Open Land Trust seeks easement on 121-acre Seaside Oaks farm on St. Helena; committee approves due diligence

Taylor Romines, director of conservation at the Open Land Trust in Beaufort, presented a 121-acre Seaside Oaks proposal on St. Helena Island along the Harbor River, describing farm fields, live oak canopy, marsh frontage and freshwater wetlands. "This is on the the northern end of the county, or of of the island, Saint Helena Island," Romines said, and explained the plan is for a conservation easement that would limit subdivision to one residential structure.

Romines said the application ask filed with county green-space funds was for 50% of easement value but the owner has signaled willingness to reduce the request to 40% after family discussions; the project also has an application pending with the South Carolina Conservation Bank. Committee members raised questions about structure allowances and conservation eligibility; the committee voted to move the Seaside Oaks application forward for due diligence.