The Island Eye News asked the eight candidates for four spots on the Isle of Palms Council for their opinions on four questions that are important to the people of IOP. Here are the answers provided by Tim Ahmuty, Elizabeth Campsen, Ashley Carroll, Brian Duffy and Scott Pierce. We asked the other three candidates – Kevin Popson, Rusty Streetman and Jimmy Ward – for their opinions as well, but, for whatever reason, they chose not to respond.
Should the Isle of Palms Connector be returned to its original striping configuration or changed in some other way? Explain.
Tim Ahmuty
Yes. The Isle of Palms Connector should be put back to its original configuration. The current configuration is evidence that we only need one lane on, one lane off. The emergency lane would provide a safer and efficient path for EMS to enter and exit the island. I would also like to see one safe bike/walk lane with a traffic barrier separating pedestrians and motor vehicles.
Elizabeth Campsen
No. Traffic demand across the Connector is over capacity. Re-striping the Connector with two lanes off island will move up to 1,200 more cars an hour off island during peak times and significantly improve traffic flow. Additionally, IOP, Mount Pleasant and the SCDOT are working on a permanent plan to re-time traffic signals at Rifle Range and 14th Avenue, which will provide even more capacity.
Rather than return to a 30-year-old traffic configuration to answer emergency service concerns, Council recently approved six paramedics for the Fire Department, providing the island with the same emergency medical care found on an ambulance. We also benefit from the county stationing an ambulance on the island during summer weekends, when available. I would like to explore adding an emergency vehicle to our public safety fleet to ensure we are as prepared as possible in the event of an emergency.
Ashley Carroll
Under state law, it can only be changed back to its current configuration if both Mount Pleasant and IOP agree. We can come up with a compromise to determine if something else should be done, including getting input and advice from police, fire, etc., from all surrounding areas, to determine the safest and best configuration for our Connector.
I would support option 5 because of the ability to get people off the island faster. This seems to be the main frustration expressed by residents when they’re not able to get to the grocery store, to dinner or to Mount Pleasant in the case of a family emergency. I believe that if this design would help to ease the frustrations of residents and day visitors, then it should be heavily considered. If this is one thing we can do, it’s a step in the right direction in working toward being a cohesive community.
Not having a middle lane on the Connector, the past few years has not seemed to be an issue for emergency vehicles. That is more often an issue on Palm Boulevard. And with the ability to get people off the island quicker, this should help alleviate the traffic buildup on Palm Boulevard, which would allow emergency vehicles to navigate safely and more quickly.
Brian Duffy
I concur with retired Fire Chief Ann Graham’s sentiments about keeping the center lane designated and open for emergency vehicles for the safety of the island’s residents and visitors. She is correct in saying life safety must come first. I am no expert on life safety, but a 3.5-foot buffer between traffic and bicyclists seems inadequate. The Ravenel Bridge seems to do fine with a 12-foot multi-use path and concrete barrier that was included in the design and construction. Since I do not think the IOP Connector was designed to handle the load of a similar concrete barrier like the Ravenel Bridge, life safety concerns need to be met in a different manner. Fortunately, SCDOT provided two configurations that approach meeting life safety concerns while addressing bike and pedestrian use; each includes a 10-foot multi-use path, a 6-foot buffer, two 11-foot travel lanes with a 10-foot paved median between – the difference being which side of the bridge the multi-use path is on. I believe either of these configurations balances the concerns of all interested parties.
Scott Pierce
No. The option with two lanes exiting IOP and one lane entering, plus a pedestrian and bike lane, is a “win-win” for residents and visitors. It also meets the requirements of our first responders. IOP experiences about 10 million annual crossings over the Connector and Breach Inlet and the trend is up. Five options were presented by SCDOT Director Perry in December 2022. Chief Oliverius and Chief Cornett weighed the merits of each option from a public safety perspective. I wrote to The Island Eye News in January supporting this option because:
- Capacity doubles to exit IOP – Traffic capacity on the exit lanes will increase by 1,200 cars per hour, reducing the time to exit by 50%.
- Improves public safety – Emergency response exiting IOP would be improved with the additional lane capacity for roughly 700 health-related responses per year.
- Reduced congestion/improved neighborhood safety – The additional capacity reduces cross-island neighborhood traffic, darting to find an exit route, frustration levels and risk to children/pedestrians in crosswalks.
- Reduced Sullivan’s Island/Breach Inlet traffic – Cross-island traffic over Breach Inlet to escape via Ben Sawyer bridge will be reduced.
- Improved parking for visitors – With the improved traffic flow in town and on/off Palm Boulevard, it should be easier/quicker for visitors to locate vacant parking.
Is there anything that can be done about the parking and traffic issues on the island?
Elizabeth Campsen
A study of Palm Boulevard between 21st and 41st avenues is currently underway, giving us a chance to evaluate the parking layout as well as address pedestrian, bicyclist and golf cart needs there. With 100 feet of right-of-way, there is plenty of opportunity for improvement.
I will investigate changing the short-term traffic counters on Palm to permanent, real time traffic counters to get a true picture of traffic volumes. It is also necessary to add a permanent counter beyond 41st and before Palmetto Drive.
The city is contracting with a parking management firm to maximize income from our front beach lots and free up police officers to focus on public safety issues on the beach. Many state parks with limited parking utilize a reservation process that helps keep visitors from coming to parks if parking isn’t available. Parking attendants then post on social media when there are openings. The city and the county should investigate this process as a way to maximize revenue, manage volume and reduce traffic backups.
Ashley Carroll
Yes, but let’s analyze what the problems are. Where do they stem from? Who are they? The majority of issues are the result of people visiting our island each day. We need to enforce existing parking laws – Public Safety is interviewing parking vendors. We should consider charging a nominal fee, which would help encourage carpooling. This would also help law enforcement in determining where people are parked and who they are. The people that do not want to follow the rules will not come, knowing that their license plate will be recorded, so this should help minimize the issues we may have with unruly visitors.
Brian Duffy
This is by far the most difficult question to answer. Currently the Isle of Palms provides approximately eight times as many public access points and public parking spaces as required to provide full and complete public access. That’s 1,737 parking spaces. So the question becomes how you determine when the island is full. We know that there are occupancy limits on rooms, buildings and stadiums. So what is the occupancy limit of 4.8 miles of beach that can range from 150 feet wide to 5 feet wide? Who makes those determinations?
Scott Pierce
Yes.
Parking - Random hunting for a parking spot increases neighborhood flows and traffic risk. I’m a proponent of technology and support investing in current-day solutions. With a little investment, current technology can identify vacant spots, notify visitors before/while they come, consider traffic volume and direct visitors to specific spaces/areas.
IOP provides more than adequate parking and about eight times the required public parking for public beach access. Since 2017, IOP has increased public spots by 11%, or 171 spaces, with 1,737 available public spaces.
Traffic - Solutions are directly related to volume, time of day demand and available capacity. See answer to Q1 as part of the solution to double traffic outflow. We can also leverage more traffic cams to alert on/off island traffic, traffic light timing with Mount Pleasant and evaluate parking lot pricing to incentivize beachgoers to come at different times.
Longer-term solutions with SCDOT involve the reconfiguration of Palm Boulevard, the IOP Connector entrance and exit ways and/or evaluating other access/egress solutions. We should consider all options and work closely with Mount Pleasant and SCDOT for assistance and funding.
Tim Ahmuty
Yes. We can improve parking and traffic issues on the IOP. First, consistently enforce all parking ordinances. Work with the county park to have pay as you leave policy so not to back up traffic on the Connector and Ocean Boulevard. Have digital signs on 526, Mount Pleasant, all routes that lead to the beach, that can provide up-to-date information on how many parking spots are available. This would provide beachgoers with options to either persevere in traffic, find a different destination or park and take the beach shuttle. Have law enforcement manage the traffic flow at the intersections leaving the island on weekends and holidays. It only takes one car not paying attention to the signal to slow traffic to a crawl.
What would you do about livability issues such as the noise ordinance, enforcement of codes, etc. Are there other ideas you have to improve livability issues for the residents of the Isle of Palms?
Ashley Carroll
I would like to establish an ad hoc group that includes the chief of police, owners/property managers of the island and city representatives – at least two – to meet and discuss the issues. In my mind, this is who the city needs to be talking to in order to determine what will work and what will not. I have worked as a real estate and property management professional for over 14 years, and my company has enacted several policies that successfully mitigated rental issues. In other words, we – the property managers – have ideas but are not consulted. We need ordinances that are sensible and that police are also able to properly enforce if needed. I would also support giving any resources the police and staff need to effectively enforce ordinances. Without support, rules mean nothing. Working together on these issues will result in an outcome that will benefit everyone. I have full confidence we can have rentals be part of our community that does not interfere with anyone’s quality of life.
Brian Duffy
There has been a deafening harangue regarding enforcement of ordinances. One idea I have is for the city to procure LSE vehicles for the police and having them do regular rounds within the neighborhoods – listening, looking and engaging with the residents and building relationships. Engaging when livability issues are apparent. It seems to me that this falls right in line with the IOP LENS program building a two-way street of confidence and support.
Scott Pierce
We should consider a fresh approach. My suggestion is four-fold. We talk about livability, review reports with public safety and discuss “enforcement,” all while livability and safety ordinances get stuck in limbo – noise – or we attempt to enforce an ordinance that originated in another era that our public safety teams tell us are unenforceable without probable cause – occupancy.
Set a clear enforcement policy – City policy on livability and safety ordinances require clarity/ consistency. Policy is vague on degree of enforcement and consistency, with some unenforceable. This puts public safety in a tough situation and residents without resolution.
Inventory livability ordinances - Evaluate each for usefulness, enforceability and match to today’s needs. Work with public safety leadership to tell us what needs update, removal or where we need new to help them do their jobs.
Leverage what works – Many communities already have ordinances that work. Adopt or customize to meet IOP’s needs. Involve public safety, residents and businesses for input.
Staff/invest to respond – Residents simply desire timely livability responsiveness and resolution. Ensure staffing levels and complaint tracking tools are sufficient to respond promptly to resolve and trend livability issues as they arise.
Tim Ahmuty
I believe the first step is cooperation and education. Educate the property managers, rental companies and the people that own the investment properties that IOP is a residential community. That our brand is a family-friendly, clean, safe beach community. I also believe that having an on-island location of the rental management company is important. If cooperation does not work, strict enforcement of current laws is always the option.
Elizabeth Campsen
The first step to addressing livability issues is acknowledging that our tourist season runs from March 1 to Oct. 1 rather than Memorial Day to Labor Day. This will enable the city departments to gear up for the impacts ahead of the season instead of in the middle of it. This applies to public safety and public works.
Second, we need to give our public safety and code enforcement officials the tools needed to enforce livability codes. For example, we need a residential decibel limit enacted in order to protect residential areas from noise.
Third, I would add the Livability Complaint Management portal to our new Rentalscape STR Management program. It enables residents to fully document complaints in real time, including the ability to add video and audio recordings. It also provides a tracking option allowing residents to track the progress of their complaints.
Finally, I would make sure we have adequate code enforcement officers and resources. Livability code enforcement officers should work to ensure that city codes are followed in relation to residential properties standards, health and sanitation standards, short-term rental regulations, illegal dumping and garbage disposal regulations, which will improve livability for all.
Would you support negotiating any of the 2022 Wild Dunes zoning ordinances, specifically number 5, which caps development in Wild Dunes. In reference to the article by Terri Haack in The Island Eye News on Aug. 24, do you support carve-outs in Wild Dunes for 1,020 units outside the commercial zone for the two hotels, effectively rezoning them from residential to commercial and exempting them from short-term rental limitations?
Brian Duffy
The original Beach and Racquet Club PRD documents state it is a planned residential development district. It also states the Beach and Racquet Club would/could not exceed 2,500 dwelling units, with the caveat that a dwelling unit is defined in the document as containing three bedrooms and two bathrooms. So, if Wild Dunes documents less than 7,500 bedrooms and less than 5,000 bathrooms within the PRD defined area, there may be room for negotiation.
The PRD states it “will provide all buyers long-term protection against excessive growth and ensure a continual high-quality living environment.” Regarding Ms. Haack’s Aug.24 commentary, she has engaged in a significant amount of revisionist history in addition to dissembling about loss of tax revenue. Per the PRD, no properties were ever intended to be “purpose built … for short-term rentals.” It states it’s a “recreational residential community.” Her commentary is complete hooey! She goes on to state that the referendum violates “property rights,” but every reader should understand that property rights are defined by the zoning ordinances, and the original Beach and Racquet Club PRD is the zoning ordinances for what is now Wild Dunes. Per the PRD, I see no reason for carve-outs.
Scott Pierce
As a sitting member of Council, it is my practice to refrain from commenting on pending litigation. My voting record is public information. The objective of zoning ordinances generally and for the city specifically is to prevent overcrowding, to lessen congestion and to strive to protect and preserve scenic, historic or ecologically sensitive areas, while also providing for adequate open space. Our zoning ordinances allow the city to examine proposed future development to achieve those goals.
While the city has been sued over the recent adoption of certain ordinances, there is a strong presumption in favor of the validity of zoning ordinances. I remain confident in the city’s right to regulate growth.
Regarding the STR exemption, I do not support a carve-out of 1,020 units that could result in a 65% island wide cap with the pending referendum. Since 2000, we’ve seen a nearly 6% population decline, and these carve-outs could hasten further declines. Regarding frequently suggested large residential carve-outs to exclude this or that when considering short-term rental caps, we should acknowledge that any time a carve-out is suggested, it increases the total island-wide cap, and it should always be considered.
Rezoning additional land in Wild Dunes or other parts of IOP to commercial would be detrimental to our quality of life and invite more commercialization to residential neighborhoods. I support exclusion of the IOP commercial district from caps. STR licenses are for commercial businesses.
Tim Ahmuty
I would not support negotiating any of the 2022 wild dunes zoning ordinances. As stewards of our island, it is our responsibility to preserve and protect as much open space and green space as possible. I would not support any carve-outs that would rezone residential to commercial zoning. Wild dunes is a planned residential development not intended for majority investment property. Wild Dunes is a beautiful community; let’s keep it that way.
Elizabeth Campsen
No. In 2004, the city recognized our Front Beach area was being overwhelmed by hotels and residential development in zoning districts designed to support varied commercial uses. The trend led to concerns about density and an overall lack of developmental regulation and control. To preserve the mix, our code was revised, prohibiting hotels and eliminating residential construction as approved uses in commercial districts. Eighteen years later, zoning changes were again necessary to ensure residential sub-districts in Wild Dunes weren’t overwhelmed by a growing transient accommodation element and more amenities weren’t converted to parking lots, home sites or purpose-built vacation rental condominiums. The purpose of the 2022 Wild Dunes zoning ordinances was to protect our community from undesirable development, exactly like the actions in 2004. They were thoughtful and appropriate. I support them fully as enacted.
No. The only dwelling units I support removing from STR limitations are located in our existing commercial districts. Our historically referenced 33% STRs didn’t have a multitude of carve-outs and therefore I will continue to support the passage of the referendum, as it is the only plan that honors our historically referenced STR percentage, protecting the remainder of the island. It sets our island wide STR percentage at 35%, which is a reasonable limit. Additionally, the magnitude of the multiple carveouts suggested would open over 3,000 of our 4,586 dwelling units to STR use. That level of saturation is unreasonable, unsustainable and not in line with our primary planning concept of enhancing the existing character of the island as a quality place to live. Supporting the referendum preserves a reasonable balance among primary residents, second homeowners and short-term rentals.
Ashley Carroll
A few thoughts:
- I need more details about that agreement before I comment on something that is currently in litigation.
- I do support the ordinance as it has been passed, and I understand that there is no interest on Council right now to change the ordinance as written. I do not believe any more condos/hotels are needed on this island.
- Should the lawsuit from Wild Dunes be successful, though, they should be able to change their agreement so long as it goes through the regular process with City Council for input and analysis, just as any other project would that wish to make major changes.
