Pest Control in James Island, SC

The James Island Public Service District owned the land and drafted an ordinance to sell the land to a developer in February.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Residents of the Whitehouse Plantation neighborhood on James Island say they want to be involved and informed about all plans for the tract of land that backs up to their homes.

The 6.25-acre tract of land off Dills Bluff Road has been an undisturbed green space for years.

The James Island Public Service District owned the land and drafted an ordinance to sell the land to a developer in February.

Ken Godwin has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 50 years and enjoyed the trees and buffer area for that time.

“I’ve known about this particular property for quite a long period of time when it belonged to the public service district. They wanted to move their facilities over here, garbage trucks, officers and all this kind of stuff. I was opposed to it, numerous residents in the neighborhood were opposed to it. We feel that any new development back here should be single family residential only,” Godwin explains.

In March, homes within 500 feet of the land got a letter from the developer.

The letter, signed by KT Properties owner Kyle A. Taylor, invites the homeowners to two public meetings about developing the land. The letter proposes a mixed-use planned development with approximately 20 single-family homes and 20,000 to 25,000 square feet of commercial space.

John Montague-Blythe says he lives close to the edge of the neighborhood where the tract begins but he did not know about the meetings.

“I feel like wool has been pulled over my eyes, quite frankly. I came in and a person at town hall, while I was getting permits to have a pool building up in the back of our home, told me that they were developing that land she said have you heard about it?,” Montague-Blythe says. “Well, I’m four houses down in the street that’s outside of 500 feet.”

After missing the meetings and feeling out of the loop, neighbors are banding together to share their insight about the land.

Godwin wrote a petition that asks that any development be kept to just single-family homes to preserve the fabric of the neighborhood.

James Luby says he and Godwin will be knocking on doors to let all their neighbors know and see where they stand.

“We were blindsided. We weren’t told. And then all of a sudden. This spread like wildfire. I have a list of people with everything so we’re just gonna go for prepare for the next meeting. Get our petition going. Just get the word out. Because nobody likes it,” Luby says.

Sidonie Aten says she learned about the development while out on a walk and is now invested in making sure she follows the approval process.

“My husband and I were walking the neighborhood like we have done for years, and it’s the first time I heard about it. I still don’t completely understand where all of this is going,” Aten says.

Aten says she hopes other neighbors will sign their petition an join the group to find out what’s best for the neighborhood.

“I’m here mainly to find out exactly what’s going on and to follow up at every meeting that I possibly can to put the brakes on this. There’s too many families that have lived in this neighborhood, quiet peacefully, and we don’t need this and James Island does not need another car or any more traffic,” she says.

James Island Public Service District held a first reading of the proposed sale of the property in February of 2023. The second reading passed in March of 2023.

A week after a request for comment from KT properties about the residents’ complaints owner Kyle Taylor issued a statement. It reports that 18 and ten community members attended each of the two public meetings respectively. The letter says properties within 500 feet were notified “in excess of the 300 feet range typically required for public notices.”

Taylor calls the two meetings productive and notes that community participation exceeded expectations.

“As a result of the workshops, the development will not propose a cross-connection road with Whitehouse Plantation, the development will contain multiple stormwater management ponds for runoff retention and reduction,” the statement reads.

The developer also announces a third community workshop scheduled for Friday June 2nd at Town Hall (1122 Dill Bluff Road). At the workshop, information from prior meetings will be presented and the developer will answer questions.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JAMES ISLAND — Charleston Water System is investigating a sewer main break on Harborview Road that poured unknown amounts of wastewater into James Island Creek.

This is the second time in three years that a break occurred in this area.

Environmentalists say the repeated frequency, combined with current bacteria concerns, suggest better system maintenance is needed, along with riddance of septic tanks adjacent to the creek.

A contract diver discovered on the afternoon of March 9 that two pipes had separated, causing the leak.

A fisherman notified the water utility March 8 of the underwater break in the water below the Julian Thomas Buxton Jr. Bridge. It took time for inspection crews to get to the site because of the tides, but the pumps were turned off shortly after, said Mike Saia, a spokesman for the utility.

Shutting off the pumps eliminated the release of additional wastewater into the water system.

This sewer main manages wastewater from a broad area of the James Island Public Service District and parts of unincorporated Charleston County. The same one broke about three years ago in the marsh but closer to Plum Island. It took a number of days to repair.

The breaks are a big concern, said Andrew Wunderley, executive director at Charleston Waterkeeper.

“It’s an established problem with bacteria pollution at James Island Creek from human sources and other sources, as well,” he said. “Any additional bacteria discharge in a creek is a concern of course.”

Charleston Waterkeeper consistently tests the quality of a number of waterbodies in the Lowcountry, including James Island Creek. The waterkeepers sample for bacteria as an indicator of the possible presence of pathogens.

Persistently high bacteria levels have been identified in the James Island Creek, mainly in the Folly Road area. Wunderley said any input of bacteria is a problem.

It is a challenge for iron pipes to survive long-term in soft environments like the marshy parts of Charleston. Saia said Charleston Water System is considering grant funding to help replace the James Island pipes that have seen two breaks in three years.

This notion is good progress, Wunderley said, “but I think we need to accelerate that project.”

“Whatever needs to be done to bump that up in the priority list, they need to be thinking about it,” he added.

A vactor truck was on site March 9 to pump down the wet wells and pump stations at both sides of the break. Because of this, no additional wastewater will spill into the creek, Saia said. The utility is working on a plan to repair the pipes.

People are urged to avoid swimming, fishing or using the area for other recreational activities until further notice.

Interruptions to customers’ service is not expected while assessments and repairs are made. No road closures have been announced.

In the meantime, people can do like the fisherman on March 8, and report possible main breaks. It’s helpful in identifying them and stopping the wasterwater spills.

People living in the Clarks Point neighborhood and along Oak Point Road will be moved from septic to sewer lines by December of 2026.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - The James Island Public Service District will begin work to replace septic tanks and connect sewer lines to 199 properties as residents will be moved from septic to sewer lines.

People living in the Clarks Point neighborhood and along Oak Point Road will be moved from septic to sewer lines by December of 2026.

The total projected cost is about $10.3 million.

“So we’ve been at this since 2020. And that’s when the James Island Water Quality Task Force was created. So the James Island Creek was designated as an impaired waterway and the task force needed to start addressing the issues,” District Manager Dave Schaeffer says.

Director of Land Water Wildlife at the Coastal Conservation League, Riley Egger says septic tanks released decomposed matter that can be detrimental if disease causing bacteria makes its way into waterways.

“Septic tanks along the coastal zone especially can be particularly dangerous knowing that they face certain conditions from sea level rise from groundwater intrusion and just the challenges of living on the coastal zone,” Egger says.

Egger says the James Island grant is a good step in fixing one area that faces problems.

“When we set up septic tanks that are particularly dense right on the waterways, right on our wetlands, we’re really setting up the future to fail,” Egger says. “What we really need to do is consider septic tanks and where we place them more within the planning process and more of our regulations. The best way to prevent a septic tank from failing is before it ever it gets in the ground.”

The homes impacted by the district’s project can expect a letter detailing the plan in the coming months.

The federal money for the project had a deadline to be used by December of 2026. Schaeffer says it will take time to get proper and easements and estimates groundwork will begin toward the end of 2024.

“Obviously we have started already with preliminary engineering and surveying and the easements that are required and the permitting that is required. So that is a years long process,” he says.

Schaeffer says there will be public engagement sessions to answer questions for people who live on properties being connected so their questions will be answered over the course of the years long project.

“This is kind of like 199 mini projects. We have to work with each one of the homeowners as far as where the pump is going to go, where’s the power to be able to have the pump, to be able to get each one of those households on to the sanitary sewer system. It’s kind of an individual project,” Schaeffer explains.

The sewer lines will be laid underground, and a pump will replace each home’s connection to a septic tank.

“We’re the last utility going into these neighborhoods. So there’s already power and there’s already cable and water and things for us to hit. And so instead of trenching, open trenching, we have the technology to be able to bore through so that we’re not tearing up the roads and there’s less disturbance for the community,” Schaeffer says.

Schaeffer thanked the state representatives who lobbied for this money and says the district will continue to work to replace aging septic with lines as they are able in the coming years.

The cost breakdown is as follows:

Upcoming James Island Public Service District Wastewater meetings:

Meetings are located at Fire Station 1 on 1108 Folly Rd.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

The marshy edges of the Charleston peninsula and its surrounding islands were long viewed as opportune sites to dump debris and add developable land mass to a city surrounded by water.

But that attitude has shifted in recent decades as concerns over sea-level rise and loss of native plants and animals take focus. That’s why a proposal to build a bridge over a largely untouched marsh on Johns Island caught nearby residents off guard.

“It was astounding to me,” said John Zlogar, chairman of the Johns Island Task Force. The group was established a decade ago to bring together residents and local officials to address Johns Island-specific issues.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control will review an application from property owner Michael Blanchard to build a bridge connecting his piece of land on a narrow island in Pennys Creek, a tributary of the Stono River, to the mainland of Johns Island. The property is zoned to allow up to 40 single-family homes, but Blanchard has not submitted any formal plans to the city yet. The lot has been in his family since the 1940s but until now, no one has had the financial means to both develop it and build a bridge to it, he said.

“We’d like to put some houses on it,” he said. “Heck, I would live out there if I could.”

Building a bridge would connect his 60-acre property to an existing neighborhood made up of two roads and about 200 townhomes off of River Road. An extension of one of those roads, Fenwick Planation Road, would be required for drivers to access the bridge. And Blanchard already has an easement there because his family previously owned the land across Pennys Creek as well.

But using that easement would result in what resident Candice Losego calls, “an eyesore.”

“It would go right against my backyard,” she said.

A view that currently gives way to marsh grass, seabirds and the occasional herd of deer, would be obstructed by a 33-foot-wide bridge the length of 1½ football fields.

Losego and other residents of the neighborhood have been rallying supporters to call for DHEC to host a public hearing on the proposal.

Because DHEC has received over 20 requests for a hearing, officials said they will host one on Johns Island but have not set a date and time yet. At the hearing, residents will have an opportunity to share comments about the proposal before DHEC reviews the application.

Potential alternatives

As of now, Blanchard’s lot is inaccessible.

The nearest road to Blanchard’s property on the island, Rushland Landing Road, runs perpendicular to it and leads to a bridge connecting to Johns Island. Between Blanchard’s land and Rushland Landing Road is a piece of property owned by S.C. Department of Transportation that stretches the width of the island, isolating Blanchard’s lot.

Residents and environmental advocates would prefer Blanchard get an easement from the S.C. Department of Transportation to access Rushland Landing Road instead of building another bridge.

“The applicant does not appear to have detailed why this is an infeasible route for access,” a comment submitted to DHEC by the Coastal Conservation League states.

DOT bought the property adjacent to Blanchard’s in 2019 in anticipation of the department’s plan to extend Interstate 526 and link West Ashley, Johns Island and James Island. As a part of the larger project, the department plans to build a connector through its property on the small island in Pennys Creek.

Charleston Chief Resiliency Officer Dale Morris said that if the project gets the go-ahead, it would make more sense for Blanchard to try to tie into the proposed connector that would run though the island and use it as the main access point to his property rather than attempt to build his own bridge.

“The Dutch Dialogues would say, ‘have as little of a touch on the marsh there as you can,’” Morris said, referring to a yearlong flood-management research program the city underwent in 2019. “Using the I-526 opportunity to access that land would be better than building that bridge.”

But the full project has stalled somewhat due to eye-popping cost estimates that most recently landed at $2.2 billion. While the agency works to fill funding gaps, any property DOT bought in preparation for the effort sits in limbo.

Blanchard said if he had his way, he wouldn’t have to build a bridge at all.

“If we can get access to Rushland Landing Road, we would give up on the bridge in a heartbeat,” he said.

A statement from DOT said granting access to the property is “not possible,” due to the myriad government agencies involved in the I-526 project. The agency is also not obligated to grant access to Blanchard because it had been landlocked long before DOT bought the property, the statement read.

Whether the bridge plans materialize or not, Blanchard will likely face fresh opposition should he choose to develop his property.

A shifting tide

New developments in sensitive areas such as Pennys Creek are in murky territory when it comes to city regulations.

What is currently legal may not be legal a few years from now.

That’s because Charleston officials are currently crafting a Comprehensive Water Plan and a new zoning code for the entire city. When those documents are complete, developers will have a new set of standards to follow. And those could restrict how much building happens in low-lying areas, especially along a marsh.

“We have to turn those concepts and goals into a zoning ordinance and language,” Morris said. “Once we do that we will have more control over how and where development can occur.”

But without new zoning laws in place, the city is facing an uphill battle managing the drainage needs of both old and new neighborhoods.

Upstream from Pennys Creek, Charleston is pursuing a $12 million drainage project around the Barberry Woods Development. The city plans to restore 25-acres of wetlands around the flood-prone neighborhood for use as a public park and natural drainage tool. The open space will help absorb stormwater that eventually runs into Pennys Creek and then the Stono River. The last thing the city needs, Morris said, is another bridge disrupting that process.

A developer looking to build on just over six acres of land on James Island held a community meeting with neighbors as the potential project moves forward.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A developer looking to build on just over six acres of land on James Island held a community meeting with neighbors as the potential project moves forward.

The 6.5-acre parcel off Dills Bluff Road, near the intersection of Camp Road, is currently owned by the town’s public service district. KT Properties President Kyle Taylor said they plan to build a 20,000 to 25,000 square foot commercial center to hold about 10 to 15 businesses.

“Lowcountry-style architecture is where we’re heading,” Taylor said. “We see mixed-use retail, some restaurant, small to medium scale, some coffee, some office, medical office, just a variety of uses to support the local community.”

The district attempted to develop a new operations center on the property for several years. The projects were put on hold amid pushback from neighbors against the plan.

The property then went up for sale in 2021, and developer KT Properties is under contract with the public service district to purchase the land.

Toward the rear of the parcel, Taylor said they plan on proceeding with building 25 attached townhome units to make living on the island more affordable and save as many grand trees as possible. Taylor said those changes were made based on feedback from neighbors.

“First and foremost, we want to make sure the community knew that we weren’t doing a cross-connection road,” Taylor said. “That was the most important concerns for neighbors that we weren’t going to send traffic to the neighborhood, which we are not. Especially, making sure we are taking care of stormwater management by adding a third pond was maybe some new information for some folks inside.”

Some neighbors said the project is too dense compared to the surrounding area and the land could instead be used for a park.

“The open space that they’re proposing is not enough,” neighbor John Peters said. “That little open space in the center is like hanging out in the parking lot. It’s what I’ve been telling people because that’s what it is.”

Others, however, said it’s exactly what James Island needs to grow.

“I think it’s the beautification, and the fact that they are really addressing the stormwater issue,” neighbor Joanne Root said. “It’s very well executed, and it’s going to be very attractive, and I think it’s really going to uplift this area.”

Peters believes the project does not fit into the area where it’s slotted to be.

“There’s hawks and owls that live in there. There’s concern with the wilderness there,” he said. “They come over and take out those squirrels, so there’s a lot of little things that are being overlooked in lieu of developing to just add more citizens to the neighborhood that we already have enough citizens in.”

Root, however, believes there’s enough of a market to build the development.

“I think the townhouses would be perfect, and I think there’s a big need for that,” she said. “There’s a lot of people that can’t maintain a yard that are definitely looking for that. It’s more progressive, I think, and more forward-thinking.”

As the project has been in the works for several years, Peters said he believes it should be up to the public to decide what happens with the land.

“Put it on the ballot and say, ‘Citizens, what do you want to do with this land?’ And come up with the best ideas possible,” he said. “If the citizens say they want a development, they put a development in there. If they want a park, we’ll put a park in there. If they want a fitness trail, let’s put a fitness trail.”

Taylor said he hopes the project will be finished with design and permitting around spring next year. He said construction would follow shortly after.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.