The Great Beach Grab
Charleston-area beaches face SC-wide anger for attempts to restrict access to visitors
BY CHASE KARACOSTAS AND CAITLIN BYRD
SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 05:00 AM
Three barrier islands near Charleston have spent the last several months slowly choking off public access to their beaches, creating an uproar around the state over who deserves the right to use South Carolina beaches: islanders or outsiders.
South Carolina closed public access to its beaches, all of which the state owns, at the start of the pandemic in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. But after Gov. Henry McMaster reopened the beaches in late April, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island and Folly Beach took a more gradual approach, issuing their own emergency orders to restrict public beach access and reduce the number of non-residents coming in.After Isle of Palms City Council restricted non-resident public parking this summer, the backlash from nearby communities was swift.A Facebook group called Charleston Area Public Beach Access and Parking Group formed in mid-July, and grew to nearly 10,000 members.
The group’s mission of advocating for accessible beaches has evolved into the Charleston Beach Foundation.
The group filed a lawsuit in August against Isle of Palms after the barrier island sought to temporarily block non-residents from using more than 750 parking spots near the beach, leaving just 10 free spaces.The islands “shouldn’t be getting away with this,” Barnett said. “There’s a lot of people out there who are from Goose Creek, Summerville, Moncks Corner, the more inland cities. … These families enjoy using these beaches, and they’re from less affluent areas and they were never going to speak up for themselves.”
He specifically took issue with a comment made by Isle of Palms Mayor Jimmy Carroll, who during last week’s council meeting, directly stated that residents of Summerville, a town 36 miles away, should consider vacationing elsewhere.
“That was an abhorrent comment to make — elitist, arrogant snobbery,” Barnett said.“There has been unbridled growth across the tri-counties,” Carroll said, referring to Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. “People need to start thinking about the future because there’s going to be a lot more growth that’s coming and a lot more cars.”
Nearby Mount Pleasant has seen a population boom. Earlier this year, the U.S. Census Bureau listed Mount Pleasant as the 12th fastest-growing large city in the United States.On Isle of Palms specifically, Carroll can see the impacts of this nearby growth in the steady uptick each year for police and first-responder calls, along with trash pick-ups.
“We had the biggest month ever in trash dumps this past July. That costs us money to take care of all that stuff. Most day visitors don’t pay a penny out here. Paid parking is something that is inevitable and it is coming,” Carroll said.
https://www.thestate.com/news/state/...246006635.html
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