Atlantic Beach on track to secure first high rise in their history. How did we get here?
For the first time in history, it looks like Atlantic Beach might be getting a high-rise of their own.
In a landmark decision, the municipality’s planning commission decided on Thursday to recommend a zoning change to the larger town council at their next meeting on Aug. 5.
That’s when the second reading of the ordinance will be conducted, and councilmembers will vote one last time either in favor, or against, the estimated $100 million “condotel” along 30th Avenue South in Atlantic Beach.
The proposed land amendment ordinance will allow for the new complex to be 18 stories high, making it the first high-rise in the town with a population of less than 300 people.
Lead developer for the project, Charles Morant first addressed the town’s planning commission at their Feb. 16, 2023 meeting.
Atlantic Beach’s Planning Commission Chair, Angela Metts declined to provide additional comments.
“This is a landmark community, and we want to preserve that heritage and build on that heritage,” he told the commission at that meeting. “We think it’s time for Atlantic Beach to move forward. To develop. And we think this is the perfect opportunity to do that.”
Packets obtained from that meeting show Morant’s proposed conceptual plan was for a 21-story, ocean-front “condo-tel,” that includes a mixture of residential and commercial uses and an 11-story parking garage.
Specifically, the initial proposal said the plan was for 168 hotel rooms, 36 short-term rental units and 24 condo units. According to Morant’s proposal, all of those specific rooms are allowable within the Waterfront 2 Zoning District area.
The “Black Pearl of the Atlantic” would also have room for restaurants, a museum, a banquet hall and conference rooms.
In response to Morant’s proposed development project, a group of community members formed a group called the Supporters for Tyson’s Ancestral Restriction of the Deeds. The URL for their group’s website is no-beachfront-high-rises.com.
In a statement published on that site, they wrote that they are committed to protecting Atlantic Beach’s historic character and want to stay true to the covenants put in place by the town’s founder, George W. Tyson.
A copy of Exhibit A of that covenant explicitly states that only one house is allowed per lot and no businesses are allowed.
Tyson first bought the land that would later become Atlantic Beach on Oct. 11, 1934. Later, embedded in the 90 acres of oceanfront property next to the Atlantic Ocean, Tyson created a community where Black families from across the South could safely enjoy the water without fear of violating segregation laws during the Jim Crow era.
A lawsuit filed in the 15th Circuit Court on Nov. 16, 2023, shows that the STARD group along with individual plaintiffs sued Morant’s company, Morant Properties LLC and the Town of Atlantic Beach, South Carolina for an injunction to stop the development.
Court records show that suit is still pending, as of Friday morning.
