, UM, I THINK WE'RE GONNA END UP AT TWO, BUT THAT'S OKAY.
YEAH, NO, GO BACK TO ONE, TO THE, TO THE, THE IDEA THAT, UM, IN, IN SUBMITTING FOR DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE TOWN, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU LOOK AT PHASES, THEN IN ESSENCE, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD LOOK AT IT AS A, AS A LARGE SCALE THING THAT THROUGHOUT THE ISLAND, INDIVIDUAL PARCELS GET DEVELOPED, IN ESSENCE, IN THEIR OWN PHASE.
SO MAKING SURE THAT MI EXCUSE ME, MITIGATION HAPPENS IN PHASE AS WELL.
SO, YOU KNOW, TO THE POINT WHERE STREETS SCAPES ARE TAKING CARE OF THE RIGHT OF WAYS AND THE STREETS AND SO FORTH.
AND IF THAT CAN'T HAPPEN IN PLACE TO THE POINT OF, OF EITHER A BANK OR THE IDEA THAT THE REMAINING MITIGATION IS GONNA HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, IN, IN A REMAINING PHASE, I, YOU KNOW, THERE NEEDS TO BE AN OVERALL MASTER PLAN ASSOCIATED WITH THE MITIGATION.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE I, I HAVE QUESTIONS AS IF, IF THESE ARE DONE BY PHASES, DO YOU HAVE THE CFC WITHIN A PARTICULAR PHASE SIGNING OFF AND SAYING THAT THAT IS COMPLETE AND NO OTHER WORK HAS TO BE DONE, UH, IN THAT PARTICULAR PHASE BEFORE GETTING ON, BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT PHASE.
THE KEY WORD IS, UH, SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISIONS, NOT LOTS, RIGHT? YOU LOOK IN THE MIDDLE COLUMN, IF YOU WILL, I'M GONNA IGNORE THE, A COLUMN ALL THE WAY OVER TO THE LEFT.
BUT THE MIDDLE COLUMN, IT REFERS TO, UM, SINGLE FAMILY LOTS.
AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT THE INITIAL, THE 2014 AMENDMENTS, IT REFERS TO SUBDIVISIONS.
SO I, I THINK PART OF THE QUESTION WAS, DOES ONE MEAN SINGLE FAMILY LOTS? AND IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE LANGUAGE SAYS SUBDIVISIONS.
SO, UM, I, I THINK THAT'S DIFFERENT.
BUT I THINK THE OTHER CLARIFICATION IS DOES THAT MEAN EXISTING SUBDIVISIONS? AND SO TO MR. CHRISTIAN'S QUESTION, MIGHT THAT INCLUDE EXISTING LOTS OR DOES THAT MEAN NEW SUBDIVISIONS? SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD NEED TO BE CLARIFIED.
AND THEN SECONDLY, WITH REGARD TO, UM, UH, TRYING TO HONE THIS DOWN TO, I'VE GOT A LOT IN A SUBDIVISION, CAN I TAKE A TREE DOWN NOW OR DO I HAVE TO, UH, ARE THERE NEW PROVISIONS PROPOSED FOR ME TO TAKE A TREE DOWN? SO THAT'S DWELLING IT, THAT'S DRILLING IT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE, FOR INSTANCE, UM, CASE ME HAVING A LOT SOMEWHERE IN THE SUBDIVISION.
SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE CLARIFIED.
AND THE FUNNEL THING THAT I WOULD SUGGEST, UM, IS THAT, UM, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, AMENDING A PARTICULAR PROVISION OF THE EXISTING LMO, THEN TO INCLUDE THE REFERENCE TO THAT EXISTING SUBSECTION SO THAT SOMEONE CAN THEN GO AND FIND IT AND LOOK AT IT AHEAD OF OUR MEETINGS AND, AND THEN THEY'LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION TO RELY UPON BECAUSE
[00:35:01]
TRYING TO LOOK AT IT ON THE SCREEN IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.AND ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO FOLLOW ALL THOSE DIFFERENT RULES ABOUT TREE REMOVAL AND TREE PROTECTION.
AND WE ARE LISTENING TO IT VERBALLY.
WE, WE ACTUALLY HAD THAT DISCUSSION PRIOR TO THIS MEETING AND WE'LL BE SURE TO, TO DO THAT, UM, FOR FUTURE MEETINGS.
UH, I THINK WHAT'S MISSING, COLUMN THREE THAT I GUESS WAS IN COLUMN TWO, THE WORD PERMITTED LOT, YOU KNOW, PERMITTED STRUCTURE.
SO THERE'S NO CLEARING, YOU'RE PROPOSING NO CLEARING UNTIL PERMIT IS ISSUED.
AND NUMBER TWO AND THE SAME IN THREE, BUT YOU'RE TALKING SUBDIVISIONS ONLY, OR, SO ITEM ONE, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, ITEM ONE IS REMOVING AN EXEMPT AN EXISTING EXEMPTION.
SO THAT'S AN EXEMPTION THAT EXISTS.
IT'S TAKING THAT EXEMPTION OUT, WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT ITEM TWO IS SAYING.
ITEM TWO IS TALKING ABOUT TREE REMOVAL BEING COMPLETED IN PHASES.
SO THAT'S SEPARATE FROM REMOVING THAT EXEMPTION.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WAS CLEAR.
UM, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO SPEAK TO ABOUT THE QUESTIONS THAT SHE RAISED? BUT YOUR POINT IS WELL TAKEN, STEVE? MR. RUSSELL? YES.
UM, I'M VERY FOND OF TREES ONE TREE IN PARTICULAR, I'M, UH, VERY FOND OF DOWN IN HARBORTOWN
UM, BUT IN OUR FIRST MEETINGS WE TALKED ABOUT THE ABILITY TO TRANSPOSE SOME OF THIS LANGUAGE I WAS TRYING TO FOLLOW WITH, WITH CALIPER INCHES.
AND UH, YOU KNOW, I'M A, DOES THAT MEAN SOMETHING THIS BIG OR SOMETHING THIS BIG? I DON'T KNOW.
BUT UH, JUST FOR GOING FORWARD FOR THIS AND OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO EXAMINE, IT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW IN NON-TECHNICAL LANGUAGE WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SO I CAN WEIGH AND EVALUATE.
I THINK ONE THING THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL, UM, LET'S, UH, COUNCILMAN BECKER, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING ABOUT THAT YOU WANTED TO MENTION? I'M SORRY, I, I DO I, OKAY.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON WHAT THE CHAIR SAID BECAUSE HIS POINT IS WELL TAKEN AND, AND, AND I JUST WANT HIM TO SAY IT AGAIN IF HE DOESN'T MIND, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR ON.
BUT I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT WHAT YOU, OH, YOU WANT ME TO SAY? YEAH, SURE.
WELL, I THINK, I THINK WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, AND CORRECT ME IF I DIDN'T GET IT CORRECTLY, BUT WHAT I THINK YOU WERE SAYING THAT WAS IMPORTANT, AT LEAST I HEARD IT AS IMPORTANT, IS THAT, UM, CURRENTLY IN A SINGLE FAMILY DEVELOPMENT SITUATION, UM, YOU CANNOT CLEAR, YOU CANNOT DISTURB AND CORRECT MERE IF I GET THIS WRONG OR SHAY OR ANYONE ELSE IN THE ROOM.
BUT YOU CAN'T DO LAND DISTURBANCE PRIOR TO HAVING A PERMIT TO DO THAT.
SO YOU CAN'T GO IN JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE MIS SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION AND START CLEARING YOUR LOT, START GRADING YOUR LOT, AND THE REST YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PERMIT IN HAND BEFORE YOU CAN DO THAT TYPE OF WORK.
IT'S DIFFERENT WHEN YOU'RE DOING A SUBDIVISION.
AND I AND, AND IS THAT THE DISTINCTION YOU WERE TRYING TO MAKE? YES.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT, THAT'S WHAT I SAYING, PERMIT, IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT DISTINCTION.
PERMITS MISSING ON THE RIGHT COLUMN.
AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION BECAUSE I THINK WHAT THIS IS NOW TRYING TO SAY IS THAT WE WOULD, UM, LIKE TO CONSIDER THE IDEA OF HAVING SUBDIVISIONS ALSO HAVE TO HAVE THE PERMIT IN HAND PRIOR TO DOING ANY LAND DISTURBANCE, SO THAT IT'S THE SAME AS WITH A SINGLE FAMILY LOT.
SO LET'S, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE GRAPHIC.
I THINK THAT SHAY HAS ABOUT, UH, SO I THINK WE'RE KIND OF TRANSITIONING TO ITEM TWO.
IT DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T COME BACK TO ONE, BUT I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE WERE, WE'RE GOING.
SO SHAY UM, DO YOU WANNA KIND OF WALK THROUGH WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE? SO THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A PHASED CLEARING APPROACH WHERE YOU IDENTIFY THE TREES THAT YOU WANT TO PRESERVE.
UM, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU AT THE END OF YOUR PERMIT PROCESS RECEIVE YOUR PERMIT, YOU HAVE A PHASED CLEARING PROCESS THAT ALLOWS YOU TO CLEAR THE ROADWAYS ACCESS WAYS, UTILITY WAYS, BUT DON'T, DOESN'T CLEAR THE ACTUAL INDIVIDUAL HOME LOTS.
SO YOU SEE IN THE THIRD WHEN THE SINGLE FAMILY PERMIT IS ISSUED, THE, UM, THAT'S WHEN THE ACTUAL LOT IS CLEARED.
SO IT'S CONSISTENT WITH I THINK THE STATEMENTS THAT YOU BOTH MADE THAT THIS WOULD CHANGE THE CURRENT PRACTICE WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL LOT WOULD NOT BE CLEARED UNTIL THAT BUILDING PERMIT IS ISSUED.
[00:40:01]
AND IF I MAY, WE WANT EVERYONE TO BE COMFORTABLE TO, TO SAY YOUR WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND.WE DON'T WANT TO GET THREE OR FOUR WEEKS, THREE OR FOUR MEETINGS DOWN THE ROAD.
AND THEN YOU BECOME COMFORTABLE AND YOU GO, I WISH I'D HAVE SAID SOMETHING ON SECTION A OR SECTION B.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL GONNA WORK ALL THIS OUT.
SO IF, IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT, GREAT.
IF YOU DON'T LET US KNOW, THERE'S NO HARM IN SAYING EXPLAIN, GIVE US AN EXAMPLE.
AND, UM, WITH EVERYTHING, NOT JUST THIS SUBJECT, 'CAUSE WE WANT EVERYONE TO PARTICIPATE.
NOW, UM, I, I APPRECIATE THAT, UH, FROM THE CHAIR AND ALSO FROM MR. RUSSELL AS FAR AS, UH, SOME LAYMAN'S LANGUAGE AND EXAMPLES FOR, UH, CLEAR DEFINITIONS.
UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS, UH, REMOVAL, DOES THIS INCLUDE LIKE BUSH HOGGING OR CLEANING YOUR LOT? SO AS IT'S WRITTEN RIGHT NOW, ANYTHING UNDER SIX INCHES IS YOU CAN GO IN, UH, NOT IN A PROTECTED BUFFER TO, TO COUNCILWOMAN BECKER'S, UH, POINT, AS YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN UP AND DOWN 2 78, SOME PEOPLE HAVE GONE IN AND THIS, YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE HAVE, UH, REMOVAL OF INVASIVE SPECIES WITHIN A BUFFER IS PERMITTED.
AND THAT'S A LOT OF WHAT YOU'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW ALONG 2 78 UNDER ON THE CORRIDOR.
BUT AS FAR AS GOING IN AND BUSH HOGGING YOUR LIGHT AND MAINTAINING IT, IT'LL MAKE SURE THAT IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, MANICURED.
NO, UM, AS LONG AS YOU'RE NOT WITHIN YOUR PROTECTED BUFFERS, UM, YOU WOULD BE, YOU WOULD BE GOOD TO GO.
IT'S IF IT'S UNDER SIX INCHES AND, AND GRASS AND VEGETATION, BUT IT'S, IT'S THE TREES OVER SIX INCHES, SIX INCHES AND GREATER THAT WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT TREE REMOVALS AND, AND ALL THAT.
SO THERE IS ONE CAVEAT, UM, TO THAT, UM, BUSH HOKING IS NOT, IS NOT ALLOWED ACROSS THE BOARD THERE, IT'S ALLOWED ONLY IN CERTAIN ZONING DISTRICTS.
UM, AND IT CAN'T BE AN ANTICIPATION OF COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
SO IF YOU HAVE A SINGLE FAMILY LOT AND YOU WANT TO BUSH HOG THAT LOT, IF IT'S IN A PARTICULAR DISTRICT, YOU CAN GET A PERMIT TO DO THAT.
BUT IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO DEVELOP IT COMMERCIALLY TWO YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, YOU CAN'T GET A PERMIT FOR THAT BECAUSE BASICALLY, EXCUSE ME, YOU'RE CLEARING AN ANTICIPATION.
EXCUSE ME, SHAY, WE CAN, UH, THE AUDIO'S NOT PICKING UP 'CAUSE YOU'RE NOT SPEAKING IN THE MICROPHONE.
SO BASICALLY THE, THE CLEARING WOULD BE AN ANTICIPATION OF POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
SO IN THAT CASE, IT'S NOT PERMITTED.
JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT, SO WHAT YOU SAID IN CERTAIN DISTRICTS, YEAH, SO THE RM FOUR, UM, IS ONE OF THE DISTRICTS THAT THE, UM, IT WAS, IT WAS GEARED TOWARD THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS AND ALLOWING PEOPLE TO CLEAR FOR VIEWS, UM, FOR SINGLE FAMILY DEVELOPMENT.
UM, BUT JUST LIMITING COMMERCIAL INTENT.
SO ARE YOU ONLY ALLOWED TO BUSH HOG IF YOU'RE IN RM FOUR? THERE ARE PARTICULAR DISTRICTS.
THERE ARE, THERE ARE SPECIFIC DISTRICTS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED AND I DON'T KNOW THEM OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
UM, BUT LET ME SEE IF I CAN, I THINK WE OUGHT TO CIRCLE BACK TO THAT AND GET THAT ANSWER SO THAT FOLKS ARE CLEAR ON THAT.
I UNDERSTAND COMMERCIAL AND AND COMMERCIAL USES ARE IN DIFFERENT ZONING DISTRICTS, SO THAT MIGHT ALSO NEED TO BE CLARIFIED.
WHAT SHE'S, WHAT SHE'S ALLUDING TO IS UNDER BRUSHING IN PREPARATION FOR A DEVELOPMENT PLAN THAT YOU ARE PROPOSING IN THE FUTURE THAT WHERE YOU'RE DOING WORK THAT DOES NOT NECESSARILY REQUIRE A PERMIT NOW, BUT YOU'RE DOING IT IN PREPARATION FOR THAT.
SO THAT AT THAT POINT STAFF OR, OR THE APPROPRIATE BOARD WOULDN'T HAVE THE CHANCE TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT PRIOR TO TO DEVELOPMENT.
AND YOU CAN SEE HERE THESE ARE THE, UM, PROVISIONS RELATED TO PRE-CONSTRUCTION UNDER BRUSHING.
UM, IT OUTLINES A NUMBER OF THINGS AND THEN THERE ARE EXEMPTIONS IN NUMBER SIX, WHICH ALLOWS IT IN THESE SPECIFIC ZONING DISTRICTS.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT I SEE THE PA BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I CAN SEE THE PAGE FROM HERE.
AND WHAT I WAS REALLY TALKING ABOUT IS OVER TO THE LEFT.
THAT'S IN SECTION, UH, 16 DASH SIX DASH 1 0 4.
DO I HAVE THE RIGHT NUMBERS? YES MA'AM.
SO THAT'S WHERE THIS IS LOCATED FOR FOLKS WHO REALLY WANT TO FIND THIS
[00:45:01]
OUT.BUT I THINK IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO SEND TO THE FULL TASK FORCE THAT PARTICULAR SUBSECTION SO THAT FOLKS WHO HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT BUSH HOGGING COULD LOOK AT THAT AND SEE IF THAT'S AN ISSUE.
WE'LL, WE'LL SEND THE FULL TREE PROTECTION SECTION, WHICH WILL INCLUDE THAT LANGUAGE.
SO YEAH, SO, SO WE TALKED ABOUT THIS EARLIER, STAFF'S TAKING NOTES ON STAFF STAFF'S TAKING NOTES ABOUT ALL OF OUR QUESTIONS.
AND WHEN WE HAVE OUR NEXT SESSION, WE'RE GONNA CLEAN UP THIS SESSION AND WHAT YOU'LL ALSO GET EMAILS FOR CLEANUP AS WELL PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
BUT NOT EVERYTHING CAN BE ANSWERED TONIGHT, BUT SOME OF YOUR SUGGESTIONS WILL BE CLEANED UP AND THEN WE'LL WE'LL DISCUSS THAT FOR A HALF HOUR OR SO AND THEN MOVE INTO OUR NEXT SUBJECT IN THE NEXT, IN THE NEXT MEETING.
HOW WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO DETERMINE INTENT NOW FOR SOMETHING YOU MAY OR MAY NOT WANT TO DO A YEAR FROM NOW IS CONCERNING BUSH HOGGING OR CLEAR CUT, UH, CUTTING UNDERGROWTH.
THE APPLICATION WOULD COME IN, SO THERE WOULD BE AN APPLICATION THAT WOULD COME IN AND THEN IT WOULD BE OBVIOUS THAT WITHIN THE PAST YEAR THAT THE DEVELOPMENT HAD BEEN, OR THE UNDER BRUSHING HAD HAD OCCURRED.
IT, UH, WELL IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO ANTICIPATE IT, BUT IT SAYS YOU'RE RESTRICTED, UM, FROM DOING DEVELOPMENT FOR 12 MONTHS.
JUST A CLARIFICATION, FOLLOW UP TO, UH, COUNCILPERSONS BECKER'S QUESTION.
IF INVASIVE SPECIES IS REMOVED FROM THE BUFFER AREAS, ARE WE REQUIRED TO REESTABLISH, UH, THAT, UH, PLANTINGS WITH THE RIGHT TYPE OF OF SPECIES? YES.
AND WHO FOLLOWS UP TO ASSURE THAT THAT IS DONE? WE HAVE A, A NATURAL RESOURCE STAFF, A NATURAL RESOURCES PLANNER.
THAT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF THAT HAS BEEN REMOVED RECENTLY.
AND AGAIN, WE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH SOME CLARIFICATION, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BASED ON THE QUESTIONS THAT WE GET THIS EVENING.
MR. WEDGWORTH, YOU'VE BEEN PATIENTLY WAITING.
APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY ACRES Y'ALL ESTIMATE WOULD, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE? WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT NEW SUBDIVISIONS? I DON'T SEE A WHOLE LOT OF LAND LEFT.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE A ANSWER TO THAT THIS EVENING UNLESS STAFF HAS A
WHAT'S A, SO A, A, THERE ARE TWO SEPARATE SUBDIVISIONS, A MINOR SUBDIVISIONS, WHICH IS FIVE LOTS OR FEWER.
AND THEN A, UH, MAJOR SUBDIVISION, WHICH IS SIX LOTS OR MORE.
BOTH OF THEM WOULD BE CON CONSIDERED A, A SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISION.
UH, IF, IF YOU'RE PLOTTING THE LOTS OUT FOR SINGLE FAMILY USE, UH, IF YOU ARE USING, IF, IF YOU'RE DOING A MINOR SUBDIVISION AND CUTTING THE LIGHTS INTO LARGER AREAS, WHICH THEY COULD DO MULTIFAMILY ON, THAT WOULD NOT BE A MULTI, THAT WOULD NOW BE A MULTIFAMILY.
AND IT WOULD BE, UH, UNDER THE 16 6 1 0 4 G THAT I WENT THROUGH EARLIER.
I KNOW THAT WAS CLEAR AS MUD WHEN I WENT THROUGH ALL THOSE CALCULATIONS.
AND WE WILL HAVE EXAM BETTER EXAMPLES UH, IN THE FUTURE OF THOSE.
AND, AND WE CAN, WE CAN GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF A SITE, UH, THAT WOULD'VE GONE THROUGH THAT, THAT WAS EXEMPT FROM THIS, HAD IT GONE THROUGH, UH, THE MINIMUM TREE STANDARDS AS OPPOSED TO, UH, SECTION G STANDARDS FOR SUPPLEMENTAL AND REPLACEMENT TREES AND WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
BUT YOU DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA IF IT'S A HUNDRED ACRES OR 200 ACRES OR 300 ACRES OF LAND? WELL, IT WOULD BE SITE DENSITY SPECIFIC AND HOW MUCH PARCEL YOU HAVE, WHETHER AND WHAT KIND OF SUBDIVISION YOU WERE PROPOSING.
IF YOU'RE PROPOSING A SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISION, IT COULD BE, UH, TWO, THREE ACRES DEPENDING ON WHAT ZONING AND DISTRICT YOU'RE IN UP ALL THE WAY UP TO A HUNDRED, 200 ACRES.
SO CAN I, CAN I HAVE IT'S ALL SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISION.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE DIFFERENTIATOR.
I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY 200 ACRE SITES.
I THINK TREY, I CAN ADD, UM, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF, IN ANTICIPATION OF SOME OF THE ZONING CONVERSATIONS, PULLING TOGETHER SOME NUMBERS ON VACANT PROPERTIES.
SO I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN SPEAK BETTER TO THAT SPECIFIC QUESTION IN THE FUTURE.
REBECCA? I JUST WANTED TO, I THINK Y'ALL PICKED UP ON WHAT I THINK THE QUESTION WAS IS OVERALL ON THE ISLAND, HOW MUCH LAND IS AVAILABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT? I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO GET TO.
AND, AND I BELIEVE IF YOU GO BACK TO, AND
[00:50:01]
I'M SURE PATSY CAN HELP ME OUT ON THIS, UM, OR, OR SHE, IF YOU GO BACK TO THE TRENDS AND ANALYSIS REPORT THAT WAS DONE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, UM, SOME OF THAT DATA IS, IS IN THERE.AND I, I THINK THERE'S A DASHBOARD THAT ACTUALLY MAY SHOW IT SOMEWHERE ONLINE TOO.
I, I'M NOT REALLY TECHNOLOGICALLY SAVVY, SO I DEPEND ON HARD PAPER ALL THE TIME, BUT THERE ARE PLACES THAT CAN GIVE YOU THAT SPECIFIC ANSWER AND I'M SURE THAT STAFF WOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT FOR THE NEXT MEETING.
IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE, SO WE'VE GOTTEN SOME, SOME GREAT QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK.
IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE IN PRETTY GOOD CONSENSUS ON ITEMS ONE AND TWO.
UM, SO THAT LEAVES ITEM THREE, WHICH IS ADDING CLARITY TO REASONABLE EFFORTS LANGUAGE.
DO YOU KNOW WHERE IN THE CODE THAT LANGUAGE IS? IT'S, IT'S, IT'S ALSO IN G.
OH, THAT SAME FUN SECTION G ONE C.
WELL, WHILE WE'RE WAITING, CAN I JUST ADDRESS WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT? AT LEAST GIVE Y'ALL SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT IT AND THEN Y'ALL TELL ME, OR ALL OF US WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON IT.
'CAUSE I'D LOVE TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE PARTICIPATE IN TERMS OF, OF THEIR THOUGHTS.
BUT THE REASON THIS IS IMPORTANT, AND YOU SEE IT ON THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN HERE IN THREE IS WE'VE, WE'VE HEARD AND WE SEE AROUND THE ISLAND, UM, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, SOME DEVELOPMENTS WHERE YOU DRIVE IN AND THERE'S HOUSE AFTER HOUSE AFTER HOUSE AND THERE'S NO OPEN SPACE.
AND AT LEAST THE FEEDBACK THAT I'VE GOTTEN IS NO ONE LIKES IT.
AND SO BY, BY PUTTING SOME OF THESE THINGS INTO THE DISCUSSION AND THE THOUGHTS ON THE TABLE, IT ALLOWS FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ON, WITH A BETTER SUBDIVISION DESIGN SO THAT WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING BY OR DRIVING THROUGH OR LOOKING TO PURCHASE IN ONE OF THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, YOU'RE, YOU'RE BUYING A COMMUNITY THAT'S BEEN BUILT INTO THE ENVIRONMENT THAT REALLY REFLECTS, UM, AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT PREVIOUSLY, THE CHARACTER OF HILTON HEAD.
BUT IT REFLECTS A SENSE OF PLACE, A PLACE WHERE YOU WANT TO GROW, WHERE YOU WANT TO LIVE AND EXPERIENCE LIFE.
AND SO THE, THE, THE ATTEND HERE IS REALLY TO CREATE THAT TYPE OF, UM, ENVIRONMENT FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE IN.
SO I HOPE THAT THAT HELPS DISTINGUISH WHY WE'RE EVEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FROM, AND THE IMPROVEMENT THAT CAN BE MADE FROM WHAT IT IS THAT WE'VE ALL EXPERIENCED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.
I'M NOT SURE IF THAT HELPS OR NOT, BUT THERE IT IS.
UM, IN THE ITEM C UNDER THREE, UM, IT'S TALKING ABOUT APPEALING TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
DO WE CUR CURRENTLY APPEAL TO THE BZA ASSOCIATED WITH TREE EXEMPTIONS? THAT IS CORRECT.
SO, AND, AND CODE WILL ALLOW, SO IF IT'S SPECIFIED, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS PART OF THE SITE PLAN PROCESS THAT YOU CAN DELEGATE THAT SOME VARIABILITY TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION BECAUSE IT'S PART OF THE SITE PLAN PROCESS.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY WHY IT'S, UM, STRUCTURED THIS WAY.
BUT THERE ARE OTHER AREAS WHERE A VARIANCE DOES HAVE TO GO TO BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS.
AND UH, CHECK SECTION, UH, 16 6 1 0 4 B ONE, UH, B IS THE BETTER EXAMPLE OF THIS.
AND I'LL READ THAT SO YOU GET AN IDEA OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO CHANGE OR, OR WHAT THE NOT WE'RE TRYING TO CHANGE, CLARIFY WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING AND CLARIFY WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING RIGHT NOW.
SO CONSISTENT WITH THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, ALL PERSONS ARE REQUIRED TO MAKE ALL RE REASONABLE EFFORTS TO PRESERVE AND RETAIN ANY EXISTING STANDS OF TREES, INDIVIDUAL TREES, AND OTHER SELF-SUPPORTING PLANTS.
WHETHER OR NOT SUCH PLANTS ARE PROTECTED UNDER THIS SECTION AS WELL AS SUCH OTHER FLOOR THAT MAKE UP PART OF THE UNDERSTORY SHRUB LAYER, HERB LAYER.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT REFERENCES REASONABLE EFFORTS.
SO WHAT THIS PROPOSAL IS TRYING TO ADDRESS IS WHAT IS CONSIDERED, UM, A REASONABLE EFFORT.
SO IT PROVIDES SOME ADDITIONAL CLARITY TO DEFINE THAT TERM OF REASONABLE EFFORT.
MR. STORIN, UM, MAYBE IT'S JUST ME.
I, I THINK HAVING SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISIONS AND THEN DISCUSSING SINGLE FAMILY LOTS IN, IN THIS ONE GROUP IS CAUSING CONFUSION.
I THINK IF WE HAVE SEPARATE SECTION FOR SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISIONS AND THEN TALK ABOUT LOTS 'CAUSE PEOPLE ARE ASKING ABOUT LOTS AND WHAT THEY CAN BUSH HOG, ET CETERA.
SO I THINK IT'S THE MIXING TWO CAUSING CONFUSION.
AND I THINK THAT WE CAN HOPEFULLY ADDRESS SOME OF THAT CONFUSION IN, IN SEPARATE MEETINGS WITH SOME SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS.
MR. RUSSELL, IN PREPPING FOR THIS MEETING TODAY, A
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COUPLE OF DAYS AGO WHEN I DROVE PAST THE DEVELOPMENT BEHIND THE POST OFFICE ON THE NORTH END, SAW IT FROM 2 78, I WONDERED OUT LOUD WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE DIFFERENTLY UNDER NEW CRITERIA AS OPPOSED TO HOW IT'S BEING DONE RIGHT NOW FROM THE ROAD.IT JUST LOOKS LIKE IT WAS CLEAR CUT.
UM, I HAVEN'T DRIVEN THROUGH THERE, SO I MAY BE MISSPEAKING, BUT I WONDERED HOW, UH, LAYING THIS CRITERIA ON TOP OF THAT PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, HOW IT WOULD LOOK DIFFERENTLY UNDER NEW CRITERIA.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ADDRESSING WITH NUMBER TWO.
SO THE REQUIRED, OR THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING, I'M SORRY, I KEEP SAYING ADDRESS.
WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING IN NUMBER TWO IS REQUIRE TREE TREE REMOVAL TO BE COMPLETED IN PHASES.
INITIAL TREE REMOVAL WOULD BE LIMITED TO APPROVED ACCESS UTILITY EASEMENTS AND RIGHT, RIGHT OF WAYS FOLLOWED BY TREE REMOVAL BASED ON SITE SPECIFIC TREE TREE, TREE PROTECTION AND REMOVAL PLAN APPROVED AT THE TIME OF BUILDING PERMIT ISSUANCE.
SO INSTEAD OF THE ENTIRE SITE BEING CLEARED AT ONE TIME, THEY WOULD INITIALLY CLEAR FOR THE ROADWAYS THEY WOULD AND THOSE AREAS FOR UTILITIES.
AND THEN THE LOTS THEMSELVES WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE CLEARED UNTIL THE BUILDING PERMIT IS ISSUED.
SO THAT WOULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CLEAR CUT PROPERTY VERSUS ONE THAT'S CLEARED IN PHASES.
DO WE HAVE ANY STATISTICS OR INFORMATION ON, UM, SUBDIVISIONS THAT HAVE DECIDED NOT TO USE THE CLEAR CUTTING AND HOW MANY VER OF THOSE HAVE MAYBE USED PHASING ON THEIR OWN? UM, JUST AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL, YOU KNOW, BEING ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDS, UM, VERSUS ONES THAT HAVE NOT, I'D LOVE TO KNOW THAT.
IF WE DO, CAN YOU CLARIFY WHAT TYPE OF STATISTICS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? SO ANY INFORMATION WE HAVE FROM THE TOWN THAT COULD TELL US AS SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISIONS THAT HAVE DECIDED NOT TO CLEAR CUT, MAYBE THEY'VE DECIDED TO DO THE PHASING ON THEIR OWN VERSUS THE ONES WHO HAVE JUST CLEAR CUT.
I, WE CAN CHECK, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THE DATA IS CATALOGED OR CATEGORIZED IN THAT AREA, BUT WE CAN MAKE NOTE OF YOUR, YOUR QUESTION AND SEE IF THERE'S A WAY TO, TO LOOK AT THAT.
UNLESS STAFF HAS OTHER INSIGHTS ABOUT THAT QUESTION RIGHT NOW.
WELL, AND I'M JUST ASKING THAT BECAUSE I REALLY WOULD LOVE TO SEE IF WE DO HAVE ANYONE WHO'S, WHO'S DONE THAT NOT CHOOSE OR CHOOSING NOT TO JUST USE, UH, THE LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE AS IT IS NOW TO THEIR BENEFIT.
UH, MISS, I'M SORRY, UNA, IS THAT CORRECT? YES.
I APPRECIATE ALL THE CLARIFICATIONS AND ALSO, UM, ENCOURAGING US TO SPEAK.
I HAVE A LOT OF OPINIONS
UM, YOU SAID THAT, UM, WE HAD DEVELOPED A CONSENSUS
JUST TO THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME ON THAT.
I'M TRYING TO HOLD BACK ON MY OPINIONS BECAUSE I'M JUST LEARNING THIS.
UM, IS IT MS. CAMPBELL? CAMPBELL? SO IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YEARS AGO DEVELOPERS SAVED TREES BECAUSE THEY WANTED A PRODUCT THAT PEOPLE WOULD DRIVE UP AND, AND THINK IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.
AND I DON'T, NOW EVERYONE WANTS A NEW HOME AND IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE NOT VERY DISCERNING ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THEY'RE LIKE DESPERATE TO GET HERE.
AND I FEEL LIKE HILTON HEAD IS HARMED BY THAT.
FOR ME, I'M LOOKING AT THESE, I'M LIKE, YES, DO IT, DO IT, DO IT.
I, AND I I KNOW THAT WE'RE STILL IN THE DISCUSSION PHASES, BUT PHASED CLEARING.
UM, REMOVE THE EXEMPTION BY ALL MEANS.
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SO FORGIVE ME IF I'M JUMPING AHEAD, BUT, UH, I FEEL LIKE IT'S HIGH TIME.SO FOR CLARIFICATION, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SPEAK ON ANY, ANY OF, OF WHAT'S WE'RE TALKING ABOUT UNDER THE, UM, THE TREE PROTECTION AND PLANTING.
BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE TOUCHING ON ALL OF THEM AND CERTAINLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE ALL DISCUSSION ON THOSE ITEMS. YEAH.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE ALL AS PEOPLE TEND TO NOT BE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES
BUT, UM, AND WE TEND TO NOT TRY TO FIX THINGS UNTIL WE LOOK BEHIND US AND GO, OH, NO, YOU KNOW, WELL WE HAVE EXAMPLES.
WE HAVE SOME EXAMPLES ON THE ISLAND THAT PROMPTED SOME OF THESE THINGS, RIGHT? AND, AND THE QUESTION REALLY IS HERE AND IT SOUNDS LIKE ALREADY THAT DO WE WANT TO, DO WE WANT TO PULL SOME OF THIS BACK IN AND DO WE WANT TO MAKE, REQUIRE, UH, THIS DEVELOPMENT OR SINGLE FAMILY DEVELOPMENT EVEN TO GET A PERMIT BEFORE THEY CLEAR PER LOT, NOT PER SUBDIVISION ONLY? AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT SOUNDS LIKE UNLESS THERE'S AN OBJECTION THAT THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
AND I HOPE SO, YOU KNOW, IF ANY, IF THERE'S AN OPPOSE, IF THERE'S ANY OPPOSITION TO THAT, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR IT.
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT AND WE NEED TO GET SOME CONVERSATION.
BUT BECAUSE THERE MAY BE A, THERE MAY BE A REASON OR A CAUSE THAT IT MAY NEED TO TAKE PLACE DIFFERENTLY.
I CAN'T THINK OF ONE, BUT THERE MIGHT BE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHY ALL THIS, WE LOOK BACK AND GO, THIS HAS GONE WRONG,
WELL, WHY DIDN'T 10 YEARS AGO THEY NOTICE IT WAS WRONG.
WELL, SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES, RIGHT? SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE.
WE'RE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO GIVE SOME OPINIONS AND SAY WHAT IF, WHAT, WHAT IF THIS OCCURS? SO IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THOSE WHAT IFS, SPEAK UP.
MR. CHRISTIAN, WHAT IF
WHAT WOULD BE CHANGED BY IT? WHAT COSTS WOULD BE CHANGED BY IT? HOW MUCH HIGHER WOULD THE COST BE FOR THAT DEVELOPER TO COME IN AND BUILD THAT WORKFORCE HOUSING? AND I THINK WE ALSO, WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THAT TYPE OF HOUSING IS GOING TO NEED SOME DEFERENCE ABOUT HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO BUILD, BECAUSE THAT'S GONNA DETERMINE WHAT THE RENTS ARE GONNA BE AND HOW THAT DEVELOPER IS GONNA ATTRACT PEOPLE INTO THAT SUBDIVISION.
SO LET, LET'S BE CAREFUL WE DON'T BOX OURSELVES OUT OF A, A PARTICULAR ITEM BECAUSE WE'RE MAKING IT TOO EXPENSIVE FOR A DEVELOPER TO COME IN AND DEVELOP THAT TYPE OF HOUSING, BECAUSE I'M ALL FOR PHASED IN REMOVABLE TREES.
BUT IF IT COSTS X TO DO IT ALL AT ONCE, AND IT COSTS Y TO DO IT IN FA PHASES, AND THAT RAISES THE TOTAL COST, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS AFFECT THE PRODUCT, THE END PRODUCT, AND THE ABILITY OF THE DEVELOPER TO EVEN COME IN AND DO A PROJECT.
'CAUSE MANY DEVELOPERS WON'T EVEN COME IN AND DO IT BECAUSE IT'S JUST TOO EXPENSIVE.
THAT'S EXACTLY THE QUESTION THAT WE NEED.
AND THEN WHEN THE ANSWER, IN MY OPINION, ONLY THE ANSWER TO THAT IS, IS WE PHASE IT AND BEFORE, SAY PHASE ONE IS 37 HOMES, YOU, YOU GOTTA PULL 37 PERMITS.
AND WHEN THE 37 PERMITS ARE ISSUED, THEN YOU GO IN AND CLEAR AT ONE TIME.
IF YOU'RE ONLY GONNA PULL 10, YOU PULL 10, YOU CLEAR 10.
AND IF ANYONE SEES THAT ANY DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, SPEAK UP.
BUT I UNDERSTAND COMING FROM A BUILDING SIDE AND COMING FROM AN OWNERSHIP SIDE, YOU GOT VARYING OPINIONS ON THAT.
BUT THAT, THAT'S THE WAY I SEE IT.
ALL RIGHT, SO WE'RE GOT SOME DISCUSSION GOING.
SO WE'LL GO COUNCILWOMAN BECKER, THEN MS. CAMPBELL, AND THEN, UH, MR. KENARD.
UM, I'M GONNA DEFER TO MS. CAMPBELL AT THIS POINT.
I'VE USED UP SOME TIME HOPEFULLY GETTING PEOPLE THINKING.
SO, UM, I'LL STEP IN IN A MINUTE.
UM, FIRST QUESTION IS THAT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT HOUSING IS THAT, THAT'S NOT A SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISION.
IS IT? OKAY, SO IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT, THEN WE'RE AT A DIFFERENT STANDARD.
SO DO WE NEED TO, I, I'D LOVE TO KNOW, WELL, WHAT IS THE STANDARD ON THAT THEN? BECAUSE IT'S GONNA BE THE, IT'S NOT, IT'S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING HERE.
UM, DO YOU KNOW THAT, JUST LET'S GET SOME CLARIFICATION.
WOULD WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED HERE HAVE CHANGED THE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S BEING REFERENCED? RIGHT.
SO, SO TO ADD A LITTLE BIT OF CLARITY, SO FOR A COMMERCIAL SITE, YOU WOULD GO THROUGH OUR MAJOR DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS.
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REVIEWS, IT COMES TO PLANNING COMMISSION.UH, AND THEN THERE THE OFFICIAL EVENTUALLY APPROVES IT OR DENIES IT DE DEPENDING ON THE APPLICATION, IN TANDEM WITH THAT REVIEW, A BUILDING PERMIT CAN BE APPLIED FOR.
UH, SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IN THIS CASE, WITH THIS, IN THIS SCENARIO AS WELL, THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN IS APPROVED AND THE BUILDING PERMIT IS APPROVED SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
SO IT MAY RESULT IN CLEAR CUTTING, CLEAR CUTTING ON A MORE MULTIFAMILY, UH, IT WOULD BE A LESS OF A, IT'LL HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT ON MAJOR SUBDIVISIONS.
AND THE REASON I SAY THAT IS BECAUSE THE SUBDIVISION PROCESS, YOU HAVE TO INSTALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE ON A SINGLE PIECE OF PROPERTY, UH, ROADWAYS, STORM WATER, UM, YOUR CURBING ALL OF THAT, GET IT PREPARED.
THEN STAFF HAS TO COME OUT, DO INSPECTIONS AND SIGN OFF ON THE SUBDIVISION.
THAT SUBDIVISION IS THEN RECORDED WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY, AND A TAX MAP NUMBER IS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH PARCEL.
THAT IS WHEN THEY COULD APPLY FOR A BUILDING PERMIT.
ONCE THAT TAX MAP, UH, IDENTIFIER IS, UM, GIVEN BY BEAUFORT COUNTY, AT THAT POINT, THEY COULD APPLY FOR A, A BUILDING PERMIT.
SO IN, IN THE EXAMPLE IT WAS A SUBDIVISION, YOU WOULD JUST SEE THE INFRASTRUCTURE GOING IN AS PART OF THE PHASE FOR THAT ONE.
BUT THAT WOULD BE THE SUBDIVISION PHASE.
UH, THEN ONCE THEY GOT DONE, THEY PLANTED ALL THEIR, UH, MITIGATION, THEY'VE PUT IN THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THEY'VE DONE EVERYBODY, EVERYTHING THAT SATISFIES THE CLOSEOUT OF A MAJOR SUBDIVISION STAFF SIGNS OFF, GOES TO BEAUFORT COUNTY, THEN THEY GET THEIR INDIVIDUAL TAX MAP NUMBERS, THEN THEY START CUTTING THE TREES PER LOT.
AND TO, UH, COUNCILMAN DEON'S POINT, IF THEY APPLIED FOR 10 BUILDING PERMITS AT ONE TIME AND THEY WERE ALL APPROVED AT THE SAME TIME, YOU MAY SEE 10 LOTS GET CLEARED AT ONE TIME.
IF IT'S A MORE OF A CUSTOM SITE, UH, LIKE THERE HAVE BEEN SOME EXAMPLES TO YOUR POINT ON THE ISLAND WHERE THEY DID NOT, UH, CHOOSE TO CLEAR CUT AND THEY WORKED AROUND THE ENVIRONMENT.
UH, AND THEN THE CUSTOM HOME BUILDER CAME IN AND THE, THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH CUTTING THE TREES DOWN WAS THEN PUT ON THE HOMEOWNER OF THE, OR THE OWNER OF THE LOT THAT'S BUILDING ON THERE.
SO IT, IT, IT WOULD MORE AFFECT SUBDIVISIONS THAN COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT, BUT IT STILL COULD HAVE AN EFFECT ON COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
JUST NOT AS, AND FOR THE RECORD, I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO HAVE AS MANY TREES AS POSSIBLE LEFT ON HILTON HEAD
BUT I DO WANNA CLARIFY ALL OF THE DISCUSSION.
UM, UH, COUNCILMAN DESIMONE, YOU, UH, REFERENCED BANKS EARLIER, AND IF YOU COULD PLEASE CLARIFY WHAT YOU MEANT BY THAT.
WHAT WAS IT?
MITIGATION FUND OR A TREE MITIGATION BANK.
BOTTOM LINE, MS. CAMPBELL IS YOU CAN'T DO IT ON YOUR PROPERTY.
BUT SOMEBODY ELSE'S ESTABLISHED PROPERTY OVER THERE THAT YOU CAN GO PLANT A BUNCH OF TREES ON.
YOU TAKE MONEY FROM YOUR, YOU TAKE THE TREES FROM YOUR PROPERTY AND YOU PUT IT IN THAT BANK, THAT PROPERTY WHERE YOU CAN GO PUT A BUNCH OF TREES OR YOU ACTUALLY PUT IT IN FUNDS.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND THERE'S BEEN SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW, HOW THE TOWN WOULD USE THAT BANK, YOU KNOW, UM, WHICH I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THIS DISCUSSION OR, OR A LATER DISCUSSION, BUT, UM, IF THAT OCCURRED.
ANYTHING ELSE, MS. KIM? SO, SORRY, GO AHEAD.
SO, UH, IN INTEREST OF FINDING CONSENSUS AND THINGS LIKE THAT IN GENERAL, UH, I, I AGREE WITH THESE CHANGES, THE, UH, UH, CUTTING AS PROJECTS TAKE PLACE, BUT MR. CHRISTIAN RAISES A GOOD POINT IN DEVELOPING MAYBE WORKFORCE HOUSING, THINGS LIKE THAT.
I UNDERSTAND IT MAY BE UNDER A DIFFERENT CODE, BUT IS THERE A WAY TO SECTION THAT OUT AS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CONSTRUCTION COST OF THAT WORKFORCE HOUSING STAYS IN A MANNER WITH WHICH MAKES IT EFFECTIVE AND CAN ACTUALLY TAKE PLACE? MM-HMM
I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION, AND TO GET SOME ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK FROM THIS GROUP IF, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE EXEMPTIONS ARE BUILT INTO CODES FOR CERTAIN REASONS AND TO ACHIEVE OTHER COMMUNITY GOALS.
I THINK, SO I THINK THE QUESTION FOR THIS GROUP WOULD BE, UM, IS THERE A, A STRONG OPINION ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, WHETHER OR NOT THERE SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF, UM, EXEMPTION OR DIFFERENT APPROACH FOR AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISION? AND
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I WILL GO, YEAH, I, I BELIEVE THIS FOR NORMAL CONSTRUCTION NEIGHBORHOODS, ET CETERA.I THINK THESE ARE GREAT IDEAS.
I THINK THAT, UH, IT PROBABLY DOES COST MORE TO DEVELOP IN THAT MANNER.
UH, AND I THINK THAT IT WOULD THEN HAVE AN EFFECT ON WORKFORCE TYPE HOUSING, AND THERE SHOULD BE SOME TYPE OF CARVE OUT FOR THAT.
AND, AND AGAIN, WE CAN DO SOME ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATING AND RESEARCH AND BRING THIS BACK TO YOU SO THAT WE HAVE SOME MORE INFORMATION IF THAT'S NEEDED.
IT'S MY OPINION THAT WE DON'T WANT TO GET INTO ANY EXEMPTIONS.
AND ONCE WE START, THEN WE GET WHAT WE'VE GOT IN THE, IN OUR REAR VIEW MIRROR.
SO I DON'T CARE IF IT COSTS MORE AND THE DEVELOPER DOESN'T WANT TO DO IT, TELL 'EM TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
UM, PICKING UP ON THE BANK, UM, YOU ASKED THE QUESTION AFTER WE HAD THAT BRIEF CONVERSATION EARLIER, WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS A BANK ON HILTON HEAD THAT EXISTS, AND THE ANSWER WAS NO.
SO I THINK IF THAT'S TRUE, IF THAT'S ACCURATE, THEN WE NEED TO CONSIDER ESTABLISHING ONE.
IF IT, IF IT'S, WHAT WAS IT? WETLANDS MITIGATION.
DOES, IS THERE A TREE BANK? LET ME FOLLOW, LET ME, LET ME CIRCLE BACK AND, AND ASK THE QUESTION MYSELF AGAIN.
IS THERE A TREE BANK? WE, WE DO HAVE AN ACCOUNT ESTABLISHED FOR, FOR THOSE FUNDS? IS IT A FUNDS OR IS THERE A PLACE WHERE ACTUAL PLANTING CAN TAKE PLACE? LET'S GET, I BELIEVE IT'S JUST THAT IT, THE, THE, THE ACCOUNT IS A, IS A FUND.
WE, THERE IS NOT A DESIGNATED AREA WHERE WE WOULD PLANT THESE TREES.
IT COULD BE AFTER A STORM, UH, ON TOWN, ON PROPERTY.
BUT IT WOULD, IT WOULD ALWAYS BE ON OUR PROPERTY OR THE TOWN'S PROPERTY AS A, OUR, OUR OURS COLLECTIVELY THAT IS, UH, TOWN PROPERTY, UH, THAT WE WOULD PLANT THESE TREES BACK SO THAT THERE IS NO BANK.
LIKE THERE'S NO ACTUAL, THERE'S A FUND.
THE, THE LANGUAGE IN THE CODE, THE TREE OF MITIGATION FEE, UM, ALLOWS FOR FUTURE, UH, PLANTING OF REPLACEMENT TREES REMOVED FOR DEVELOPMENT IN LIMITED CASES WHERE THE SECTIONS REQUIREMENT FOR PRESERVATION OF SPECIMEN TREES, UM, OR RETENTION OF EXISTING TREE COVER CANNOT BE RECENTLY ACHIEVED AND TO ALLOW FOR THE FUTURE OF PLANTING OF TREES FOLLOWING A DISASTER.
SO THAT'S THE LANGUAGE THAT'S CURRENTLY IN THE CODE ABOUT THE, UM, TREE BANK.
SO THOSE FUNDS WOULD BE USED TO PLANT IN THE FUTURE.
I, I THINK THAT SECTION, I THINK THAT SECTION OF THE CODE IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE REVIEWING.
UM, AND HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF AND SEE IF THERE'S IMPROVEMENTS WE CAN MAKE THERE.
UM, AND YES, THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING WETLANDS VERSUS TREES.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION, I JUST WANNA MAKE ANOTHER CLARIFICATION BECAUSE IT'S COME UP IN RECENT CONVERSATIONS WITH, WITH CONSTITUENTS AND RESIDENTS ACROSS THE ISLAND.
BUT EVERYTHING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITHIN THE LMO IS APPLICABLE ACROSS THE ISLAND.
WHETHER THERE'S PRIVATE COVENANTS OR PUDS OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, THESE RULES APPLY EVERYWHERE.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPECIFICALLY THE TREES.
I'M TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE YELLOW MOUNT PRETTY MUCH.
SO I MIGHT BE, BUT I'M GONNA ASK ANYWAY SPECIFIC TO THIS SECTION.
I THINK WE, WE ARE HEADING IN THE DIRECTION YOU THINK, I THINK THAT YOU THINK I'M GOING IN AND I THINK YOU PROBABLY KNOW WHAT I'M THINKING.
SO, UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT.
THANK YOU, TREY, YOU, YOU, YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER, AND THIS FOR EVERYBODY WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT A TREE MITIGATION FUND, TO ALLOW THOSE FUNDS TO BE USED FOR ALSO BEAUTIFICATION PROJECTS AROUND THE TOWN, THAT WOULD ALSO INVOLVE SOME LANDSCAPING.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO JUST PLANT PLANT TREES, ALTHOUGH ARE VERY IMPORTANT, BUT JUST DON'T LIMIT IT.
'CAUSE YOU MAY END UP WITH A SIZABLE BANK AND YOU MAY HAVE A VERY WORTHY BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT THAT DOESN'T HAVE FUNDING ELSEWHERE.
AND YOU COULD USE THOSE FUNDS FOR THAT, THAT TYPE OF A PROJECT AS WELL.
THE, THE LAST SECTION C OF THAT COATS IS IT, THE MONIES FROM THE TREE REPLACEMENT FUND SHALL BE SPENT ON PLANTING OF TREES ON PUBLICLY OWNED AND MAINTAINED PROPERTY.
SO IT, IT, IT, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE AFTER A STORM, BUT OWNED, PUBLICLY OWNED AND MAINTAINED PROPERTY.
SO JUST AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T ELIMINATE, IT COULD BE UNIFICATION PROPERTY, A NICE BEAUTIFICATION PROPERTY.
IN, IN CASES WHERE THE CITY IS, UH, GIVING LAND FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES, LIKE WORKFORCE HOUSING, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THAT OUGHT TO BE AN APPROPRIATE USE FOR BANK FUNDS FOR TREE BANK FUNDING.
UH, IF WE WANNA HELP, UH, MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE
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COST OF WORKFORCE HOUSING CONTINUES TO BE, UH, DEVELOP AT A REASONABLE PRICE, PERHAPS THE TREE BACK FUNDS CAN BE A, SOME OF THAT MONEY MIGHT BE ALLOCATED TO BEAUTIFICATION OF THOSE TYPES OF PROPERTIES.IF, UH, THEY'RE NOT SUFFICIENTLY, UH, COVERED, UH, IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT COST, STAYING WITH THE CURRENT CODE, YOU KNOW, WE COULD ALWAYS, I THINK, USE THEM IN A FUTURE CIP PROGRAM OR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND, UM, PULL FROM THE BANK.
SO WE'VE GOT A NOTE DEFINITELY ABOUT THE, THE TREE MITIGATION FEE, WHICH I THINK WOULD ALSO INCLUDE THE WAY IN WHICH THE FUNDS ARE, ARE UTILIZED TO.
THERE'S AN INTEREST IN LOOKING AT THAT.
UM, YEAH, I'D SAY, YOU KNOW, IT IS JUST MY THOUGHT THAT WE NEED A BANK.
NOW WE NEED THAT BANK BECAUSE IT'S NOT BEST PRACTICE TO OVER PLANT SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW IS GONNA DIE.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T PUT, UH, OAK TREES EVERY FIVE FEET.
SO IT, IT JUST WOULDN'T BE, YOU KNOW, CAN'T, WE CAN'T PRESSURE THAT IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, SO WHY NOT STICK IT IN A BANK? RIGHT.
AND THE, THE FOLLOW UP TO THAT, STEVE, IS, UH, IN MY OPINION, HAS BEEN THEY DON'T COME BACK AND CHECK, IS THE TREE STILL TRUE? IS THE TREE STILL ALIVE A YEAR FROM NOW? OR THAT HE JUST STICK IT IN THE GROUND TO MAKE THE REQUIREMENT? YEAH, BUT THAT'S A, THAT'S A AND THEN IT DIES AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, THEY GOT EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANTED AND THEY PAID A COUPLE OF BUCKS MORE FOR IT.
THAT'S WITH A LOT OF THINGS GOING BACK AND CHECKING.
UM, I'M TALKING ABOUT CLARITY FOR REASONABLE EFFORTS LANGUAGE, AND IN THAT SECTION G ONE C AT THE END, IT TALKS ABOUT MAKING REASONABLE EFFORTS TO SAVE SIGNIFICANT TREES.
THEN IT SAYS REASONABLE TREE REPLANTING SHALL BE REQUIRED.
SO SHOULDN'T WE, WE HAVE A, A VERY DETAILED DEFINITION OF TREE MITIGATION, TREE REPLANTING EARLIER IN THE CODE, IN THE SECTION.
SHOULDN'T IT REFER BACK TO THAT REPLANTING REQUIREMENT RATHER THAN JUST SAYING REASONABLE? I'M SORRY, WHICH, WHICH SECTION WERE YOU ON TALKING ABOUT WHERE WE STARTED? G YEAH.
'CAUSE IT, IT ALSO USES REASONABLE RIGHT? USES REASONABLE AT THE END ABOUT YOU SHALL DO REASONABLE TREE REPLANTING.
GONE INTO A LOT OF DETAIL ABOUT WHAT RIGHT IS REQUIRED.
SO MAYBE CLEARLY DEFINE THAT PART TOO.
I JUST WANNA GET JUST A QUICK READ OF THE ROOM.
WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE ANY DIFFERENCE IN THAT.
SO ARE THERE ANY OTHER STRONG OPINIONS ONE WAY OR THE OTHER ABOUT, UM, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND ITEM NUMBER TWO IN THAT PARTICULAR, WE HEARD, WE HEARD 'EM KIND ON ON BOTH SIDES, SO WE JUST WANNA, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE IT AFFORDABLE.
I, I THINK WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, YOU, YOU CAN'T JUST GO BUY THE LETTER OF THE LAW.
YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE, UH, YOU GOTTA BE FLEXIBLE BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO DO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO I THINK THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME, SOME CRITERIA WHERE YOU CAN HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY IF YOU'RE TRYING TO DO A DEVELOPMENT THAT'S FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
UM, I'M NOT SURE HOW THE LMO WOULD, WOULD ALLOW FOR THAT.
THANK YOU MS. CAMPBELL? I THINK MR. CARSON WAS NICE.
SO I THINK, NO, I, THERE IS A, THERE IS A SECTION WITHIN THE LMO THAT, THAT DEALS WITH WORKFORCE HOUSING MM-HMM
AND SO IF IT'S A MATTER OF ADDING SOME CLARITY WITHIN THAT SECTION, BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS, LIKE, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S AN OVER AN OVERLAY OR IT'S, IT'S A PARTICULAR SECTION THAT'S REFERENCED WHEN YOU WANT TO BE DOING THAT TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT.
I JUST WANNA ADD TO THAT, I WANNA CLARIFY THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN POOR DESIGN OR POOR COMPLIANCE.
I THINK IT'S JUST THE OPPOSITE.
I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT MEETS THE DESIGN AESTHETIC OF THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS, UH, BUT WE, I DO AGREE THAT ANY FLEXIBILITIES THAT BE GIVEN, AND THAT'S WHY I TALKED ABOUT MAYBE THE TREE BANK IS A FLEXIBILITY THAT ALLOWS FOR SOME MORE, UH, DEVELOPER TO HAVE SOME AFFORDABILITY CONCESSIONS, UH, AROUND THAT.
BUT I THINK GOOD DESIGN IS IMPORTANT IN BOTH AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND ANY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT THAT WE DO.
YEAH, I DO AGREE THAT GOOD DESIGN IS, IS IMPORTANT.
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NEED TO TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH WHEN WE'RE LOOKING TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.THE REASON THAT WE NEED IT REALLY, UM, IT, IT LEANS ON OTHER ISSUES THAT WE HAVE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE LAND AND THE TREES.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A PRESSING ISSUE AND THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE NEED TO BUILD IT.
SO FLEXIBILITY, AS YOU SAID, MR. HENS, UM, IS KEY.
AND I KNOW WE DON'T WANNA JUST GIVE OUTRIGHT EXEMPTIONS, BUT THERE DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE A DIFFERENT STANDARD FOR IT, IN MY OPINION.
UM, THERE MAY BE A DIFFERENT, THERE MAY BE A, A, A COST ISSUE WITH REQUIRING, UH, THE, THE ORDINANCES THAT WE PUT IN PLACE, BUT I'M ALSO THINKING THAT MAYBE IN ORDER TO NOT DISCOURAGE DEVELOPMENT FROM OUTSIDE FOLKS, THAT MAYBE THE TOWN NEEDS TO SAY, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO PAY MORE FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT RATHER THAN, THIS IS ALL WE CAN DO.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT ON A COUPLE OF THE THINGS THAT I HEARD AND I WANTED TO, UM, SAY, FIRST OF ALL, I WANTED TO TOOT EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM'S HORN AND THOSE WHO, UM, AREN'T IN THE ROOM.
NORTH POINT IS AN EXCEPTIONAL PROJECT, UM, WITH CLASS A, UM, UH, DESIGN.
AND IT WILL REFLECT WELL ON HILTON HEAD INTO THE FUTURE.
BUT WHAT WE ALSO, AND, AND, AND I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S EFFORT ON THAT, 'CAUSE IT WAS, IT WAS LONG AND COMING AND A LOT OF GOOD WORK WENT INTO IT.
AND I THINK IT'S END RESULTS CAN BE BEAUTIFUL.
HAVING SAID THAT, UM, I ALSO HEARD CLEARLY, UM, THAT THE IMPACT OF WHAT YOU SEE WITH THE LAND CLEARING THERE AT NORTH POINT IS, IS RATHER DISTURBING AT THIS.
WHEN YOU SEE ALL OF THE TREES GONE AND YOU'RE DRIVING ON 2 78, OR, I KNOW I'VE SPOKEN TO RESIDENTS IN THE AREA OF NORTH POINT WHO ARE CONCERNED THAT THEY NOW LOOK DIRECTLY FROM THEIR HOMES ACROSS A VAST LAND ONTO 2 78, AND THAT CHANGES NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND SO EACH TIME THAT WE DO SOMETHING, WE HAVE TO BE VERY COGNIZANT OF THOSE AROUND US.
AND ONE PROJECT IS, CAN BE BEAUTIFUL, CAN BE EXTREMELY WELL DONE, VERY MUCH NEEDED, BUT ITS IMPACT ON THOSE IN THE SURROUNDING AREAS HAS TO BE LOOKED AT AND TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION.
AND SO WHILE FLEXIBILITY IS GOOD, UM, I THINK THAT WE'VE COME ACROSS A GOOD IDEA TO FURTHER CONSIDER, AND THAT'S THAT TREE BANK, HOW WE CAN GO BACK IN AND TAKE WHERE, WHERE IT'S, UM, REASONABLE EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE, BUT UN UNABLE TO ACCOMMODATE RE KEEPING THOSE TREES THAT WE PUT THEM SOMEPLACE THAT THEY'RE REALLY, CAN BE WELL USED FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
I DON'T LIKE WAIVERS, I DON'T LIKE UNCERTAINTY.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S GOTTEN US INTO THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW ARE ALL THREE OF THOSE.
AND I THINK DEVELOPERS AND EVERYONE IN LIFE LIKE CERTAINTY.
SO AS MUCH CERTAINTY AS WE CAN BUILD INTO THIS, THE BETTER OFF WE'LL BE.
UM, I, I COULD GO ON AND SAY A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO.
BUT, UM, I THINK THIS HAS BEEN A GOOD CONVERSATION AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE COMMENTS.
AND IF FOR THE FURTHER DISCUSSIONS WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD CONSIDER REVIEWING THIS AGAIN.
UH, MR. CARSONS, SORRY, ONE MORE LAST QUICK THING.
SO IT'S, UH, TO THE POINT OF EXEMPTIONS, ARE THERE WAIVERS STILL WITHIN THE, THE TREE SECTION, LIKE ADMINISTRATIVE WAIVERS? WE TOOK, UH, SO WE TOOK ADMINISTRATIVE WAIVERS OUT.
THERE IS, BUT THERE IS STILL SOME, THE REASONABLE EFFORTS IS REALLY WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE FOCUSING ON HERE BECAUSE THAT'S LEFT UP.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S, SO WE'RE TRYING, WE'RE TRYING TO ELIMINATE THE SUBJECTIVITY AND, OR, OR, AND MAKE IT, YOU KNOW, UH, WHERE THE STANDARD IS, WHAT THE STANDARD IS.
AND THAT'S THE WAY WE APPLY IT TODAY IN, IN OUR DEPARTMENT.
ANY, ANY FOLLOW UP? NO, NO, NO.
IT WAS, IT WAS MORE SO TO THE POINT OF, UH, WHAT MS. CAMPBELL SAID AS FAR AS LIKE PARTICULAR SITUATIONS LIKE THE WORKFORCE HOUSING, YOU KNOW, THESE INSTANCES, UM, IF THERE'S ANY DISCRETION AT, AT THAT TOWN HALL.
BUT IF THERE ISN'T, THEN YES, WE NEED TO BUILD, BAKE IT INTO PARTICULAR
[01:25:01]
SECTIONS THAT WOULD PROTECT THOSE, THOSE ELEMENTS LIKE THE WORKFORCE HOUSING, UH, ITSELF, THE ELEMENT ITSELF.FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING A DISCUSSION TODAY.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S REALLY HEARTENING.
UM, AND I HEAR A LOT OF DIFFERENT IDEAS, SO I APPRECIATE THAT.
WHAT I'M THINKING IS THAT THIS IS LIKE A CHARACTER A STICK.
UM, IF YOU WANT TO ENCOURAGE WORKFORCE HOUSING, WOULD IT BE BETTER INSTEAD OF GOING EXEMPTION ROUTE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF BONUS ROUTE? AND SO THINKING OF BONUS DENSITY IS THE TYPICAL ONE.
BUT IN, IN THIS CASE, I THINK IT'S BEEN MENTIONED THAT, UM, IF IT'S WORKFORCE HOUSING AND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE X AMOUNT OR X PERCENTAGE OF YOUR DEVELOPMENT, BE IT WORKFORCE HOUSING, THEN YOU GET TO DRAW FROM THE BANK, WHATEVER IT MAY BE, IF IT'S AN ACTUAL TREE OR IF IT'S ACTUAL DOLLARS, TO BE ABLE TO DO THOSE PLANTINGS, UH, THEN TREAT IT AS A BONUS AS OPPOSED TO, UM, AN EXEMPTION.
I WOULD BE REMISS FOR THOSE OF US WHO'VE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME.
UM, YOU MAY REMEMBER, UH, WE AFFECTIONATELY CALLED HER THE TREE LADY, JAMES, YOU REMEMBER THE TREE LADY? AND IF YOU HEARD THE TREE LADY WAS COMING TO YOUR PLACE, YOU, YOU SWALLOWED HARD A COUPLE OF TIMES BECAUSE SHE WAS TOUGH.
AND TO GET A PERMIT TO CUT ANYTHING WAS VERY DIFFICULT.
AND I THINK THAT KIND OF RESPONSE FROM HER HELPED US BE WHERE WE ARE NOW WITH ALL THE BEAUTIFUL TREES THAT, UH, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN.
SO I HOPE WHEREVER WE GO WITH THIS HAS ENOUGH TEETH IN IT THAT IT GETS PEOPLE'S ATTENTION.
WELL I THINK THIS HAS BEEN A VERY HEALTHY AND YES SIR.
THE LAST PERSON, I THINK TO SAY A COMMENT, SO FROM THE CORNER, UM,
UM, THIS IS BY FAR, PROBABLY THE FURTHEST OUT OF ANYTHING I DO IN LIFE.
SO IT, IT'S GOOD TO LEARN THIS.
I'VE, I'VE LIVED HERE 22 YEARS, SO, SO SEEING THIS, UNDERSTANDING THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN GREAT.
UM, TO THAT POINT, UM, I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN HERE ALMOST AN HOUR AND A HALF AND WE'RE FINALLY GETTING THE CONVERSATION ROLLING AND, AND WRAPPING UP.
AND SO I THINK TO, TO KIND OF, UH, PIGGYBACK ON WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAID, TO BE ABLE TO REVIEW THIS AHEAD OF TIME IN SOME SORT OF FASHION, I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW THAT IS, BUT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
UM, FOR THE NEXT MEETING, A COUPLE THINGS I HEARD THAT I DID, LIKE, UM, PETER'S COMMENT ABOUT THE TREE BANK USE, UM, MAYBE NOT LIMITING IT TO ONLY TREES, UM, BUT ALSO UNDERSTORY, SHRUBBERY, YOU KNOW, PARKS, STUFF LIKE THAT.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA MAKE IT, MAKE IT GREAT.
UM, 'CAUSE I CAN SEE WHERE THE TREE BANK CAN GET BIG AND BIG AND BIG.
'CAUSE IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY PLACES TO PUT TREES, THEN YOU KNOW, WE, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO OTHER THINGS WITH THAT MONEY.
UM, FLEXIBLE WORKFORCE HOUSING, UM, ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS, I THINK IS IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE GONNA BE PARTNERING WITH THE TOWN ON THAT SOMEHOW, I THINK THERE'S GONNA BE SOME GREAT OPPORTUNITIES WITH THAT.
NOT EVERY DEVELOPER IS THE GREEDIEST PERSON OUT THERE.
THERE ARE A FEW DEVELOPERS THAT WANNA DO THE RIGHT THING.
AND I THINK IF WE CAN BE FLEXIBLE TO MAKE IT A WIN-WIN FOR ALL OF US, THAT'LL BE GREAT.
PERSONALLY, I'M A GUY THAT THRIVES IN THE GRAY AREA.
UM, I'M, I'M, I'M HALFWAY BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE, AND SO IT PAINS ME TO SAY THIS, BUT HONESTLY, AS WE ARE TIGHTENING THIS THING DOWN, I JUST DON'T THINK REASONABLE EFFORTS HAS A PLACE IN THE CODE.
UM, IT LEAVES TOO MUCH ROOM FOR, FOR VARIANCE AND FUTURE CHANGES IN, IN LEADERSHIP OR VIEWPOINTS.
UM, AND FINALLY, UM, TO KIND OF PIGGYBACK ON JAMES' COMMENT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ACREAGE.
I, I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT BEING A DATA GUY TO KNOW HOW MUCH ACREAGE WE THINK WE HAVE LEFT TO BE DEVELOPED.
UM, AND I KNOW THERE MIGHT BE SOME REDEVELOPMENT THAT WE CAN'T CAPTURE IN THAT, BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO KNOW FOR US AS A COMMUNITY WHAT IMPACT WE HAVE LEFT TO MAKE ON THIS ISLAND.
UM, YOU KNOW, IS IT 500 ACRES? IS IT 300? IS IT A THOUSAND? I, I DON'T KNOW.
UM, I, I DON'T WANNA SAY, I'M GONNA LOOK AT THIS DIFFERENTLY IF IT'S LIKE, HEY, WE HAVE A HUNDRED ACRES LEFT TO DO, BECAUSE I'M LIKE, GOSH, WE'RE PUTTING A LOT OF BRAIN POWER INTO A HUNDRED ACRES.
THE LAST ACRE WE DEVELOPED ON THIS ISLAND IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE FIRST ACRE WE DEVELOPED.
YOU KNOW, BUT AT SOME POINT I THINK IT'S GREAT FOR US TO KNOW, ARE WE MAKING AN IMPACT TO OUR COMMUNITY OR ARE WE JUST TRYING TO MAKE AMENDS WITH OURSELVES FOR SOME BAD DECISIONS WE MADE 12 YEARS AGO, UM, WITH THE LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE OF 2014.
SO IT'D BE GREAT IF WE CAN JUST QUANTIFY THAT SOMEHOW AT SOME POINT FOR US.
WELL, MIKE, YOU HAVE TO, YOU HAVE TO REALIZE, I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME AND SOME OF THIS, YOU SAY THERE'S NO DEVELOPMENT, A HUNDRED ACRES, 200, BUT THERE'S GONNA COME A TIME, THERE'S REDEVELOPMENT, RIGHT? AND OVER 40 AND 50 YEARS, THERE'S A LOT OF TREES GROWN UP AROUND THESE OLDER DEVELOPMENTS.
[01:30:01]
THE SAME SITUATION IN A REDEVELOPMENT.SO WE, WE, WE DON'T WANNA TEAR ALL THE BUILDINGS DOWN IN CLEAR CUT.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GONNA WORK YEAH.
IN THE FUTURE, JUST LIKE IT DID IN THE PAST.
I THINK WE'VE HAD SOME REALLY ROBUST DISCUSSION AND A LOT OF THINGS FOR, UH, THE TEAM TO GO BACK AND, AND DO SOME ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ABOUT.
UM, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON, ON THIS KIND OF FIRST PAGE? UM, I DON'T WANNA SHUT US DOWN, BUT I DO WANNA MOVE US FORWARD, WE FEEL, IF WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE READY TO DO THAT.
I THINK THE MAIN THING WE HEARD WAS, UM, PRETTY STRONG CONSENSUS.
MAYBE SOME, UH, LOOK AT WHETHER OR NOT AFFORDABLE HOUSING SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN, IN SOME WAY THAT IS RESPONSIBLE AND, AND NOT, UM, SETTING UP A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STANDARD.
OH, WE DO, DO WE HAVE A 30 MINUTE TIMEFRAME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? WE DO.
WE HAVE TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT AS WELL.
IT MIGHT BE A, IT MIGHT BE A GOOD PAUSING POINT.
UM, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW DEEP WE COULD GET INTO, UH, INTO OUR ITEM D.
SO DON'T YOU THINK SO? UM, YOU SEE WHERE WE ARE? I THINK THAT MIGHT NOT BE, YEAH.
DO WE HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP TO SPEAK? WE DO.
SEE, GOOD THING WE SLOWED IT DOWN GUYS.
HOW MANY WE HAD? UM, WE HAVE SIX.
UM, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I, I HAD SOME PHONE CALLS AND STUFF ABOUT ITEMS THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT FOR A MONTH OR TWO.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT, UM, HOPEFULLY YOU'RE, YOU'RE ON SUBJECT TONIGHT.
UH, WHO'S OUR, WHO'S FIRST JACK DALEY CHAIRMAN, IF I MAY CHAIRMAN? YES.
IF I MAY, THE AGENDA ESTABLISHES THE PUBLIC COMMENTS AND HEARING SECTION AFTER THE FULL DISCUSSION OF THE LMO.
I JUST WANNA POINT THAT OUT FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE AGENDA BEING ON FOIA AND BEING ONLINE.
WELL, CAN WE AMEND, KIND OF THINK WE HAD FULL DISCUSSION.
THERE'S THE SUBSECTION D THAT WE WERE GONNA DISCUSS.
I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S BEING DISCUSSED TONIGHT, BUT YEAH, I THINK MR. CHAIR, SHE'S SAYING THAT, UH, IF WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT NOW, WE CAN'T COME BACK TO D THANK YOU.
YEAH, WE HAVE SIX PEOPLE SIGNED UP.
THAT'S 18 PLUS DEAD TIME WITH 30 MINUTES.
MR. DALEY, BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT SECTION D WILL BE ROLLED OVER TO THE NEXT MEETING.
TREY'S GONNA, BEFORE WE CLOSE, TREY'S GONNA TELL US WHAT'S HAPPENING NEXT WEEK.
UM, CAN YOU HEAR ME? SHOULD I TURN THIS ONE OFF? OKAY.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YOU WOULD NEED THE WHOLE 30 MINUTES TONIGHT.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? NO, I CAN JUST TURN 'EM UP.
JUST USE, YEAH, JUST USE ONE OF THOSE.
UM, JACK DALEY, I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT, UM, TREE BANKS.
UM, BE VERY CAREFUL WITH TREE BANKS.
IF YOU REMOVE AN OCEAN FRONT TREE OR A TREE THAT'S MARSH FRONT, YOU'RE IMPACTING A UNIQUE HABITAT THAT'S UNIQUE TO THE ISLAND.
AND IF YOU SAY, WELL, I HAVE SOME LAND IN HARVILLE, I'LL PLANT A PINE TREE THERE, YOU'VE DAMAGED A UNIQUE AND PRECIOUS HABITAT AND REPLACE IT WITH A PINE TREE FOR A SQUIRREL IN A HABITAT THAT IS BASICALLY THE REST OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
YOU'RE NOT TRADING LIKE FOR, LIKE, SAME THING WITH MITIGATION BANKS.
YOU HAVE TO TRADE LIKE FOR, LIKE, YOU CANNOT IMPACT SALT WATER AND SALT WATER MARSH AND REPLACE IT WITH A CREEK UPSTATE.
SO YOU HAVE TO BE VERY MATCHED ON THAT.
AND IT'S VERY MUCH OPEN TO FRAUD THAT PEOPLE WILL TAKE SOME HABITAT THAT'S PRECIOUS, DAMAGE IT AND REPLACE IT WITH MUCH LESS IMPORTANT HABITAT THAT'S EASILY REPLICATED.
TREE FUNDS ARE EVEN WORSE BECAUSE THEN YOU GET NO HABITAT BACK FOR IT.
AND SO A LOT OF THE HABITAT WE HAVE AND WORKING WITH FOREST BEACH, THERE'S A LOT OF REQUESTS TO CUT DOWN EVERY TREE BETWEEN THEIR HOUSE AND THE OCEAN.
I IMAGINE IF YOU'RE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE IT BACKS UP TO MARSH, THERE'S A LOT OF REQUESTS TO CUT DOWN EVERYTHING SO THEY CAN SEE
[01:35:01]
THE MARSH WITHOUT A TREE IN SIGHT.BUT, UM, IF YOU'RE EVER SPENDING TIME WITH AUDUBON, THE BIRDS THAT FORAGE AND THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, LIVE IN ROOKERY ARE AROUND THE EDGES OF THE ISLANDS.
THEY'RE NOT IN THE INTERIOR, OKAY? SO THEY'RE ON THE EDGES SO THEY CAN SEE THE WATER.
SO AN OSPREY CAN SEE THE WATER.
SO A WAITING BIRD CAN SEE WHEN THE TIDE IS OUT, HE CAN GO TO THAT MARSH.
BEAUFORT COUNTY HAS SOME VERY STRICT STANDARDS ON ISLANDS AS WELL AS OURS, BUT OFF ISLANDS WHERE YOU CAN'T DEVELOP OUT TO THE EDGES FOR THAT REASON.
SO THE OUTER RIM WHERE TREES MEET WATER IS VERY IMPORTANT AND IT'S VERY UNIQUE, RARE HABITAT.
SO THERE REALLY IS NO REPLACEMENT IN SOMETHING OVER THERE OR SOME MONEY BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT'LL HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, IT'LL BE, UH, GREENWASHING, SOMEBODY THAT WANTS TO DO SOMETHING WILL PAY 5,000 A TREE TO SOME FUND COST OF DOING BUSINESS, YOU LOST HABITAT YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO REPLACE.
SO I WOULD SAY DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR.
YOU KNOW, YOU HEAR THINGS GREENWASHING, ECOTOURISM, THINGS THAT ARE MEANT TO SOUND GOOD, BUT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY PLAY THEM OUT, YOU LOSE.
AND ALSO ON TREE MITIGATION, UH, WE HAVE A VERY GOOD, UH, NATURAL RESOURCES ADMINISTRATOR.
AND SO WHEN WE THINK OF THE TWO DIMENSIONS OF TREE MITIGATION, THE LENGTH AND THE WIDTH OF THE LOT, ALSO THINK ABOUT THE THIRD DIMENSION OF HEIGHT INTO, UH, MS. BECKER'S POINT OVERS STORY UNDERSTORY.
THE ADMINISTRATOR CAN EASILY COME UP WITH A PLAN THAT WOULD HAVE SOME LIVE OAKS AND UNDERNEATH IT LIKE SOME SABLE MINER THAT WOULD BE NATURAL AND HELP WITH WILDLIFE.
THERE'S A LOT OF THAT THAT CAN BE DONE.
SO IT'S NOT ONLY LENGTH AND WIDTH, IT'S THE HEIGHT AND THEN THE FOURTH DIMENSION TIME, HOW THESE TREES WILL LOOK 20 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD.
'CAUSE ONCE YOU OPEN THAT DOOR, THANK YOU, JACK.
I SIGNED UP BEFORE, UH, YOU, UH, NARROWED THE AGENDA.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT VERY BRIEFLY ABOUT, UH, TIMESHARES.
UM, I THINK YOU ARE LOOKING AT TIMESHARES IN A, A VERY NARROW WAY.
THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT FORMS OF FRACTIONAL OWNERSHIP, AND THIS MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REGULATE THEM.
UH, ONE IS, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE SOMEBODY ON THE ISLAND WHO'S BUYING SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, UM, RESELLING THEM AT A PREMIUM, UH, EIGHTH FOR FRACTION, AND IS MANAGING IT AS IT WAS A TIMESHARE.
UM, AND THERE'S LOTS OF, UH, COURT ACTION GOING ON AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND I DON'T THINK YOUR DEFINITION CURRENTLY, UH, COVERS THAT.
UM, AND SECONDLY, ANOTHER FORM OF FRACTIONAL OWNERSHIP, WHICH I DON'T THINK YOUR LMO COVERS IS VACATION CLUBS.
UM, AND BOTH OF THESE, UH, VARIATIONS OF FRACTIONAL OWNERSHIP, INCREASED DENSITY, UM, AND ONE OF THEM IN PARTICULAR EXCLUDES SINGLE FAMILY OWNERSHIP.
'CAUSE A LOT OF THESE PROPERTIES ARE ACTUALLY OCCURRING IN RESIDENTIAL ZONES.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT I THINK THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY.
YOU, YOU MAY NEED TO RECONSIDER WHAT YOU MEAN BY TIMESHARES AND, AND GET INTO THE 21ST CENTURY RATHER THAN LAST CENTURY.
IT'S, IT'S A CHANGED ENVIRONMENT, UM, AND IT'S, IT'S LEADING TO INCREASED DENSITY AND, AND, UH, DISTRICT ISSUES.
BUT, UH, I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED TO SEE YOUR FIRST GUIDING PRINCIPLE WAS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, AND THEN UNDER YOUR PRIORITIES FOR AMENDMENTS, YOU HAD ZERO RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING THE WETLAND PROTECTION, UH, THAT WAS CORRECTED.
UH, YOU HAD A COUPLE PEOPLE SPEAK UP EARLY ON ABOUT INCREASING THE BUFFERS, PROTECTING OUR IES.
UH, PLEASE ADDRESS THAT IN WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
WE HAVE AN ONGOING EFFORT NOW, UH, DEVELOPMENT RIGHT ON MARSHLAND ROAD.
THE ROOKERY IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ISLAND.
THEY'RE NOT ALL IN THE MIDDLE, NOT ALL ON THE EDGES.
AND, UH, THIS ROOKERY IS UNDER ATTACK.
IT WILL BE DESTROYED BY THIS DEVELOPMENT.
IT'S 2 29 MARSHFIELD, UH, 2 29 MARSHLAND ROAD.
AND, UH, IT'S JUST SAD TO SEE THAT GO
[01:40:01]
AWAY.I HOPE THIS COMMITTEE CAN CORRECT THAT.
MY NAME IS TY SCOTT, A SEVENTH GENERATION GULLAH NATIVE, AND I'M HERE TO ADDRESS THE TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE LMO REWRITE.
THE PLANTATIONS GATED COMMUNITIES, AS SOME WOULD PREFER, HAVE HAD THEIR COMMUNITIES MASTER PLANNED SINCE THEIR INCEPTION.
MOST OF THE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES REMAIN WITHIN THE GULLAH COMMUNITY.
HISTORY HAS SHOWN THROUGH COUNTLESS DOCUMENTATIONS SUPPORTED BY THE TOWN THAT THE GULLAH COMMUNITY HAS ULTIMATELY BEEN LEFT OUT, ESPECIALLY REGARDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, DENSITY, ZONING, LAND USE.
THESE ARE THE DRIVING FACTORS WHICH WILL DETERMINE OUR CONTINUED PRESENCE ON THIS WORLD CLASS RESORT DESTINATION.
AS YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS MOVE FORWARD, ONE OF THE FIRST QUESTIONS WHICH SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IS, HOW WOULD THIS IMPACT ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE GULLAH COMMUNITY? SOME MAY SAY DENSITY IS TOO HIGH, OR IT'S DESTROYING OUR COMMUNITY, OR THAT USE SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED NEXT DOOR TO ME.
I PROPOSE THE QUESTION, WHAT HAVE THE GULLAH NATIVES HISTORICALLY SAID AND HAS BEEN ASKING FOR? THE TASK FORCE SHOULD BE ASKING THIS QUESTION, WHAT ABOUT THE PREVIOUS REPORTS? RUDD RESPONSE TO THE RUDD, A WARD ONE MASTER PLAN, CHARETTES, STONY AND CHAP AND CHAPLAIN INITIATIVES, AND THE COUNTLESS CONSULTING DOCUMENTATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
YOU ALL, YOU SHOULD ALL BE AWARE OF AND BE FAMILIAR WITH THESE REPORTS.
THIS SHOULD NOT BE A PROCESS OF CHECKING THE BOX ON STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS AND PROCEED AS USUAL.
WHY THIS, WHY THAT? LET'S LOOK AT STAFF'S DENSITY PROPOSAL.
PREVIOUS REPORTS RECOMMEND A BASE OF EIGHT UNITS PER ACRE WITH SEWER, NOT SIX.
CURRENTLY THE LOWEST ZONE MIXED USE DENSITY SHOULD BE COMPATIBLE WITH OTHER, OTHER GULLAH MIXED ZONES.
10, 12, AND 16 UNITS PER ACRE.
WE HEAR CHARACTER, THERE'S TOO MUCH DEVELOPMENT.
WHAT ABOUT OUR OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE BEEN STILL WAITING FOR? IF OVER DEVELOPMENT IS THE CASE, PROVIDE US THE DENSITY THAT WE HAVE HISTORICALLY ASKED FOR AND PURCHASED OUR DEVELOPMENT AND DENSITY RIGHTS.
THE TOWN SET THAT PRECEDENCE WITH THE HUDSON PROPERTY OFF OF SQUIRE PORT ROAD YEARS AGO, WHICH STILL LEAVES A SOUR TASTE WITHIN THE GULLAH COMMUNITY.
OUTRIGHT LAND SALES SHOULD BE OUR LAST RESORT.
CHANGING, REDUCING OR REMOVING CURRENT LAND USES FROM GULLAH PROPERTY OWNERS WITHOUT COMPENSATION SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED OR CONSIDERED TIMESHARES ONE OF THE HIGHEST VALUES FOR A GULLAH PROPERTY OWNER.
IF THE TOWN DOESN'T WANT ANYMORE, COMPENSATE THOSE PROP THOSE OWNERS BEFORE TAKING THEIR PROPERTY RIGHTS AWAY.
OUR PROPERTY VALUES LIE WITHIN DENSE.
OUR PROPERTY VALUES LIE WITHIN DENSITY AND USE OVER 40 YEARS OF DOCUMENTATION PROVIDING GULLAH WITH SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR LAND RETENTION REMAINS AT OUR FOREFRONT.
LASTLY, IF I COULD PLEASE GO AHEAD.
I WOULD LIKE TO PERSONALLY THANK THE OUTSIDE CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS, THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER AND THE LEGAL DEFENSE FUND.
I WAS COPIED IN THEIR LETTER TO YOU ALL FOR HEARING OUR PLEAS AND HAVE, AND HAVING DEDICATED THEIR TIME AND RESOURCES TOWARDS MONITORING THIS REWRITE TO ENSURE OUR HISTORIC GULLAH CONCERNS REMAIN CENTRAL IN THIS PROCESS.
I HAVE, UH, TWO COMMENTS AND ONE QUESTION.
UM, WHEN IT CAME TO THE TOPIC OF BANKING, UM, MY QUESTION IS, UM, WHO CAN CUT DOWN A TREE THAT WAS PLANTED WITH BANK MONEY? ARE WE GOING TO, UM, SOMEHOW PUT GPS TRACKING ON THOSE TREES? UH, THAT WOULD CONCERN ME.
UM, SO THERE YOU GO ON THAT ONE.
UM, I WOULD NOT, UH, LIKE, UH, TREE BANK DOLLARS TO GO TO JUST GENERAL BEAUTIFICATION.
I WOULD HOPE THAT WE WOULD BE A TREE FOR A TREE AND, AND, UH, TO A, ONE OF THE PREVIOUS SPEAKERS POINTS, UH, A LIKE KIND TREE FOR A LIKE KIND TREE.
ONE IS, AND I'M NOT NECESSARILY GONNA GET AN ANSWER, BUT SOMETHING FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT.
[01:45:01]
AFFORDABLE HOUSING NOT BE TREATED? UM, DO PEOPLE OF LESSER MEANS NOT DESERVE SHADE? SO WHY ARE WE BANKING MONEY FOR TREES TAKEN DOWN THERE TO PUT SOMEWHERE ELSE? I THINK TREES ARE IMPORTANT TO EVERYONE.AND THEN LASTLY, UM, I GUESS IT DOESN'T APPLY IN THIS CURRENT CONTEXT, BUT, UH, COMMERCIAL, UM, PROPERTIES, UH, THE, UM, PORT ROYAL PLAZA WHERE THE UH, UM, UM, PICKLEBALL AND THE FOOD LION, UM, THEY JUST TOOK DOWN A BUNCH OF TREES IN THAT PARKING LOT THAT WERE PRETTY MATURE.
'CAUSE THE PARKING LOT IS ALREADY THE PARKING LOT.
THEY WERE, UH, RAILROAD TIED AROUND AND THEY JUST WHACKED 'EM DOWN LAST WEEK.
ALL OF 'EM, UM, DID THEY GET PERMISSION TO DO THAT? AND UM, ALSO ACROSS THE STREET, UH, WHERE THE ALDI IS GOING.
OH MY GOD, ALL THOSE TREES JUST GONE.
JUST SO I ASSUME YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES TOO, AT SOME POINT.
I KNOW I, I THINK I SIGNED UP ALSO.
I DIDN'T HAVE HIS YOU, YOU CAN COME ON UP.
I DIDN'T HAVE A FORM FOR YOU SIGN UP SO OFTEN AND PASS.
WE JUST DIDN'T SEE, WE'LL TAKE HER OFF COMMENT THAT ONE OF THE COMMENTS THAT STRUCK WAS MR. WEDGE WORTH IS, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH LAND ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THAT'S LEFT TO BE DEVELOPED? NOT ALL THAT MUCH, BUT AS I MENTIONED THE LAST MEETING, I WILL AGAIN ADMONISH YOU THAT ALMOST ALL OF THAT IS IN THE WARD ONE AREA.
IF YOU TIGHTEN UP THE SCREWS AND YOU TIGHTEN THE RESTRICTIONS, IT'S THE NATIVE ISLAND COMMUNITY THAT'S GONNA BEAR THE BRUNT OF THAT.
SO, ANYONE ELSE? ANYONE ELSE SPEAK? NOPE.
UM, SO OUR NEXT, YOU HAD SOMETHING TO SAY.
UM, I, I ALWAYS FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN QUESTIONS ARE ASKED THAT I THINK MIGHT BE FAIRLY SIMPLE.
IF THEY'RE NOT, SAY PASS ON IT, I'LL GET YOU THE INFORMATION.
BUT THE TREES, IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME I'VE HEARD ABOUT THE TREES OVER IN THE PORT, UM, WHERE THE OLD SAM'S CLUB WAS HAVING COME DOWN.
SOMEONE HERE HAS TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THOSE WERE PERMITTED.
AND THAT'S PART OF A BIGGER PLAN.
AND THERE'S PLANS FOR REESTABLISHING THOSE TREES WHEN THE DEVELOPMENT IS EITHER COMPLAINT OR ALONG THE WAY.
DO WE KNOW THAT TODAY? OR IS THAT A QUESTION WE CAN GET AN ANSWER TO AND, AND SEND THAT OUT OR BRING IT BACK TO THE NEXT MEETING.
SO EVERYONE HAS THAT ANSWER TOGETHER.
COUNCIL AND BECKER, I HAVE MADE A NOTE OF IT AND I'LL WORK WITH STAFF TO GET A YOU AN ANSWER.
YOU'RE TALK, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE POOR OIL PLAZA.
I'VE SEEN A REPORT ABOUT THAT AND I'D BE HAPPY FOR IT TO BE SHARED BY THE TOWN STAFF.
WE'LL HAVE THAT TO YOU MR. CHAIR.
THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF PLANS MENTIONED TONIGHT.
UM, AND I THINK IT WOULD, UH, UH, I THINK THAT THE TASK FORCE HAS BEEN SENT, IF YOU WILL, UH, BIBLIOGRAPHY.
UM, BUT PERHAPS NOT ALL OF THE PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN MENTIONED SUCH AS THE, UM, THE RUDAT REPORT AND THE RESPONSE TO THE RUDAT REPORT AND ALSO THE WARD ONE, UM, AREA PLANNED.
AND I APOLOGIZE IF I DON'T REMEMBER THE FULL NAME.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL FOR FOLKS TO SEE AS WELL.
THERE WERE A LOT OF, UM, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT STRAT PLANS IN THERE AND I'M NOT SURE WHY ALL THOSE WERE IN THERE.
I MEAN, I SUPPORT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, DEFINITELY
AND IN THE UM, UH, CODE ONE, UM, BLUEPRINT, UM, THAT THE TOWN COUNCIL SAW IN 2024 INCLUDE SOME OTHER REFERENCE DOCUMENTS THAT I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR THIS GROUP TO HAVE AS WELL.
WHAT ELSE? SO, UH, OUR NEXT MEETING SCHEDULE IS WEEK FROM TONIGHT, I THINK IS MARCH THE FIFTH, I BELIEVE.
I BELIEVE IT'S A WEEK FROM TONIGHT.
MARCH FIVE, ONE WEEK, A WEEK FROM TONIGHT, I BELIEVE.
SO WE WILL, UM, HAVE ANSWERS ON SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAD TONIGHT.
UH, YOU'LL GET AN EMAIL BY MONDAY AFTERNOON BY CLOSING TIME ON, UH, WHAT'S COMING FOR OUR NEXT MEETING.
AND HOPEFULLY BY THAT TIME, WHICH IS SHORT TIME GIVES YOU HAVE FRIDAY AND MONDAY TO GET TOGETHER ALL INFORMATION FOR THE NEXT MEETING.
TOOK A LITTLE BIT, TOOK A HALF HOUR, AND THEN EVERYONE KIND OF LOOSENED UP AND THEY STARTED TALKING AND I THINK IT'S GONNA GET BETTER AND BETTER AS WE,
[01:50:01]
AS WE MOVE ALONG, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE START GETTING INTO SOME OF THESE OTHER SUBJECTS THAT EVERYONE'S AWARE OF.SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, WEDGE.
AND IS THERE A MOTION TO, UH, TO ADJOURN? NO, NOT WHERE WE'RE SECOND, BUT WHERE WE ALL IN FAVOR WE'D ADJOURNED AT THIS POINT.