Sullivan's Island Community Impact: Coming to a park near you?

While few SI residents seem to question the need to build a new Town Hall, many are concerned about design particulars: the 48' height of the building, the overall size and scale of the facility (especially as related to the adjacent Fire Station), the loss of public parking places, sewer issues, the planned Performance Lawn (amphitheater), and the cutting of trees in the park to accommodate the Town Hall project.

And that is not all that Town Council wants to do at the park! As we learned at the Town Council meeting on December 16, Town Council is also considering a long list of so-called park enhancements, including an in-ground slide down the face of the mound (visible from Middle St.), a maintenance plan for the bamboo forest (???), and terracing of the mound. (The full list is attached.) Does that all say "amphitheater" to you? Could lighting be far behind?

And that's still not all! We also learned at the Council meeting that Town Council wants to renovate the Island Club to the tune of about $100,000 (!!!), complete with cathedral ceilings. We learned there has even been some discussion of moving the Island Club to the park, although no one at the meeting could say where exactly where it would go.

And there's even more! To go along with all of these new recreation facilities, Town Council plans to increase Town staff by hiring an events coordinator.

And how does Town Council plan to pay for all of this? Through even more increases in fees and taxes. Question for readers: For whom is Town Council doing this? According to the Comprehensive Plan, the biggest population increase on SI has been in the 55-74 year-old age group--up a whopping 66% in recent years. The 25-54 year-old age group has actually declined by 28%. The number of children on SI has declined by 13%. Overall, population growth on SI is projected to be less than 2% for the next 15 years. So how many residents would be sliding down the in-ground slide?

Clearly, the new Town Hall project will have a major impact on Sullivan’s Island residents—financially and aesthetically—for generations to come. And all of the proposed enhancements will undoubtedly generate more traffic and more congestion from visitors to Sullivan's Island.

So why is Town Council exempting the new Town Hall and the park enhancements from the normal design review process? Town Council has said on several occasions that it is putting itself in charge of design review for the Town Hall project because the site is not zoned. But is that reasoning in line with state law and Sullivan’s Island ordinances?

Take a look at a document posted on the Town of SI website. The document reflects state law and outlines a specific process municipalities are required to follow when reviewing a public project such as a Town Hall or other municipal facility. As stated on pages 13 & 14 (attached), public projects must be submitted for review to the Planning Commission and no new street, structure, utility, square, park or other public way, grounds, open space or public buildings for any use, whether publicly or privately owned, may be constructed or authorized in the geographic area within the jurisdiction of the planning commission until the location, character and extent of such activities have been submitted to the local planning commission. (S.C. Code § 6-29-540).

That's a pretty comprehensive list--and a pretty comprehensive review process! The law would certainly seem to apply to the new Town Hall, as well as the park enhancements and the Island Club renovations.

Also take a look at the attached article written by attorney Bradford Wyche in the Southeastern Environmental Law Journal.* Mr. Wyche states on page 5 (attached) that there are many places in South Carolina in which land is not zoned. He notes, however, that local zoning ordinances apply to public projects, regardless of whether a site is zoned. The purpose of the state law is not to stop a Town Council from building a particular project, but to make the public aware that the project may be starting and to give the public the opportunity to decide whether to become involved politically and try to have the project stopped or modified.

So the fact that the site for the new Town Hall is not zoned would not appear to be an appropriate reason for Town Council to put itself in charge of design review for the project.

Yes, SI needs a new Town Hall. And some residents may even want a slide down the face of the mound, a performance lawn in the park, $100,000 of renovations to the Island Club, and an events coordinator to manage all of the recreational activities. And they may even want to pay higher taxes and fees to fund it.

But shouldn't it be done the right way? As one council member pointed out at the Town Council meeting in November, there are different functions for Sullivan’s Island’s boards and commissions, set by state law. So true!

Town Council should make sure all of the boards and commissions on Sullivan’s Island function as state law intends. And also make sure that islanders are provided the inclusive, participatory review process intended by state law and repeatedly promised to us by Town Council.

Karen and Barbara

sicommunityimpact.com