ISLE OF PALMS — Record tides from an unexpected nor’easter in December ripped away several feet of sand on this barrier island, exposing an unauthorized, clandestine wall in front of a beachfront home near Breach Inlet.

The wall’s unveiling also spawned a power struggle between the state Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Ocean Boulevard homeowner, with the two at odds over property rights and protecting the diminishing shoreline.

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This is all playing out on a sandy beach where waves are clawing closer to multi-million dollar homes amid heavy erosion caused by storms and high tides.

The home at the center of the dispute belongs to Rom Reddy, owner of the multimedia local news outlet MyLo News. After taking a beating from Hurricane Idalia last year, Reddy said he installed the wall as a erosion control barrier and covered it with 30 feet of sand.

The December nor’easter washed away the sand, uncovering the bulwark.

While performing post-storm damage assessments, DHEC became aware of the structure.

Some call it a sea wall, which the state defines as a retaining wall designed to withstand wave forces. Reddy maintains his wall isn’t a sea wall, as it was never meant to be exposed to the ocean. It was meant to be buried beneath the sand to protect his home’s foundation and yard, he said.

“This keeps my yard stable and keeps it from moving around, which is what a retaining wall does. If we have a catastrophic event, it gives my property some protection, although a very nominal level, because it’s not meant to be ocean facing,” Reddy said.

Reddy said the nor’easter left the wall tilting and unstable, prompting him to have it rebuilt. In response, DHEC sent a cease-and-desist letter in January to halt the construction.

Cease he did not. Construction on the wall continues to move full steam ahead and shows no sign of slowing down.

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Reddy said it is his right as a property owner to protect his home. The area landward of the setback line is his to do with as he pleases, he said, citing South Carolina’s Coastal Tidelands and Wetlands Act.

Not so, according to DHEC’s division of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.

The sand in front of Reddy’s property is considered a critical area, the agency said, and any alteration of a critical area requires permits from OCRM, even critical areas that are landward of the jurisdictional setback.

DHEC spokesperson Laura Renwick said the agency regularly issues permits for work in these areas, though it is unlikely Reddy’s wall would have been approved.

“Since erosion control structures and devices such as the one identified at this property have been banned per state law since 1988, this structure would not have been permitted,” Renwick said.

Isle of Palms officials said they are aware of the structure, which violates a city ordinance prohibiting hard erosion control measures like sea walls, bulkheads and revetments. But in the case of Reddy’s unauthorized structure, the city said its hands are tied. Jurisdiction of that area, and much of the island’s critical areas, fall under DHEC, said Mayor Phillip Pounds.

“In this particular case, the OCRM has claimed jurisdiction, so that takes the city out of the mix, and it is up to them to enforce the state-level rules. We are relying on the state to enforce their rules that prevent structures like this being built per their cease-and-desist orders,” Pounds said.

Judges in two cases in recent years have sided with homeowners who built walls or placed sandbags along eroding sections of the South Carolina coast.

While Reddy is facing pushback from DHEC, some of his neighbors are behind him. Paul Jorgensen, who owns the property adjacent to Reddy, said he doesn’t love what is being erected next door, but he understands his neighbor’s mindset. Working with the city and the state to get approval for protective measures has left him feeling frustrated.

“The city and the state have been utterly horrible at handling the situation. Not only have they been utterly horrible at managing, they won’t even let us help ourselves,” Jorgensen said.

Jorgensen said the preventative measures the city does take on aren’t enough.

Ongoing restoration and protection efforts on the island include continuing sand scraping and sandbag placements on the island that began under an emergency order following Hurricane Idalia in September. City Council gave the efforts a boost in October, allotting $1.25 million to continue sand scraping along the beaches to rebuild the dunes. Council also budgeted $250,000 for installing sandbags on properties within 20 feet of erosion areas.

“The city and the state are not doing nearly enough, and, in fact, are preventing homeowners from protecting our own property,” Jorgensen said.

South Carolina hasn’t allowed structures like Reddy is building since enacting the Beachfront Management Act in 1988, citing a “false sense of security” the measures give to beachfront property owners while simultaneously aiding in further erosion.

Structures like sea walls block the ability of a wave to break naturally, pushing its force onto adjacent properties. The energy bounces back off of the wall, pulling the sand and eroding the beach on the seaward side. Emily Cedzo, director of conservation programs and policy for the Coastal Conservation League, said softer measures for preventing erosion, like sand fencing and larger restoration projects, are ideal for protecting beaches.

“Those are really the ideal ways to manage a beach responsibly so that it can provide good protection for private properties, but also public access and wildlife habitat,” Cedzo said.

With multiple cease-and-desist directives, DHEC could begin to dole out fines or penalties.

“When DHEC identifies violations of applicable state laws or regulations, the agency has the authority to initiate an enforcement process that may result in the issuing of a civil penalty to the responsible party, among other actions,” Renwick said.

Some think it’s time for DHEC to take action.

“I think DHEC is going to have to move forward with enforcement. I don’t know what their process or timeline looks like, but I think it’s clear that they’ve already tried to communicate with the property owner,” Cedzo said. “I know that several residents on the Isle of Palms are really concerned about it and continue sending reports.”

Reddy said the cease-and-desist directives from DHEC won’t deter him.

“They have to go in front of a judge and prove to the judge that we’re, in fact, breaking the law. And we’re ready for that,” Reddy said.

Reach Anna Sharpe at 843-806-6790.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - The Isle of Palms City Council in 2020 voted to make additions to the marina area of the island and that project is officially slated to be completed this year.

The project included the addition of a public dock, a boardwalk and a waterfront park and greenspace. The boardwalk and public dock have been completed, and, as of Jan. 11, the construction contract for the waterfront park and greenspace was officially confirmed.

The waterfront park will cover the 300 by 25 foot wide area along the marina facing the Intracoastal Waterway. There will be a 6-foot wide concrete walkway. The park will include a large lawn area with lush planting.

They plan to include a series of benches along the waterfront walkway so residents can enjoy views of the water and boating activities. There are plans for a circular seat wall near the public dock that would create an entrance to the dock area.

They plan to include a kayak storage area and a kayak launch area. There will be golf cart parking available as well as bicycle parking areas.

All of these plans did require collaboration and participation from the marina manager and restaurant tenants. Scott Toole, the general manager of the Outpost, a nearby restaurant, says he is very excited for this addition to the area.

“I think that it’s an added benefit to the island, to the residents, everybody, to have a space and to use the dock. Kayak launching is a big thing that I think people will take advantage of.” he says. “It’s really going to help make this area kind of a place of interest for people, sort of a destination so to speak, for people to be able to get some food, get some drink, watch the water and use the dock that’s right there.”

Toole says they very recently renovated the Outpost and he’s excited to see this new project bring more people to the area. He says he feels like this area of Isle of Palms is often overlooked as it is a little ways away from the main beach.

“We’ve kind of joked that it’s a small corner of the island and so, anything that’s bringing people down this direction is good for everybody. We’re excited to see this project take place,” he says.

The project is currently slated to be completed by May of this year. To provide City Council your input on this project you can click here.

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ISLE OF PALMS — A bumper crop of yard signs has sprouted across this barrier island as voters prepare for a referendum Nov. 7 that could limit short-term rental licenses.

It’s the latest skirmish in a much broader fight over the future of these sorts of vacation usages that’s been playing out across South Carolina.

“If nothing else, we are keeping the sign business afloat,” said Mayor Phillip Pounds.

Isle of Palms is among the communities on the frontlines — all places where high demand from vacationers fuels the short-term rental business. Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Folly Beach and Beaufort limit such rentals; Sullivan’s Island prohibits them; Myrtle Beach doesn’t allow new ones in residential neighborhoods.

The Isle of Palms referendum calls for imposing a 1,600 cap on short-term rental licenses for investors and second-home owners. There would continue to be no cap for homes that are the owners’ primary residence.

It’s about preserving the island’s quality of life, say supporters. More than 30 percent of the city’s registered voters signed a petition to get the referendum on the ballot.

“We have a growing number of short-term rental licenses in residential communities,” said Randy Bell, a former councilman working with pro-referendum group Preserve Isle of Palms Now. “We are trying to maintain the one-third, one-third, one-third split between full-time residents, second homes and rental properties.”

Opponents say it’s really about property rights and property values. An investment property or second home could be harder to sell, and worth less, if there’s no certainty it could be used for short-term rentals.

“What are we trying to solve?” said Hugh Swingle, an island resident whose family business is Palm Blvd Vacation Rentals. “We just don’t see that there’s an actual problem.”

The city had issued 1,625 licenses to property owners who are not full-time residents as of early October, and if the referendum were to pass, no new ones would be available until the number drops below 1,600.

“Obviously, we don’t think it’s good,” said Ryan Buckhannon, president of the Isle of Palms Chamber of Commerce. He’s a former councilman who owns an investment property licensed for short-term rentals.

Supporters and detractors of the referendum have set up websites, put out yard signs and sent mailings.

Isle of Palms United opposes the cap and claims on its website, iopunited.com, that taxes “have to” go up and property values will go down if the referendum were to pass. That group and others claim property values plunged 25 to 30 percent on Folly Beach after a February voter referendum capped short-term licenses there at 800.

Charleston Trident Association of Realtors data gives reason to question such claims. According to CTAR data, the median price of a house sold on Folly Beach in 2023 through September was down 14.9 percent, but the median price of a condo or townhouse sold there was up 28.2 percent.

“There’s no basis for the claim that property values will plummet by 40 percent,” said Bell.

Swingle, who is affiliated with Isle of Palms United, said a cap could be a big problem for people who want to sell a property in the years ahead.

“If there were a cap in place, and you own one of those tiny condos and you went to sell it, you could have a really hard time without a (short-term rental) license,” he said.

Swingle expects the vote to be close.

Preserve Isle of Palms Now supports the referendum, which the group says on preserveiop.org is about keeping the island a great place to live and preserving its residential nature by not allowing unlimited short-term rentals.

“IOP residents are either already experiencing or can foresee future problems with water and sewer capacity, traffic & parking congestion, environmental impacts, and the availability of long-term rental housing,” the group’s website says.

The Palm Republic, an organization created by former Isle of Palms Mayor Jimmy Carroll and current Councilman Blair Hahn, has also created programming opposing the referendum. Hahn even alleged in a YouTube video that referendum supporters have talked about driving down property values in order to get deals on real estate.

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The island has long been known as a place to rent a house or condo at the beach, or to have a second home that could be rented out for much of the year.

Full-time residents own about a third of the homes, and they can rent out those homes for up to 72 days each year if they have a short-term rental license. As of early October, 184 owner-occupied homes on Isle of Palms had short-term rental licenses.

“It’s a vacation spot, and has always been a rental community, to some extent,” said Pounds, the mayor, who declined to say how he will vote. “We have 1,400 condos, give or take.”

That’s a lot on an island with about 4,400 residents. Most of those condos are in Wild Dunes or former hotels in the commercial area along the beachfront, and most are for rent. Many single-family homes across the island are also licensed for short-term renters.

While full-time residents are the minority of property owners on the island, they are the only people who can vote.

The referendum is on the ballot because of a petition signed by 1,173 of the city’s 3,740 registered voters. That petition put a short-term rental ordinance before City Council, and after the council declined to pass that ordinance in July, it became a ballot referendum.

If the referendum were to pass, the ordinance would take effect.

The Isle of Palms yes/no referendum question is: “Shall the City of Isle of Palms limit the investment short term rental business licenses to a maximum of 1,600?”

Across the marsh in neighboring Mount Pleasant, which has more than 94,000 residents, just 400 short-term rental permits are allowed.

Supporters of short-term rentals hope state lawmakers will act to prohibit and invalidate any local restrictions in 2024. A measure aimed at limiting local governments’ ability to restrain short-term rentals failed earlier this year.

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Folly Beach earlier this year imposed a short-term rental cap following a referendum. Folly Beach has fewer than half as many residences as Isle of Palms, and the town now has an 800-license limit on short-term rentals.

Isle of Palms would have 1,600, plus as many licenses as full-time residents want for their homes, if the referendum were to pass. Residents will also choose four City Council members in the election, from eight candidates.

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Reach David Slade at 843-937-5552. Follow him on Twitter @DSladeNews.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD)- Parking on the Isle of Palms continues to be a contentious topic.

Some saying that a parking plan approved by the South Carolina Department of Transportation in 2015 which established resident-only parking zones needs to be revoked.

The parking plan that was approved in 2015 eliminated a significant number of free parking.

The approval was unpopular among the Charleston Beach Foundation, a group that advocates for more public access to the beaches, when it was first approved.

Now, this plan is now receiving renewed pushback.

“For Isle of Palms to eliminate parking in those right of ways is wrong to begin with and probably unconstitutional,” Parking advocate, Michael Barnett said.

Barnett, who started a petition over beach restrictions in the Lowcountry, says this parking issue has come up again after Isle of Palms voted to deny the short-term rental cap.

Barnett said, “The Isle of Palms is allowing short term rentals throughout the island, essentially making the residential only districts, commercial districts.”

Monday morning, Myra Jones with the Charleston Beach Foundation sent the City of Isle of Palms a letter, asking for the plan to be revoked, arguing IOP no longer has legitimate “residential” areas since the resolution to cap short-term rentals on the island failed.

“So, the SCDOT needs to now go back, review the 2015 parking plan, request that the Isle of Palms redo the parking plan, and they need to give back all residential only parking, they need to give back all 3,000 parking spaces that they took in 2015,” Barnett said.

Isle of Palms city council members are fighting back.

Councilman Blair Hahn providing a statement reading, “In response to Myra Jones’ letter to City council dated November 27^th, 2023, full council has not had an opportunity to discuss. However, Ms. Jones’ continued attempts to characterize the Isle of Palms as not resident friendly, not tourism friendly, not visitor friendly is nonsensical. Isle of Palms provides 8 times more public beach parking than is required by the SC Beach Front Management Act and more public parking per mile of beach than any other community in South Carolina.

Ms. Jones has previously taken her grievances to the South Carolina Courts and has lost. In my opinion, this is nothing more than another attempt of Ms. Jones to ignore the laws of the State and attempt to force her will on Charleston beach communities.

IOP city council members say they plan to discuss this more in future council meetings.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include additional information from the city, including the fact that IOP city does not set prices for the new park area.

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ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) – Construction is underway on a new Isle of Palms waterfront space that will include a pier and other amenities.

Chaundra Yudchenko, who serves as the city’s public relations and tourism coordinator, said the Isle of Palms Public Dock Renovation Project will include a new 16-foot-wide pier with swings and benches.

The project also includes a floating dock with American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant kayak and stand-up paddleboard launching.

Yudchenko said the public dock is not intended to be used for boat mooring; it will be available to the public for recreational use and passive water activities.

Construction of the public dock is set to begin in March with completion in May.

It’s all part of a 2020 vote by Isle of Palms City Council to improve the island’s marina area.

And while some are excited to have a new area to spend time with their family, others are concerned about potential costs.

“It’ll be nice to have something to bring the grandchildren over to and stuff like that- so, it’ll be nice,” said part-time resident, Dale Johns.

The project is an investment city council member Blair Hahn said was expensive but well worth it.

“The city has gone to great expense to redo the dock and we’re going to have a little green space,” Hahn said.

However, a visit to the park could cost more for non-residents. The plan is to charge visitors for parking and to launch a boat from the public dock. The cost to park is $3.50 per foot of the trailer plus a utility fee per day.

The private marina operators set fees for the new park area – they are not set by the city.

One non-resident who wanted to stay anonymous said many people are upset about this part of the plan. “The city is granting its residents special parking privileges and charging nonresidents exorbitant fees, all while calling this a “public dock.”

Hahn says fees for accessing public parks are nothing new in Charleston.

“It’s no different than Charleston County Park. They charge $20 a car to park on the island so unfortunately, that’s just a reality,” Hahn said.

The nonresident went on to say not everyone will be able to pay the fees.

“The city of Isle of Palms needs to treat residents and nonresidents the same at its “Public park” and charge everyone a fair amount, or allow free parking for everyone,” they said.

The city, according to Yudchenko, has not discussed implementing any feeds for the use of the public dock.

“Marina docks, boat launch fees, and The Outpost marina store are managed by Coastal Marinas, which is a tenant of the city. Fees for boat launching, dockage, and storage are determined by the marina tenant,” said Yudchenko.

Despite the concern, Hahn believes the park will still serve as a popular meeting spot for locals and visitors.

“We are doing everything we can to be resident-friendly and visitor-friendly and to bring people to Isle of Palms, but there’s always a cost to everything you do,” Hahn said.

Additionally, Yudchenko said the city is working with the marina restaurant, Islander 71, on a new parking layout to “increase the number and efficiency of parking spaces available to residents, visitors, and restaurant customers.”

The project is expected to be completed by May of this year.