Port Royal, which prides itself on its small-town living, has decided to pause apartment development and short-term rentals because of explosive growth that has spawned over 1,000 multi-family units and a 50% rise in short-term rentals.
On Tuesday, the Town Council unanimously voted to approve moratoriums on new multi-family housing construction and short-term rental licenses. Growth was a hot topic in last fall’s town council elections, and again at the Town Council’s annual issues retreat in February. One more vote is needed on both ordinances to implement the moratoriums.
Mayor Kevin Phillips, who called for an apartment moratorium during his mayoral campaign, said that moratorium won’t stop the 1,500 units from going up . But it will allow town officials to “pump the brakes” on new proposals and time to study the impact of the new development on police, fire, infrastructure and schools. The moratorium will coincide with an initiative to revise the town codes, he added, and multi-family projects “will be touched on” in that process.
Both moves were generally supported by residents who are worried that rapid development will change the feel of town, which bills itself as “cool, coastal and far from ordinary.”
“I think right now you’re dealing with fear — fear the community is going to change,” resident Gail Tramontano said. “It’s going to lose its ambiance and small-town vibe. And it’s gong to become too commercial and there’s going to be a lot of transients in the area. No one wants that. We want a home here. We want our porch party atmosphere.”
The town’s population increased 33.2% between 2010 to 2020, increasing from 10,678 to 14,220, according to the U.S. Census. Today, it’s probably “north of 15,000,” says Town Manager Van Willis.
Some 1,500 new housing units, including 462 apartments and 943 townhouses, are under construction or in the works, with units going up seemingly around ever corner, from the Savannah Highway to Parris Island Gateway to Grober Hill Road.
Big increases in STR’s
And the number of short-term rentals have increased 57% from just over 70 to 110 in the past four years.
The short-term rental moratorium will last for seven months.
The short-term rental issue, Phillip said, is mainly an issue that’s affecting the historic village area of the town. “We were seeing a trend of every time a house went for sale the majority were being turned into short-term rentals,” Phillips said.
A task force will be formed to study current regulations and a draft ordinance that was created four years ago. That ordinance, which would have regulated the number of short-term rentals by district and addressed parking and occupancy numbers, was never implemented .
Councilwoman Mary Beth Heyward, who did not support the short-term rental ordinance four years ago, says it is time to reevaluate the situation.
“You see growth in our community and we just want to make sure we monitor that growth,” Heyward said.
How does this proposed moratorium affect the push for more affordable housing?
The multi-family housing moratorium will last for one year. The Planning Commission will take up that issue, Willis said, which will involve discussion of zoning and other tools to address growth.
The town’s comprehensive plan emphasizes quality of life and conservation, Phillips said, “so we want to proceed in a prudent way with the way the town is growing.” The task force will take a big-picture look at sustainable growth, he said.
Concerns are being raised about the pause in multi-family development hurting the progress of affordable housing projects. Before final approval is given to the moratorium, the Town Council will consider an amendment giving affordable housing projects an exception to the moratorium, Phillip said. But the mayor noted that the town already has several subsidized apartment complexes on Ribaut Road alone and has contributed its fair share of affordable housing to the region — so much so that it has become the apartment hub of the region.
“It’s a regional issue,” Phillips said, “and we want to be a regional player.”
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