PORT ROYAL, S.C. (WSAV) — After two decades of discussions, negotiations and questions, residents are getting answers about the future of the 2-mile stretch of land owned by Safe Harbor Marina.
The mystery of what comes next for this prime property has been a topic of conversation for years, but now, the Town of Port Royal and Safe Harbor Marina have reached an agreement that will move things forward.
"I'm excited to see this come to fruition,” said Port Royal councilman Darryl Owens. “It's been a long time coming."
In 2021, Safe Harbor bought the land for $20 million, with big plans for a multi-use development that included rental housing, apartments, condos, a trail extension, and more. Fast forward to today, and nothing had been done, leaving residents frustrated as they watched the property sit idle.
"Your unwillingness to settle. Your devotion to even the mirror image of a crane on boardwalk. If that was important to you, that was definitely going to be important to us. We said it enough where it eventually became important to our partners at Safe Harbor,” said councilman, Joe Guerrero, as he addressed residents who have been involved in the process.
After three years of confidential talks, the two sides have come to a final agreement that has plans to push the town forward.
Safe Harbor will donate a 16-foot easement that will allow the Spanish Moss Trail extension to continue. Additionally, two portions of land will return to the town's control, with plans for a shrimp dock and seafood processing facility on one, and an extended boardwalk on the other.
But the biggest win for the community? Safe Harbor will now be required to limit rental units to just 15% of the total residential units.
"So, for simple numbers, if they build 100 houses, 15 of those are going to be rentals. 85 have to be single-family homes,” said Mayor, Kevin Phillips. “That's what we kind of want. That’s what Port Royal is. We’re a neighborhood, we’re a community."
Moving forward, the town and Safe Harbor will meet every three months to discuss the status of the development. Both parties are committed to maintaining open communication with residents to keep everyone in the loop as the project progresses.