AUGUST 3 - 9, 2017
WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Hoteliers flock to Beaufort Tax-free
holiday will be Aug. 4-6 Staff reports
Plans for Hilton’s Home2 and Tru properties at Parris Island Gateway and U.S. 21 include a 600-foot-long, 10-foot-deep tunnel so bikers and walkers on the Spanish Moss Trail won’t risk getting hit by cars. The hotels will have a new access point directly onto U.S. 21, which also crosses the trail. While the property is in city limits, the county, on behalf of the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority, has to approve any activity within the trail’s right of way. “These plans go back two years,” said Josh Gruber, Beaufort County deputy administrator. “When the developer approached the county about being able to access U.S. 21 across the trail, these are the conditions the county laid out. The developer didn’t object and the Beaufort County Council approved the encroachment plan.” The county was concerned about the speed of traffic turning into the hotel property as well as the queue waiting to turn left onto U.S. 21, Gruber said. But the Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail group thinks the tunnel is a terrible idea. “The Friends believe that the negative aspects of this tunnel far outweigh the benefits,” Dean Moss, executive director, wrote in a June 15 letter to developer David Hornsby.
South Carolina's popular Sales Tax Holiday weekend will kick off Friday, Aug. 4, and run through Sunday, Aug. 6. During the annual Sales Tax Holiday, a variety of approved school supply items are exempt from the 6-percent state sales tax. Shoppers will pay no sales tax on items ranging from clothing and shoes to book bags and computers. Items such as jewelry, cosmetics, eyewear, furniture and layaway purchases are not exempt. Here are some questions and answers about the holiday: Q: When is the Tax Free Holiday? A: The Sales and Use Tax Holiday (Tax Free Weekend) takes place annually beginning at 12:01 a.m. on the first Friday in August and ending at midnight the following Sunday. Q: What is exempt from the sales and use tax during the holiday? A: Broadly, exempt items include clothing; clothing accessories including, but not limited to, hats, scarves, hosiery and handbags; and footwear. Also exempt are school supplies including, but not limited to pens, pencils, paper, binders, notebooks, books, bookbags, lunchboxes and calculators; computers, printers and printer supplies and computer software. Other exempt items include bath wash cloths, blankets, bed spreads, bed linens, sheet sets, comforter sets, bath towels, shower curtains, bath rugs and mats, pillows and pillow cases. A list of exempt and non-exempt items is on dor.sc.gov/taxfreeweekend. Q: What is not exempt from the sales and use tax during the holiday? A: The exemption does not apply to sales of jewelry, cosmetics, eyewear, wallets and watches; sales of furniture; a sale of an item placed on lay-away or similar deferred payment and delivery plan; rental of clothing or footwear; or a sale or lease of an item for use in a trade or business Q: If I buy an eligible item during the Tax Free Holiday, does it have to be delivered during the holiday in order for the exemption to apply? A: Not necessarily. As long as the item is ordered and paid for, and the
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See TAX, page A5
A 12-room addition to the Beaufort Inn is arising on Craven Street. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
‘THE INTENT OF PEOPLE’S STAY IS CHANGING.’ By Lisa Allen n a race to snag overnight guests, developers are building more than 300 hotel rooms in Beaufort. They include: • Springhill Suites: 111 rooms (replacing the 70-room EconoLodge) at 2227 Boundary St. The building permit is under building codes review. • Home2 Suites by Hilton: 107 rooms at 3658 Trask Parkway. The site plan has been permitted and the building permit is under building codes review. • Tru by Hilton: 90 rooms. This hotel would be just east of the Home2 Suites. The design review is complete but the builders haven’t applied for the building permit. • Downtown Hotel: 77 rooms at the southwest corner of Scott and Port Republic streets (812 Scott/214 Port Republic). It is undergoing Historic Review Board review. • A 12-room addition to the Beaufort Inn on Craven Street. “What’s interesting is that two of hotels are for extended stays,” said Robb Wells, vice president of tourism
for the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce. “They are catering to a new customer.” Wells said demand for Beaufort hotel rooms has soared 25 percent in the past four years while supply hasn’t budged. Several factors are fueling interest in Beaufort. One is a concerted effort by the U.S. Marine Corps to lower the overall age of its force. That means more recruits, which means more families attending recruit graduation. For each male graduate, an average of eight friends and family members attend graduation. For female graduates, 12 to 14 people attend. Also, Beaufort is getting quite the reputation, Wells said. “As Beaufort continues to attract attention in national publications, more people are treating us as a destination rather than just a day trip from Hilton Head or Charleston. People are spending a couple of days here,” he said. “The intent of people’s stay is changing. That’s why you’re seeing hotels from Hilton and Marriott. We are drawing their customers.”
Construction of Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton is being planned. The site plan has been permitted and the building permit is under building codes review. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
HALLELUJAH! A local husband and wife duo are bringing Christian musical theater to Beaufort. PAGE B1
CYAN-AOOO
MAGENTA-OAOO
YELLOW-OOAO
CELEBRATE! "Fa We Ancestas" is the theme of this year's Gullah/Geechee music and movement festival. PAGE B1
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Trail group rails against hotel tunnel By Lisa Allen
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