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Plans moving forward for development of Long Island
By Jessica Johnson
Contributing Writer
Residential development on Long Island may not be an “if” anymore. It might only be a matter of when.
On Sept. 11, the Folly Beach Planning Commission unanimously rejected the plans of Joe Kimmel and K&A Acquisitions Group LLC to build 53 homes on the private island. However, the land is zoned for residential space.
Folly Beach Zoning Administrator Aaron Pope said although there were some technicalities with K&A Acquisition’s plans, as soon as the island has public access, there is nothing the city can legally do to prevent development.
Plans presented in September lacked solid proof of public access.
“They indicated that there might be a bridge, but that is a decision that the state has to make,” Pope said. “That is just an imaginary bridge at this point.”
Allowing public access by ferry would be another option, but plans for the development would have to do more than mention using a ferry service, said Pope. They would need to back it up.
K&A Acquisitions, based in Asheville, N.C., has made a request for a bridge permit and are battling for public access on Peas Island, which is necessary to build a bridge. Developers have different public access options, said Brad Galbraith, president of Kimmel Development, K&A Acquisitions’ parent company.
The plan presented in September was K&A Acquisitions’ second attempt at developing the property. After a public uproar to plans for as many as 190 homes, developers went back to the drawing board, this time offering to develop a third of the residential space, Pope said.
K&A Acquisitions is open to any and all suggestions for the property’s development, Galbraith said.
“We are still very encouraged with the development prospects of Long Island. We bought the property knowing it was zoned for residential development, and we intend to comply with the community’s ordinance and regulations,” Galbraith said.
Kimmel Development also is aware of the island’s unique characteristics, such as its wildlife and Civil War history. The company wants to ensure it develops the land in the proper way and is taking sensitivities into consideration, he said.
Engineers are working to check Folly Beach’s requirements on setbacks and buffers and want to exceed those requirements wherever possible, Galbraith said.
Developers have met with conservation groups on potential plans, but have not reached any agreements with those groups, although Galbraith insisted that he continues to welcome their suggestions.
“We are willing to sit down with anyone who has a legitimate business plan that may be different than what we have on the table right now,” Galbraith said. The company’s intent is not to push the project forward too quickly, he added.
The dialog with city officials has not yet been exhausted, and Galbraith said he is unsure when K&A will go before the planning commission again, but it will.
“We’ll go back when it appears to be the right time to go back,” he said.
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