Awendaw residents, leaders share concerns on proposed housing development

A proposed housing development along the edge of the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge in Awendaw has residents and community leaders worried about its environmental impact.

Home construction group Pulte Home Company proposed more than 100 homes on about 109 acres of land called the White Tract. The group is awaiting permitting approval from the S.C. Department of Environmental Services (SCDES).

The White Tract project is split into two phases that each require permitting from SCDES. The permitting includes the agency’s Coastal Zone Consistency Certification. Phase One of the project, a 27-home build plan, has already been granted that certification, as well as stormwater permit approval.

Phase Two includes the construction of 124 single-family homes on 110 acres of land. The proposal includes roadway and stormwater management to support the development. The project also includes plans to use individual septic tanks for each home, posing a risk to the area’s waterways.

“They shouldn’t be building anywhere near the water anyway,” said Charleston County Council Vice Chair Larry Kobrovsky, whose district includes the proposed development site. “What’s in those tanks will leech into the water over time, and we are trying to get SCDES to deny those permits.”

Kobrovsky said he has heard an uproar from his Awendaw and McClellanville constituents. He also said his father-in-law, J.P. McClellan, was part of the group that helped create the Cape Romain National Waterfowl Refuge during the Great Depression, making the preservation of the land a personal matter for him.

“I can’t imagine jeopardizing this land,” he said. “The Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge is like sacred land. I’ll do everything in my power to preserve it.”

The agency held a public meeting Monday night for residents to share their thoughts ahead of its decision.

Friends of Coastal South Carolina, an environmental advocacy group, and other residents spoke out against the proposed development. Speakers said the forest and wildlife refuge have been protected for more than 100 years, and the plan poses a threat to the area’s wildlife, primarily due to its stormwater plans. In addition to the septic tanks, the proposal includes detention ponds. Tunoff is expected to leave the site and enter the Sewee Bay.

In addition to community members, other agencies have spoken out against the development plan. Kyle Brown of the state Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Office of Environmental Programs wrote a 10-page letter. The agency’s concerns ranged from hazardous conditions during prescribed burning in the wildlife refuge to its impact on isolated wetlands that support native wildlife.

The project plans also show a 35-foot buffer between wetlands and the development, while the DNR recommends a vegetated buffer of at least 150 feet.

IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A SAY: SCDES is accepting comments on the project until July 23. Comments can be submitted online at des.sc.gov.