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Plans to turn a historic property on Sullivan’s Island into a private club apparently are on hold after the Town Council voted not to refer the developer’s request for a zoning amendment to the Planning Commission.
At their regularly scheduled meeting Sept.19, Council members voted 5-0 to close one avenue that would have allowed the developer to renovate Jasper Hall and the Sand Dunes Club and open the Ocean Club, which would have charged a $60,000 membership fee and annual dues of $6,000. The Council could have sent the issue to the Planning Commission, which would have held a public hearing and then considered the possibility of recommending to the Council a change in the town’s zoning ordinance that would have permitted a commercial, for-profit club to operate in a residential neighborhood on Atlantic Avenue.
Sullivan’s Island Bathing Club withdrew its request for a zoning amendment on Sept. 19, prior to the Council meeting, apparently after separate meetings with Council members Carl Hubbard and Scott Millimet brought the company no closer to working out an agreement with the town.
“It became clear to the team through productive conversations and discussions with a number of Town Council members that there are preferred, alternative means of achieving the objective of restoring the social club use of Jasper Hall,” said Sullivan’s Island Bathing Club Manager Shep Davis in statement provided to The Island Eye News. “Given that dialogue, the team is enthusiastic to be working with the town to restore those uses for the benefit of island residents.”
The next move for the Ocean Club will be to try to convince the Board of Zoning Appeals to grant it a business license to operate the proposed club. According to Director of Planning and Zoning Charles Drayton, the BZA’s next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 6.
In presenting the motion at the Sept. 19 meeting, Millimet pointed out that “nothing in this motion prohibits the developers of the Ocean Club from returning to Council with a substantially modified plan that would benefit the entirety of the population of Sullivan’s Island.”
“I have been and remain open to discuss my concerns with any member of the public or the development team of the Ocean Club at a mutually convenient time,” he added. “From my perspective, the door is not closed.”
Council Member Jodie Latham noted several reasons why she would be unlikely to vote in favor of the developer’s current proposal.
“I find it frustrating that we continually ask several questions that should be readily answerable about their plan, and they have not chosen to do that for us,” she said.
“I also have concerns that if we approve this plan based on supposedly unique characteristics of this property, I don’t think that would hold up under scrutiny if we’re looking at somebody else trying to run a commercial venture in a single-family district.”
She added that “in correspondence to their supporters, the Ocean Club is misrepresenting conversations that have happened or not happened with Town Council. I think they think we don’t see these pieces of correspondence.”
Millimet said the developers should “no longer negotiate through the press.”
Mayor Pat O’Neil pointed out that “we’re not voting against having some type of community center.” He added that “the other reason I think we need to do this tonight is just to kind of close this chapter in this particular discussion and make it very clear that we’re done with it.”
Council Member Gary Visser was not at the meeting, and Justin Novak does not participate in the discussions concerning the Ocean Club because an attorney in his law firm represents a person with a financial interest in the proposed project.
Prior to the discussion and vote on the Ocean Club, several local residents spoke in opposition to the plan during the public comments part of the meeting.
“This zoning change is not what most residents of Sullivan’s Island want,” Julia Khoury said, while Howard Holl commented that “we would see more traffic, more noise, alcohol sales, late night activity and increased truck traffic for deliveries.” Ralph Byers pointed out that he was in favor of a community center for the island, but that “I just think we could find one that could be done at a lower cost to the residents. … It doesn’t jive with the financial realities of most of the residents here on the island, particularly the retirees.”
