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AUGUST 12–18, 2021 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
ZBOA grants Stewart and Co. code variance 3-story apartment building at Charles, Port Republic streets a step closer to reality By Lolita Huckaby Monday night’s meeting of the City of Beaufort Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA) involved the same arguments we’ve heard before against a proposed three-story apartment complex on the corner of Charles and Port Republic Streets, but developer Dick Stewart and 303 Associates still got what they wanted. The development company was before the board looking for a building code variance because the proposed 27,500 square foot structure exceeds the 100-foot linear frontage along Port Republic Street by approximately 30 feet. While the city planning staff recommended the variance, downtown
property owner Graham Trask, representatives of the Historic Beaufort Foundation and concerned citizens led the arguments against approval, contending the request for a variance should be based on special exceptions “not because you want it,” as one speaker said. ZBOA Chairman Josh Gibson agreed with their arguments and made an unsuccessful motion to deny the request. It was followed with a motion by board member Kenneth Hoffman to grant the variance. Hoffman was joined by fellow board members Kevin Blank and Marc Sviland. But the path to city approval is not yet at its end. The Historic Review
Board (HRB), which gave the project preliminary approval in March, will review the proposal again at its September meeting where the developer hopes to get final approval for construction. Of course, the HRB, which approved the project in March, is not the same HRB. Four of its five members have since been replaced by the City Council. The apartment building, dubbed the Cannon Building, which was before the zoning board Monday night, proposes 2,200 square feet of ground floor retail/commercial
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Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman Josh Gibson makes his point with attorney Walter Nester, representing developer Dick Stewart and 303 Associates, during the board’s public hearing regarding the proposed development between Charles and Port Republic streets. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
Schools set to open amid COVID surge Connie Kling, owner of Deals on Bay Street, is retiring and hosting an Everything Must Go retirement sale. All that’s left are a few clothing items and some old, some say “vintage” mannequins. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
Closing the door on Deals Connie Kling retiring, shutting down business after nearly 40 years on Bay Street
By Mike McCombs
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cross the windows at 724 Bay Street are big white signs. “Retirement Sale.” “Store Closing.” Behind the signs, the window displays, once a hallmark of Deals, are all but empty, housing just a few old mannequins, which, by the way, like most everything else, are for sale. Inside, the store seems grand
MIKE MCCOMBS
now without nearly enough merchandise to fill it. At the front of the store sits a beautiful old mammoth of a
desk from a different era. In fact, several different eras ago. For sale, of course. And when it’s sold, it might take three or four men to move it. Three women walk in and begin to browse the handful of racks of ladies clothes that still remain. “All of the clothing is 30 percent off, ladies,” Connie Kling tells them in an accent that betrays her Irish origins.
Toward the back are two big, heavy wooden tables. Those came from the old Belk’s store when it was downtown, Kling says. There are display shelves and drawers and dress forms and framed artwork. All for sale. Like Kling and Deals itself, by the end of the month, it will all be gone.
By Mike McCombs Uncertainty. Apprehension. Nervousness. For parents and students, alike, these can be common emotions as the beginning of a new school year draws near. But this year, they are for all the wrong reasons. With the delta variant and a low vaccination rate helping COVID numbers to spike, it could be a risky time for students to return to INSIDE in-person learnCOVERAGE ing. Gov. Hen• COVID continues to ry McMaster’s surge locally efforts to proand across hibit any mask the state • School mandates for district, the state’s pubBeaufort lic schools only Memorial exacerbates the team up for vaccination risk. events Both the CenPage A8 ters for Disease Control and S.C. DHEC recommend vaccinations and masks for children returning to an in-person school setting. “Getting eligible children vaccinated is a top public health priority as we start a new school year,” said S.C. DHEC Director Dr. Edward Simmer said last week. “The COVID delta variant we’re tracking now is highly contagious, and the best way to prevent your child or a loved one from getting sick or requiring hospitalization is by being fully vaccinated and wearing a mask indoors when at school.” Beaufort County School District (BCSD) published its 2021-2022 Reopening Plan in June and added a Frequently Asked Questions page a few days ago. Both can be found at https://bit.ly/3iDpL8S. But what can’t be found in either of those documents is any sort of safe option for kids younger than 12 who are returning to school. Until there is a vaccine approved for children younger than 12, vaccination isn’t an option. And mandating masks has been made illegal.
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Beaufort woman set to be 1st SC woman ordained by Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.
Recruit Training Regiment Commanding Officer’s career path has brought him back where he began.
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