Beaufort County approves due diligence on three green‑space projects

Beaufort County Council voted Sept. 28 to authorize due‑diligence work on three conservation projects after a presentation by the county's green‑space staff. Mike McShane, who was recognized earlier in the meeting for receiving the Order of the Palmetto and is identified in the record as chair of the county Green Space Advisory Committee, asked council to approve appraisal and negotiation steps to move three projects toward closing.

On the first, staff described a roughly 3.5‑acre corridor protection in the Port Royal area and requested due‑diligence authority “not to exceed $35,000,” which council approved by show of hands. For Seaside Oaks, a tract of about 120 acres on St. Helena Island that staff identified as prime farmland, McShane said landowners will participate substantially in the easement value; council approved up to $15,000 for due diligence. Council also approved due diligence for the Okeetee Bluff Road parcel, a wooded, 100‑plus‑acre tract in the county's western region selected largely to protect freshwater wetlands along the Port Royal Sound watershed.

In a funding update, McShane provided the green‑space program's high‑level figures: “The tax in interest generated by the green space referendum was $126,965,000,” he said, and staff reported about $27 million spent on closed projects protecting roughly 11,000 acres, $62 million in council‑approved projects pending closing (about 5,300 acres), and active due‑diligence projects forecast in the $13–14 million range, leaving an uncommitted fund balance of just over $24 million. Council members asked routine land‑use and cultural‑resource questions; staff said part of due diligence will confirm whether graves or other culturally sensitive sites exist on candidate properties.

The council's approvals authorize staff to pursue appraisals, negotiate terms, and return with recommendations before any final acquisition or easement conveyance.