Pool Repair in Isle of Palms, SC

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - The Isle of Palms City Council in 2020 voted to make additions to the marina area of the island and that project is officially slated to be completed this year.

The project included the addition of a public dock, a boardwalk and a waterfront park and greenspace. The boardwalk and public dock have been completed, and, as of Jan. 11, the construction contract for the waterfront park and greenspace was officially confirmed.

The waterfront park will cover the 300 by 25 foot wide area along the marina facing the Intracoastal Waterway. There will be a 6-foot wide concrete walkway. The park will include a large lawn area with lush planting.

They plan to include a series of benches along the waterfront walkway so residents can enjoy views of the water and boating activities. There are plans for a circular seat wall near the public dock that would create an entrance to the dock area.

They plan to include a kayak storage area and a kayak launch area. There will be golf cart parking available as well as bicycle parking areas.

All of these plans did require collaboration and participation from the marina manager and restaurant tenants. Scott Toole, the general manager of the Outpost, a nearby restaurant, says he is very excited for this addition to the area.

“I think that it’s an added benefit to the island, to the residents, everybody, to have a space and to use the dock. Kayak launching is a big thing that I think people will take advantage of.” he says. “It’s really going to help make this area kind of a place of interest for people, sort of a destination so to speak, for people to be able to get some food, get some drink, watch the water and use the dock that’s right there.”

Toole says they very recently renovated the Outpost and he’s excited to see this new project bring more people to the area. He says he feels like this area of Isle of Palms is often overlooked as it is a little ways away from the main beach.

“We’ve kind of joked that it’s a small corner of the island and so, anything that’s bringing people down this direction is good for everybody. We’re excited to see this project take place,” he says.

The project is currently slated to be completed by May of this year. To provide City Council your input on this project you can click here.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

It's the latest skirmish in a much broader fight over the future of these sorts of vacation usages that's been playing out across South Carolina.

“If nothing else, we are keeping the sign business afloat," said Mayor Phillip Pounds.

Isle of Palms is among the communities on the frontlines — all places where high demand from vacationers fuels the short-term rental business. Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Folly Beach and Beaufort limit such rentals; Sullivan's Island prohibits them; Myrtle Beach doesn't allow new ones in residential neighborhoods.

The Isle of Palms referendum calls for imposing a 1,600 cap on short-term rental licenses for investors and second-home owners. There would continue to be no cap for homes that are the owners' primary residence.

It's about preserving the island's quality of life, say supporters. More than 30 percent of the city's registered voters signed a petition to get the referendum on the ballot.

“We have a growing number of short-term rental licenses in residential communities," said Randy Bell, a former councilman working with pro-referendum group Preserve Isle of Palms Now. "We are trying to maintain the one-third, one-third, one-third split between full-time residents, second homes and rental properties."

Opponents say it's really about property rights and property values. An investment property or second home could be harder to sell, and worth less, if there's no certainty it could be used for short-term rentals.

“What are we trying to solve?" said Hugh Swingle, an island resident whose family business is Palm Blvd Vacation Rentals. "We just don’t see that there’s an actual problem.”

The city had issued 1,625 licenses to property owners who are not full-time residents as of early October, and if the referendum were to pass, no new ones would be available until the number drops below 1,600.

"Obviously, we don't think it's good," said Ryan Buckhannon, president of the Isle of Palms Chamber of Commerce. He's a former councilman who owns an investment property licensed for short-term rentals.

Supporters and detractors of the referendum have set up websites, put out yard signs and sent mailings.

Isle of Palms United opposes the cap and claims on its website, iopunited.com, that taxes "have to" go up and property values will go down if the referendum were to pass. That group and others claim property values plunged 25 to 30 percent on Folly Beach after a February voter referendum capped short-term licenses there at 800.

Charleston Trident Association of Realtors data gives reason to question such claims. According to CTAR data, the median price of a house sold on Folly Beach in 2023 through September was down 14.9 percent, but the median price of a condo or townhouse sold there was up 28.2 percent.

“There’s no basis for the claim that property values will plummet by 40 percent," said Bell.

Swingle, who is affiliated with Isle of Palms United, said a cap could be a big problem for people who want to sell a property in the years ahead.

“If there were a cap in place, and you own one of those tiny condos and you went to sell it, you could have a really hard time without a (short-term rental) license," he said.

Swingle expects the vote to be close.

Preserve Isle of Palms Now supports the referendum, which the group says on preserveiop.org is about keeping the island a great place to live and preserving its residential nature by not allowing unlimited short-term rentals.

"IOP residents are either already experiencing or can foresee future problems with water and sewer capacity, traffic & parking congestion, environmental impacts, and the availability of long-term rental housing," the group's website says.

The Palm Republic, an organization created by former Isle of Palms Mayor Jimmy Carroll and current Councilman Blair Hahn, has also created programming opposing the referendum. Hahn even alleged in a YouTube video that referendum supporters have talked about driving down property values in order to get deals on real estate.

News

The island has long been known as a place to rent a house or condo at the beach, or to have a second home that could be rented out for much of the year.

Full-time residents own about a third of the homes, and they can rent out those homes for up to 72 days each year if they have a short-term rental license. As of early October, 184 owner-occupied homes on Isle of Palms had short-term rental licenses.

“It’s a vacation spot, and has always been a rental community, to some extent," said Pounds, the mayor, who declined to say how he will vote. "We have 1,400 condos, give or take."

That's a lot on an island with about 4,400 residents. Most of those condos are in Wild Dunes or former hotels in the commercial area along the beachfront, and most are for rent. Many single-family homes across the island are also licensed for short-term renters.

While full-time residents are the minority of property owners on the island, they are the only people who can vote.

The referendum is on the ballot because of a petition signed by 1,173 of the city's 3,740 registered voters. That petition put a short-term rental ordinance before City Council, and after the council declined to pass that ordinance in July, it became a ballot referendum.

If the referendum were to pass, the ordinance would take effect.

The Isle of Palms yes/no referendum question is: "Shall the City of Isle of Palms limit the investment short term rental business licenses to a maximum of 1,600?"

Across the marsh in neighboring Mount Pleasant, which has more than 94,000 residents, just 400 short-term rental permits are allowed.

Supporters of short-term rentals hope state lawmakers will act to prohibit and invalidate any local restrictions in 2024. A measure aimed at limiting local governments' ability to restrain short-term rentals failed earlier this year.

Palmetto Politics

Folly Beach earlier this year imposed a short-term rental cap following a referendum. Folly Beach has fewer than half as many residences as Isle of Palms, and the town now has an 800-license limit on short-term rentals.

Isle of Palms would have 1,600, plus as many licenses as full-time residents want for their homes, if the referendum were to pass. Residents will also choose four City Council members in the election, from eight candidates.

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Reach David Slade at 843-937-5552. Follow him on Twitter @DSladeNews.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - Big changes could be coming to the noise ordinance on Isle of Palms as city leaders hope to make the rules more clear.

The city’s noise ordinance currently doesn’t list specific limits. A proposal would establish set decibel levels based on the time and day of the week as well as the area:

Isle of Palms business owners got the chance to see the numbers and ask questions on Friday.

“We want them to understand that they have a voice, we want to hear from them,” Police Chief Kevin Cornett said. “Anything that is going to impact businesses we want them to be able to come to us and say what they think about it.”

One area resident, who only identified himself as Paul, says the noise ordinance needs to have a balance.

“Obviously, late at night you don’t want people making a lot of noise walking up and down the streets while residents are trying to go to bed, but at the same time this is a vacation spot, so you have to have a little bit on leeway for people to enjoy themselves but also be respectful,” he said.

Cornett says they’re working to find a solution that will work for businesses and residents and increase livability for everyone.

Cornette says noise is a hot topic on the island and he values feedback on this from both residents and business owners.

“Everybody is very much invested in this conversation,” Cornett said. “The city council is taking it very seriously and they are going around and talking to people to get their input. So, I think they are doing a great job on making sure voices are heard so that when we get the final project it’s fair and something that will work for everybody.”

Officers use a calibrated decibel reader when called out to a noise complaint.

“That’s how we determine if it’s a violation and then we would take other factors into account like background noise to keep the realistic approach to is as well,” Cornett said.

The public safety committee has to create a final draft before it will head to the city council for two separate readings.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - Volunteers are needed to help keep litter off the beaches.

The Isle of Palms Cleanup Crew partners with the South Carolina Aquarium to host litter sweeps where volunteers gather together to clean up the beach and push for preventative measures while also collecting data on the litter that is found. The IOP Cleanup Crew has just kicked off their Spring Litter Sweeps to get trash off the beach, protect the wildlife and prevent pollution. The organization began in 2018 and has collected and documented over 175,000 pieces of litter.

The organization does litter sweeps throughout the year. They do them once a month during the winter and twice a week in the summer, but the spring sweeps are a good opportunity to begin your involvement because they are the only ones that include a welcome session. The welcome session provides volunteers with an overview of the litter and pollution crisis these areas are facing and what is expected of a volunteer. The Spring Litter Sweeps take place every other Monday.

Anyone can volunteer. There is no registration required. The organization provides buckets, gloves and clipboards with data sheets to all volunteers. The IOP Cleanup Crew is very flexible with volunteers. Volunteers are only expected to collect litter for half an hour but are welcome to stay the full hour. There is no commitment, you show up when you can. They only ask that you provide a heads-up if you are bringing a group of 15 or more so they can be prepared.

IOP Cleanup Crew Co-Founder Susan Hill Smith says that every bit of effort makes a difference.

“We like to keep the beach beautiful. But we also are really out here to help protect wildlife and natural ecosystems. Plastic Pollution is a real crisis and just every volunteer that comes out can know that they’re making a difference if they’re collecting litter on the beach,” she says.

She says it all starts with being more aware of leaving your trash on the beach when you visit. She says it is most of the time accidental. They see a lot of straw wrappers blow away in the wind and other small trash items that people may not think much about but can be extremely harmful to the environment and wildlife in the area which can eventually impact the human population as well. Smith says they are always encouraging volunteers.

The next Spring Litter Sweep takes place Monday at 6 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. if you plan to attend the welcome session. The meeting area is near the public restrooms on the 1100 block of Ocean Blvd. near Coconut Joe’s and Smugglers. Volunteers receive a discount at some of the nearby participating restaurants.

Since 2018, the organization has seen its efforts make a difference. Smith says they have seen decreases in the amount of litter impacting the environment. When volunteers go out, they document the litter they find and put it into the Litter Journal. This is a database created by the South Carolina Aquarium to track the litter collected in hopes of finding solutions. The Litter Journal is then used by local leaders to make changes.

The most found material is plastic and the most found item is cigarette butts. The South Carolina Aquarium Conservation Programs Coordinator Linda Rowe says that they have found that roughly 70% of all litter cleaned up is some form of plastic.

Using this data, the City and the IOP Cleanup Crew have been able to start integrating preventative measures. Some of these actions include adding a toy bucket to place toys found left on the beach, initiating a no-smoking ordinance on the beaches, adding a filling station to encourage the use of reusable water bottles and leaving buckets out for patrons to collect trash at any time. Since initiating some of these efforts they have steadily seen declines in litter collected each year.

For example, since the no-smoking policy was put into place, cigarette butts went from making up 1/3 of the littered items on the beach to under 20% according to last year’s data. Isle of Palms was also the first municipality in the State of South Carolina to create and pass the single-use ordinance ban to rid of single-use plastics and many areas have followed. They have also used this data to have conversations with businesses about changing to-go packaging or retail bags to be more sustainable. This data has also led to several municipalities adding more signage and cigarette butt receptacles in the areas where smoking is permitted.

Rowe says the improvement starts as more people realize the impact litter has. She believes the litter sweeps can help this greatly.

“Raising awareness is such a big part of it. And when people do this activity, whether they’re with a group or by themselves, once you start seeing the litter and noticing it, you never go back to not seeing it. And so it’s a great way for people to recognize that there’s an issue and to do something about it,” she says.

The South Carolina Aquarium created a Conservation Program after seeing a sharp increase in wildlife - especially sea turtles - ingesting plastic and how much of a problem it was. Litter impacts the environment and wildlife, but also impacts public health.

The next litter sweeps will take place on March 25, April 8, April 22, May 6 and May 20. The April 22 litter sweep coincides with Earth Day 2024 which is themed “Planet vs. Plastics.”

Following the Spring Litter Sweeps, they will begin the summer sweeps which will take place every Monday evening from 6 to 7 p.m. and Wednesday mornings from 7 to 8 a.m.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - The Isle of Palms City Council approved an emergency ordinance on erosion control Tuesday evening.

The ordinance passed with a 7-2 vote that will allow homeowners to build seawalls or revetments along their personal property lines. This would apply to 100-914 Ocean Boulevard, a 1.3-mile-long stretch of road and Breach Inlet.

The council discussed two options. Option one creates a setback where homeowners must build their structure within a selected 35-foot window. The second option leaves it up to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control to decide where they can or cannot be built.

The council voted on option one, with an amendment to where the seawalls can be built. Instead of a 35-foot window, the council changed it to 20-feet.

“Sometimes it’s two readings, sometimes it’s three, but tonight it’s an emergency one,” Isle of Palms Mayor Phillip Pounds says. “It’s been one thing after the other for the last six or seven months so the city has been in an emergency basis. This is kind of the next step.”

Many beachfront properties are still feeling the impacts of Hurricane Idalia, which tore away much of the beach access and caused severe erosion damage. The storm surges and coastal flooding that followed added to the problem.

If the council votes yes on the ordinance, homeowners would be able to build a revetment, which is a sloping structure, or a seawall, a vertical structure, to battle erosion damage. These entities would be the sole responsibility for property owners and must comply with material or construction requirements.

Seawalls would need to be a maximum height of 10 feet and cannot be made visible. The structures cannot be made of recycled concrete or materials and must be designed by engineers who can confirm it would not have a negative impact.

Coastal Conservation League Director of Land, Water and Wildlife Riley Egger called the ordinance a “misstep.” She asked the city to consider alternatives like renourishment instead.

“Restore dune systems that provide for wildlife habitat, protect private property owners and provide for public access,” Egger says. “Seawalls provide a false sense of security.”

Pounds says the Army Corp of Engineers is set to begin a project within the next month that would rebuild the dune back.

“The sandbags and scraping has really just been a band-aid,” Pounds says. “It was really just to get over the hump of this large project that’s coming.”

The ordinance also requires neighbors and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Ocean and Coastal Resource Management be notified before construction begins. The department is currently the only entity that can authorize the changing of critical areas.

The department prohibits the use of heavy machinery, equipment or materials within the critical area for installing a seawall or revetment. Sand must be from an upland source.

If a seawall or revetment is not taken care of properly, the city or its coastal engineer can remove it.

City ordinances allow emergency action for issues believed to affect life, health, safety and property. If the ordinance passes, it will be effective immediately and be active for 60 days.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.