Roofer in Awendaw, SC

AWENDAW — Just stop all the rapid home construction and let us catch our breath.

That’s the message this small coastal town is delivering to developers with a temporary ban on most new subdivisions.

In the fastest-growing state in the nation, Awendaw is among an increasing number of local governments adopting moratoriums that halt some types of development for a short time or for many years.

The justification for such moratoriums is typically to create time to update local development rules, usually to make them more strict once the moratorium is lifted. That’s the case in Awendaw.

The rural village of about 1,400 residents in Charleston County sits just above Mount Pleasant, and the towns share a municipal border. Mount Pleasant became South Carolina’s fourth-largest municipality after decades of suburban development and has about 94,000 residents.

Mount Pleasant residents eventually got fed up with rapid growth, more traffic and crowded schools. The town now has limits on annual building permits, high development impact fees and a moratorium on multi-family construction that has been in place for seven years.

Awendaw Councilman Kent Prause had a front-row seat for much of Mount Pleasant’s love/hate relationship with growth because he was the town’s zoning administrator. Prause has been leading the push for Awendaw’s moratorium on zoning changes and subdivisions.

“Volume builders and tract home builders are coming in,” he said. “They pretty much built out Mount Pleasant and now they are coming here .”

“The people didn’t like it and that’s why the moratorium is in place,” said Prause. “They don’t want it to be Mount Pleasant.”

Boom & Balance

The Awendaw moratorium hasn’t been finalized, but it took effect in January under what’s known as the pending-ordinance doctrine. That means the rules took hold as soon as Awendaw’s council gave initial approval to the measure, although a final vote at a meeting scheduled for March 7 is still needed.

The ordinance states that “Town Council finds that the increase in the number and size of large-scale residential developments in the Town pose a risk to public health, safety, welfare, and quality of life in Awendaw...” for many reasons.

The moratorium wouldn’t halt developments that have already been approved. What it would do is:

Of course, moratoriums can also be extended, as Mount Pleasant has done multiple times with its ban on new multi-family housing.

And Awendaw’s moratorium rules could change before they get final approval. The town’s Planning Commission recommended a 10-parcel cutoff for new subdivisions, instead of five, and allowing zoning changes on parcels of less than 10 acres.

At a Town Council hearing Feb. 22, no one spoke in favor of the Planning Commission’s recommendations. Several residents urged the council to approve the moratorium without changes.

“We’ve already approved so many homes in this town,” said Susan Cox. “We need to stop it, and figure out what is going on.”

Developers paid limited attention to Awendaw for a long time because the town lacks a sewer system. New developments need to use septic systems, which require state permits and are more likely to fail in places where the water table is high.

But the Charleston area’s population growth and Mount Pleasant’s limits on development and lack of available land have increasingly pushed development up the coast.

SC Climate and Environment News

In 2022, Awendaw approved a 204-home subdivision on 148 acres near Seewee and Bulls Island roads over objections that its more than 200 septic systems could fail and send raw sewage into the waters near Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge.

Awendaw can’t ban septic systems because there’s no other option for treating household sewage, but in 2023 the town made it more difficult to build dense subdivisions where each house has a septic system. Awendaw adopted rules for minimum lot sizes, distance from wetlands and other regulations.

“It seems the less stringent rules are letting developers come in and have their way with the town,” Planning Commission member James Gardner told council members at the time.

The pending development moratorium is the latest result of a change in attitudes and leadership in Awendaw. In the earlier 2000s the town aggressively sought to grow its boundaries through annexations — prompting court challenges — and approved some large subdivisions.

“Managed growth is the key to Awendaw’s future,” reads the first sentence of a large, framed copy of the town’s vision statement, on the wall where Town Council meets.

Charleston is a region steeped in history, and every corner has its own story that contributes a piece of the Lowcountry’s historical tapestry.

The Town of Awendaw, located along U.S. Highway 17 N between Mount Pleasant and McClellanville in Charleston County, has Native American roots through the Sewee tribe.

The Sewee tribe lived along the lower part of the Santee River, along the coast to the westward divide of the Ashley River, in present-day Moncks Corner and Dewees Island. Sewee, which means “Islanders,” were one of more than two dozen Native American tribes that occupied the South Carolina coast long before European settlers stepped foot on the coastal soil.

In 1696, settlers who retreated from Salem, Massachusetts, after the Salem Witch Trials founded “Wappetaw,” which is now known as Awendaw.

Like most Native American tribes, the Sewee people were impacted by diseases and warfare. However, their mark on the land still stands today in the form of a shell mound.

The Awendaw Sewee Shell Mound is one of the oldest and northernmost mounds found along the Carolina coast and is comprised mainly of oyster shells. Similar Native American shell rings can also be found in Mount Pleasant and Hilton Head Island. According to archeologists, the Sewee mound is believed to be roughly 4,000 years old. While it is generally thought that the mound was a dumping ground for old oyster shells, there are theories that the shell rings served a ceremonial purpose.

The Sewee Shell Ring is located near a preserved freshwater marsh, and the site can be seen from a new trail in the Francis Marion National Forest that reopened in 2022, replacing the wooden boardwalk with a fiberglass structure that is designed to last longer and withstand storms. The one-mile self-guided trail features five interpretive stops and views of wildflowers, salt marsh and tidal creeks. It’s a perfect way to immerse yourself in the beauty of the Lowcountry and experience the land where the Sewee once lived.

While little information remains about the daily lives of the Sewee people, local historians and the Town of Awendaw have made an effort to research and remember these Native Americans who lived, hunted and fished in this area. The Sewee name can be found at various establishments throughout Awendaw, such as the Sewee Outpost store, the See Wee Restaurant, the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center.

Whether you’re just visiting the area or taking up permanent residence in Awendaw, be sure to plan a trip to the Francis Marion National Forest and allow yourself to walk in the woods, be surrounded by the unspoiled beauty of the Lowcountry, and visit the historic shell ring to pay tribute to Awendaw’s first residents.

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - A $5 million federal investment will soon add 446 acres of land along the South Carolina shoreline.

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge is currently made up of 22 miles of barrier islands. Sarah Dawsey, the refuge manager, has been working with nature preservation since she was in high school and joined the Youth Conservation Corps.

“This has been a lifelong goal for me. I mean, I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am to get this money. We have barrier islands, the refuge is barrier islands, and they’re only accessible by boat,” Dawsey says.

Coastal Expeditions does run a ferry to Bulls Island for a fee so those interested can visit for the day. There is a public dock on the island for those with boats to use as well.

“This money will allow us to have a tract on the mainland, where we can have trails, we can have hunting, fishing, environmental education, everything that we do on the islands, but to a greater extent and you don’t have to have a boat so it’s really exciting,” Dawsey says.

She also notes that a mainland tract is a step toward a future corridor connecting the refuge to the Francis Marion National Forest.

Durwin Carter is the project leader for Cape Romain, Ace Basin, Santee and Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuges. He says any addition of land is a huge win for conservation efforts, wildlife and the people nearby who can enjoy it.

“It ties directly into what our mission is. Our mission is essentially working with other partners to conserve these lands and habitats and the critters that use it, for the public to enjoy,” Carter says.

Dawsey and Carter pointed out how erosion from storms and sea level rise are threatening the barrier islands and, in their time at the refuge, they have seen the saltwater breach into ponds on Bulls Island and encroach further into the land each year.

“With the threats happening with development and habitat fragmentation and sea level rise, any additional lands that we can conserve are going to be beneficial. We do what we do for the wildlife, for the habitats and for people to enjoy. But we also do it for future generations to enjoy,” Carter says.

The funding comes from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. The fund is made up from the sale of Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, commonly known as Duck Stamps, and import taxes.

The refuge has a visitors center located off Highway 17 where people can learn more about the conservation work and migratory bird protection the islands offer. Dawsey says people are always welcome to visit Bulls Island as long as they come with respect for the wildlife and leave it as they found it.

“If you see birds flying around or acting unusual or dive bombing you, that’s a signal that you’re close to their nest and they’re just trying to protect their babies,” Dawsey says.

Cape Romain is home to more than 290 bird species that migrate through the area as well as other animals like alligators, deer and sea turtles.

“We are just winding up our field season, so we have a really big loggerhead sea turtle project, it’s seven days a week. We do a lot of posting for birds and stewarding to keep people out of the bird areas and educating people on why it’s important,” Dawsey says.

Carter says his staff and volunteers are grateful for the land the refuge currently gets to take care of. They are looking forward to the expansion once the sale is finalized and eventually to hosting wildlife and visitors on the new mainland tracts.

“We’re really lucky to have the jobs that we have because they really enjoy their time out on the water of Cape Romain; really enjoy their times out on the trails, enjoy their times out appreciating the refuge, doing birdwatching, fishing, hunting, whatever it is, we’re constantly reminded of how great our jobs are because we get a chance to see this every day,” Carter says.

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The town of Awendaw was incorporated more than three decades ago, not so much to provide municipal services but to let residents control their planning and zoning decisions rather than relying on county government. In recent years, however, that job has become increasingly challenging because Mount Pleasant is running out of large developable sites, our region's continued growth is creating dramatic demand for more housing and Awendaw's location helps it retain much of its rural charm, wedged as it is between two environmental treasures of national significance: the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge and the Francis Marion National Forest.

It's more important than ever that town officials recognize the growing importance and intensity of their planning work — and rise to the occasion to protect the relaxed, rural ambiance that has defined this part of South Carolina's coast.

There are some encouraging signs.

A year ago, we lamented proposals to develop two large subdivisions, with 249 and 204 homes respectively, to be served by individual septic tanks since there are no sewer lines in the town. Those are still in the permitting stages and we hope they will be scaled back if they're built at all. They certainly underscore the need for state regulators to consider the cumulative impact of large subdivisions with dozens, even hundreds, of septic tanks that can compromise nearby waterways, as they have done along Shem and James Island creeks.

But the encouraging news is when yet another septic-tank subdivision was proposed recently, the Awendaw Planning Commission voted unanimously against Sewee Landing's 72 homes on 50 acres. At the same meeting, the commission recommended an update of the town's planned development ordinance that these subdivisions had relied on.

Awendaw Town Council could consider both the subdivision proposal and the ordinance rewrite as early as this week, and we urge council members to follow their planning commissioners' advice.

Even when a septic system is well-maintained, it can face problems if the water table is too high, and rising groundwater can carry the resulting contaminants to rivers and marshes, a problem that's expected to grow more acute as climate change pushes sea levels higher. Awendaw's proximity to the pristine Cape Romain makes it a desirable place to live, but too many septic tanks too close to the refuge (and too close to each other) could taint the very thing that makes the area an attractive place to visit and to live.

These developments don't pose a threat simply because they would rely on septic systems. They also would increase the amount of impervious surface and stormwater runoff, exacerbate habitat loss and degrade the community's rural character.

Awendaw is a small town that seems to have been pushed around at times. Its deal for a new park to be created by then-Charleston County Councilman Elliott Summey in exchange for Mr. Summey's right to mine dirt on the park site ended badly. The mining stopped in 2019, but the town had to sue to try to get an accounting of what was done there; the park itself is still a distant dream. In another part of town, the King Tract mine was allowed to expand even though it had been hit with more than a dozen water quality violations.

So we're encouraged that there's a proactive solution in the works. Awendaw is drafting a new comprehensive plan to replace one that's 13 years old. This process will provide town leaders, residents and others a perfect chance to forge a shared vision of how the town should manage growth, and they should make sure they make the most of this chance.

After all, the pressures on their town are only expected to intensify in the years to come.

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AWENDAW, S.C. (WCIV) — Many Awendaw residents are calling it a "win" after the town's Zoning Commission denied a request Monday evening to rezone 66 acres for a possible development.

The land in question is in the vicinity of Boomstraw Hill Road and Sewee Road and was recently annexed into the town limits from Charleston County.

Developer David Weekley Homes recently acquired the neighboring Awendaw Village development, and made a brief presentation at Monday's meeting answering questions from board members and the public.

Read More: Proposed plan to build 72-home subdivision in Awendaw

Their proposal included creating lot sizes of 20,000 square-feet per home with a little more than 60 homes planned. But the current Agricultural zoning designation only provides for a minimum 30,000 square-foot lots. A change to Residential zoning would have decreased that limit to 12,500.

Allen Rioux serves on Awendaw's Board of Zoning Appeals and said the consensus from citizens is a desire to keep development density low.

"We're certainly not anti-development or anti-developer. We understand that this is a desirable place to be, and - in fact - we think that development is important for our community, for our tax base," Rioux said. "But, what the community is against is high-density development. We need to be reasonable. We have great resources here and we need to be careful that we don't negatively impact them."

Read More: Environmentalists fear impacts of 200 new homes near Awendaw wildlife refuge

Others at Monday's meeting called the request premature.

David Weekley Homes faces some challenges with the land. First and foremost, access.

The parcels are currently land-locked, meaning there's no road legal road access. However, a phase to development of their recently acquired Awendaw Village off Highway 17 would provide an adjacent connection to the 66-acres.

Read More: People still concerned after hearing developer's redevelopment plan for Union Pier

A few residents from Awendaw Village were at the zoning meeting and voiced their concerns over unfulfilled promises from their original developer.

David Weekley Homes will likely need to return before town council or the Zoning Commission with an updated development proposal.