Beaufort County Council rejects motion to reconsider Saint Helena Island golf course

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - Beaufort County Council rejected a motion to reconsider a proposed golf course development on Saint Helena Island, though the measure gained more support than the original proposal.

District 7 Councilman Logan Cunningham put forward a motion to rescind the council’s previous 10-1 ruling that denied the proposed golf course on Saint Helena Island, which is protected by a cultural protected overlay.

The motion failed but received four votes in favor, compared to the single vote the original proposal received.

“Every comment that’s sent every email, I see it, other people see it and the more I read, the more reason that I’m glad I brought this forward,” Cunningham said.

Community members gathered again to protest the development, including Parker Moore, a Beaufort County resident who owns more than 70 acres on the island.

“This land carries meaning beyond its market value, but if you overturn your vote, no one will see it as a one-off, they’ll see it as a green light,” Moore said.

Council members who voted against the motion expressed concerns that approving developer Elvio Tropeano’s project would diminish the island’s cultural significance and violate Cultural Protected Overlay guidelines that residents say are necessary.

Tropeano, who represents Pine Island LLC, said he wants to engage with the community about his proposal.

“All I’m asking for is the ability to have a public education process to discuss that truth,” Tropeano said.

Cunningham said his focus is not specifically on the golf course but on benefits of Tropeano’s proposal, which would significantly reduce density, docks and septic systems compared to current zoning allowances.

District 9 Councilman Mark Lawson and District 2 Councilman David Bartholomew both expressed interest in deeper discussion about the development, citing lack of public education about the plan’s details.

“One of the most concerning thing for me after this vote was taken, I’ve talked to so many people that had no idea what was in that thing,” Bartholomew said.

The rejection sends Tropeano back to the drawing board, though he has previously stated his commitment to continuing the project.