EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The nation's coastal population has shown a steady increase in recent decades which should continue into the foreseeable future. This is no different along much of the South Carolina coast as seen locally by the growth of Beaufort County and the Charleston area. Colleton County is uniquely situated between these two expanding population centers and should do all that it can to ensure that its valuable open space and natural resources are protected from possible future development so that residents can continue to experience all of the benefits that the environment can provide.
Numerous studies including the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources' recent study on the value of the state's natural resources have established that preserving key natural resources has significant economic value to communities. Specifically, the state's natural resources were found to have a total annual economic impact of $30 billion without even including the impact of agriculture or the value of ecosystem services such as the provision of clean air and water.
The most effective means of protecting Colleton County's natural resources is to preserve the existing system of green infrastructure within the county, that is, the county's existing network of interconnected open space. Any and all open space is inherently more valuable when it is physically linked to other open space. This is because wildlife benefit from having travel corridors between habitats and resources and uninterrupted corridors of native vegetation established along waterways are the most effective and cost-efficient means of improving water quality and minimizing damages from coastal flooding. Oftentimes, open space becomes fragmented amidst development and isolated from other open space. This is arguably the greatest threat facing wildlife in all areas of the world including South Carolina's coastal region and the ACE Basin. Furthermore, when strips of native vegetation along waterways become fragmented and isolated, stormwater runoff, the greatest threat to water quality within the ACE Basin and coastal wetlands in general, faces no obstructions in its flow into aquatic ecosystems.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Vegetated Buffer Ordinance
Due to the benefits that natural resources provides to Colleton County and the fact that interconnectedness amongst open space is the best way to protect natural resources, the county should consider implementing a vegetated buffer ordinance that applies to all wetlands as well as zoning strategies that minimize potential development and associated habitat fragmentation in the environmentally sensitive and significant areas of the county. A vegetated buffer ordinance such as the model ordinance developed by South Carolina DHEC is scientifically defensible and should effectively promote healthy water quality throughout the county in the wake of any future development pressure. Similar ordinances have already been established in Beaufort County and Charleston County and should be relatively easy to implement. In essence, a buffer ordinance would establish native vegetated buffers along all waterways sufficiently sized to trap and filter the majority of pollutants from stormwater runoff which can pose a serious threat to water quality. The particulars of the scientific merit of vegetated buffer ordinances as well as the details of the ordinances developed by surrounding counties and SCDHEC are all discussed within the results section of this report.
Changes to Existing Zoning
This report also proposes several changes to existing zoning within Colleton County based on the present locations of open space, preserved lands, and environmentally sensitive/significant lands. In particular, the proposed zoning revisions aim to steer more development towards urban centers and minimize potential development between the county's current network of privately protected and publicly-owned lands. Reducing development potential in these areas will allow wildlife to freely roam between preserved lands and increase the overall quality of recreational and tourist opportunities within the county. In all, outdoor recreation and coastal tourism account for a $11 billion annual economic impact within the state. The ability for a healthy, interconnected natural environment and strong wildlife populations to provide tangible benefits to the county should not be overlooked as bird watching and wildlife viewing were found to be the most popular outdoor recreational activities of South Carolina residents, ahead of beach trips even. In fact, the US Forest Service found that these activities have shown a steady increase in popularity in recent years, a trend that shows no signs of slowing down in the future. In addition, the proposed changes should be able to directly reduce governmental expenditures as numerous studies have shown that local governments lose money on developed land and make money on undeveloped land. This is because property taxes on developed properties are often less than the amount local government spends on providing the property with public service. On the other hand, the property taxes from undeveloped lands often exceed the amount government has to spend on providing public services.
Combine RC-1 and RC-2 Zoning Districts:
The first proposed zoning revision is to incorporate the majority of the county's Resource Conservation-2 zoning district within the current Resource Conservation-1 district. The 2020 Comprehensive Plan classifies both the county’s Resource Conservation-1 and Resource Conservation-2 zoning districts under a Coastal Resource Preservation land use area that is characterized as containing 44% of the county’s flood areas as well as numerous preserved properties. The RC-1 district allows residential densities up to one unit per five acres but 91% of this district is either publicly owned or privately owned and under a conservation easement. This leaves the vast majority of land within this environmentally significant area that can be developed under the RC-2 district where residential densities up to one unit per acre are allowed despite the current comprehensive plan's insistence that development occur at “extremely low densities.” Incorporating all of the lands within the current RC-2 district into the RC-1 district, with the exception of the Bennetts Point area, will serve to minimize potential habitat fragmentation between the preserves, wildlife refuges, parks, and other protected lands that can be found in this area of the county. This measure would better promote the environmental well-being of an area rich with valuable natural resources and an area that the county has already identified as having “severe limitations” to residential development.
Reduce Residential Density in RD-1 Zoning District:
The second recommendation is to reduce the maximum residential density within the county's Rural Development-1 zoning district from one unit per acre to one unit per three acres. This area of the county has also been identified within the 2020 Comprehensive Plan as having limitations to development as well as extensive wetlands and flood prone areas similar to the RC-1 and RC-2 districts. Reducing the potential for development in this district can produce benefits similar to those associated with decreasing development within the Resource Conservation districts while also providing an improved buffer between the RC districts and the more intensely developed districts near Walterboro and Cottageville. In addition, both the RC and RD-1 districts have been identified as having numerous large-scale forestry operations. Reducing development in these areas can help to minimize fragmentation amongst forested landscapes and keep forestry operations intact. In many cases, forestry lands are the first to succumb to development pressures and are difficult to replace once lost. The fact that forestry is the state's largest employer within the manufacturing sector and has an annual economic impact of $17 billion at the state level should provide enough reason to consider reducing development near existing forestry operations.
Reduce Residential Density in Areas along Highway 17:
The last proposed zoning revision is to reduce the allowable residential densities in several areas near SC HWY 17. Much of the land adjacent HWY 17 are zoned for densities up to two units per acre despite being situated alongside preserved land and properties zoned for one unit per 5 acres. Reducing the allowed residential densities in the areas alongside HWY 17 can provide a more suitable buffer between future development and the existing network of wildlife refuges and preserves situated to the south as demonstrated by figure 7 of this report.
BENEFITS
The recommendations outlined in this report can not only serve to benefit Colleton County and its residents by increasing recreational and tourist opportunities, protecting valuable forestry operations, decreasing governmental expenditures, and preserving the untold environmental, social, and cultural benefits of open space protection, but can also increase the value of the county's natural amenities. Natural amenities are defined as the specific qualities of natural resources within a given area that makes it an attractive place to visit, live and/or work. Numerous studies all show that natural amenities and the quality of the environment and recreational opportunities is the key driver in the location of high-technology jobs and an educated workforce. In fact, environmental quality is the most important issue to the nation's high-tech workforce when relocating, even outranking home prices and the quality of schools. Home-buyers in all regions of the country have also demonstrated the willingness to spend more to live near parks and open space, increasing the value of property and property taxes near quality open space and natural resources. People and jobs are simply attracted to communities with exceptional environmental characteristics such as the Colleton County and the ACE Basin. The county should do all that it can to maintain the quality of the environment to maintain its attractiveness to outside investment and the new information economy's educated workforce.
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