Safe Harbor and Port Royal claim headway made on big waterfront development but work remains

Port Royal and Safe Harbor Marina officials say a Feb. 1 meeting called to air concerns about a marina-centered development on the town waterfront restarted a long-stalled dialogue. The meeting addressed project plans including an unpopular idea for rental townhouses, which many residents oppose.

For Mayor Kevin Phillips, one of the most significant takeaways of the meeting was an assurance he said was given by Safe Harbor officials that constructing rental townhouses is not a “foregone conclusion.”

“That’s kind of the biggest thing that we were concerned about,” Phillips told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet. “It’s good to know it’s not a done deal.”

While Safe Harbor’s focus is marinas, Phillips added, “We reiterated to them there’s a lot more to this development than just the marina that matters to the town.”

Safe Harbor’s housing plans are part of a bigger development centered around a full-service marina that would serve Port Royal-area boaters and those traversing the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The proposed marina, which would feature 150-200 dedicated wetslips, or parking spaces, would also serve the commercial fishing fleet in Port Royal.

The marina permit, which requires approvals from the Army Corps of Engineers and state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control, is now 95% complete, said Van Willis, the town manager. Once that permit is in hand, Willis said, construction will begin.

The Feb. 1 meeting, which occurred at Port Royal Town Hall, lasted 3 ½ hours and was attended by four Safe Harbor officials, including Peter H. Clark, Safe Harbor’s chief development officer, who flew in from Dallas. Representing the town were Phillips, Councilman Jerry Ashmore, Town Manager Van Willis, Planning Director Noah Krepps and Brooke Plank-Buccola, director of administrative services. Phillips described it as “a great first step.”

Clark told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet on Friday that the meeting “went great.”

“I thought it was a meeting that really put us on the level and will certainly serve to open up the lines of communication going forward,” Clark said.

Headway was made on a land swap and an easement that are central to the development plans, Clark said, and “we hope to get across the finish line soon.”

Safe Harbor also showed the town its intentions for the marina, which will have 150 to 200 wet slips for tying up boats. Safe Harbor expects to have permits from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control and Army Corps of Engineers in a few months, Clark said.

As for The Beach Companies housing proposal, Clark said, “we’re working on that front.”

“We heard the comments from the town and it was good to hear them in person,” Clark said of the for-rent townhouse plan. “We understand. We are working with Beach to really dive into their plan. But no agreements are firm with Beach.”

Despite the positive developments, Phillips said, the rental townhouses remain an issue that needs resolution.

“We didn’t get them to say we will never build a build-to-rent neighborhood,” Phillips said, “but they did say they are open and don’t want it to jeopardize the marina project.”

In August 2023, Charleston-based The Beach Company, working with Safe Harbor, unveiled a plan to build 200 townhouses and some 30 single-family homes on land overlooking Battery Creek called “The Bluff.” But the announcement that those units would be rentals, not for sale, prompted strong pushback from residents in a town already concerned about the construction of too many apartment units.

The Beach Company, which Safe Harbor has worked with in the past, is not under contract with Safe Harbor, Phillips noted.

“They are open to other designs,” said Phillips, referring to Safe Harbor. “They said they are open to talk to other builders too.”

On Wednesday, when the Town Council met for a work session, Tricia Fidrych, a Port Royal resident who has frequently raised questions about the project, addressed the rental units. “I sincerely hope you continue to push hard on Safe Harbor to find a better vision and a better reality for that property,” she told council members.

Fidrych, the resident who spoke up about the townhouse rentals, said she is hoping for more information at Wednesday’s meeting in light of the gathering of Safe Harbor and town officials, which was not open to the public.

On Wednesday, Town Manager Van Willis made brief mention of Safe Harbor when he gave his regular projects update. His report included that the town and Safe Harbor continue to work on an easement across Safe Harbor’s property that will allow the popular Spanish Moss Trail to be extended to the Port Royal waterfront.

She appreciated that report, Fidrych said, “But honestly, I was hoping for more details. I think the whole town might be hoping for more details.”

She called for a public presentation by Safe Harbor that includes a timeline and master plan so the public can get a better understanding of the project.

Some residents had requested that the meeting with Safe Harbor be public but Phillips said he wanted to make Safe Harbor officials “as comfortable as possible so so they could be as open and honest as possible. “

“I knew if the public was there,” Phillips said, “their answers might be different and they might not be as forthcoming.”

Safe Harbor acknowledged at the meeting that it could communicate better with the town better, the mayor said.

“I don’t think they’ve dealt with a town that’s been so on ’em, so vigilant about a project,” Phillips said.

Spanish Moss Trail

The Town Council is expected to vote on the Spanish Moss Trail easement Wednesday. Councilman Jerry Ashmore said a Safe Harbor representative is expected to be at that meeting.

Town officials and Safe Harbor continue to work on a property swap that will allow the town to obtain land between Shellring Ale Works and Fish Camp on 11th Street to build a shrimp processing facility in conjunction with new shrimp docks planned for that area, Willis said. The town is negotiating to get the “beer garden” property in that exchange. That property is near the popular Sands Beach. In the swap, the town would give up a few townhouse lots abutting the Safe Harbor Property.

At the close of a work session Wednesday, the full Town Council met in executive session to get legal advice regarding the Safe Harbor plans and to discuss applicants for the planning commission.

In December, the town sent a six-page correspondence to Safe Harbor seeking resolution of its concerns about the development plans, including the rental dwellings. That prompted a Jan. 9 response from Clark, who requested the face-to-face meeting to resolve the issues.

Once anchored by the South Carolina Ports Authority terminal, the Port of Port Royal is sandwiched between the historic portion of the Town and Battery Creek. Safe Harbor bought the property for $20.5 million from Gray Ghost Properties, in November 2021. Grey Ghost Property bought the land from South Carolina Ports Authority for $9 million in 2017.

The town also hasn’t been pleased that Safe Harbor has used its Port Royal property to construct docks for its marina in Charleston. That issue was raised at the meeting, Phillips said. Safe Harbor is beginning to procure equipment in the area for construction of the Port Royal marina. Phillips said he would hate to have the company pack and move the equipment needed for the dock work just as it receives a permit to begin construction of the local marina.

“I thought it went really well,” said Phillips of the meeting. “We’ll see how things flesh out.”