Beaufort Co. leaders deny latest Pine Island golf course proposal, reject settlement offer

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - Beaufort County Council has denied the latest request to make way for a golf course on St. Helena Island, upholding a cultural protection overlay that prevents golf courses from being built there.

The decision came after hours of discussion at the Beaufort County Government Building, where residents urged council members to preserve the overlay.

“We, the Gullah people living on St. Helena Island, are highly educated people, and we are tired of being insulted,”one resident said. “We don’t have peanut brains; we see exactly what you are doing.”

It was the third time the developer’s proposal had come before the council.

Pine Island LLC has sought for the past five years to build a golf development on more than 500 acres, featuring three six-hole courses.

The Cultural Protection Overlay (CPO) covers the property and prohibits golf courses on the island.

The dispute has led to lawsuits between the developer and the county.

At the meeting, developer Elvio Tropeano said he would drop pending litigation, build workforce housing, and bring jobs to the island if the county moved the proposal forward.

“I respectfully request that this council move the item forward with a positive vote to preserve the opportunity for transformational change, to preserve the opportunity and actually, a mutually beneficial resolution,” Tropeano said.

His attorney, Kevin Dukes, argued that the rezoning application should be treated like others.

“There is particular bias towards this particular application and this particular problem,” Dukes said.

Residents speaking against the proposal said the offer should not change the county’s decision.

Many urged council members to uphold the overlay, which has been in place for 27 years.

“We want this thing to end, we’re tired of coming here. The vote is no, and it just keeps coming back day after day,” one speaker said.

Council members considered postponing a vote to examine the offer but ultimately denied the zoning request.

Afterward, the council also voted not to accept Pine Island’s settlement offer, leaving the lawsuits to continue in court.

Neither of those votes was unanimous.

With the denial, Pine Island LLC must wait 365 days before submitting another rezoning request.