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Ridgeland council votes 4-1 to accept an annexation petition despite concerns the property is within the county's moratorium which is in effect until March

Bluffton Today

Ridgeland could see more growth in the near future after its Town Council voted 4-1 on Jan. 18 to accept a petition for an annexation that would include about 3,000 acres if it reached final approval.

The annexation request now goes to the town's planning commission for review, Ridgeland officials said.

Councilmen Tommy Rhodes and Bill Fishburne, Councilwoman Josephine Boyles and Mayor Joey Malphrus voted in favor of the petition. Councilwoman Libby Malphrus opposed it, stating her concern centered on Jasper County having a development moratorium in place that includes the area being considered for annexation.

"By even accepting a resolution, to spend town money to investigate this, it seems like we are not respecting the moratorium," Malphrus said during the meeting. "It feels like we are not being respectful in that and the way in which we work with our neighbors."

Town of Ridgeland Administrator Dennis Averkin said a development agreement is also being considered.

"It will also require public hearings and an ordinance. It should be noted that the two processes will run in unison," Averkin said. "There will be no annexation without a development agreement, nor a development agreement without an annexation."

Council was asked during the meeting to consider approving a resolution to accept the annexation petition of Chelsea Plantation, LLC and Keeling Cattle, LLC on three parcels.

"While this is still 'proposed,' and not yet approved, the applicant desires to annex three parcels, Chelsea North, Chelsea South and Chelsea West, totaling approximately 2,946.3 acres," Averkin said.

There is only one area proposed for development as of now, Averkin said, which is referred to as “Chelsea South” and is owned by Chelsea Plantation, LLC. He said it comprises 166.6 acres of upland and 125.1 acres of jurisdictional wetlands.

Michael Quinley, who represented the landowners at the meeting, informed the council that 3,000 acres would consist of residential, commercial, civic and recreational uses.

"Our overall gross density is less than one unit an acre," he said. "We plan to put over 45 percent of the development in our properties in a conservation and mitigation space."

Averkin added following the meeting that the proposed development includes single-family residential, multi-family residential, mixed-use commercial, and community recreation and amenities bordering SC Highway 170 North.

"Chelsea North is also owned by Chelsea Plantation, LLC, and consists of approximately 2,442.1 acres. Chelsea West is owned by Keeling Land and Cattle – COMM, LLC and consists of approximately 212.5 acres," Averkin said.

Chelsea West is contiguous to Ridgeland's corporate town limits, Averkin explained. That parcel touches the other two parcels requested for annexation, making the two eligible for inclusion in the petition request. Chelsea North and South are owned by Chelsea Plantation, LLC.

A large group of concerned citizens attended the meeting, with many asking the council to consider delaying the request until the county's development moratorium expires in March. The land that developers are seeking to have annexed is part of what is listed within the moratorium as the Euhaw Broad River Planning Area.

The Jasper County moratorium includes a temporary pause on new commercial and residential development in areas along the Broad River, S.C. Highways 170 and 462, Bees Creek Road, and the area known as the Okeetee Club, according to the county's ordinance. The county previously said the moratorium was enacted to allow time for a partial update of the future land-use map, which provides a roadmap for growth and development.

Within the moratorium, there has been a request that local municipalities honor the planning effort by not entertaining any annexations within the Euhaw Broad River Planning Area while the county moves forward.

"We were not consulted on a moratorium," Averkin said during the meeting.

Averkin said following the meeting that the annexation request from developers was submitted before the county passed its moratorium.

"To set the record straight, it should be noted that applicants contacted the town before the moratorium was passed by the county," he said. "The Town does not control if or when an applicant files an annexation petition. We don’t have the option to simply put an annexation petition back in the mail and 'return to sender' because the timing is inconvenient, we don’t like it or because someone at a neighboring jurisdiction doesn’t like it."

The newly approved petition will now go to the town's planning commission for review, Town of Ridgeland Planner Heather Spade said during the meeting. She said the earliest the final request for annexation could be considered would be at the April 4 council meeting, with that timeline subject to change.

Informational meeting to be held Feb. 8

There will be an informational meeting concerning the petition held in conjunction with the Keep Chelsea Rural Committee and the Broad River Task Force. Speakers will share details of the petition and possible annexation in the future of the three Chelsea properties at 6 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Port Royal Sound Maritime Center, 310 Okatie Highway in Okatie.

"It is important for citizens within this area and throughout the county to attend this meeting so that they understand what could possibly happen in the area into the future," Keep Chelsea Rural member Smittie Cooler said. "The speakers will be providing important information for those who attend on topics such as the environmental impact, the traffic impact, the stormwater impact and how water and emergency service would be affected by annexation."

Two new restaurants are giving Okatie residents some new dining out options along S.C. 170.

The restaurants, both with Ridgeland mailing addresses but just over the Beaufort County line, are not connected and offer widely varied menus. One is open in the mornings and one in the evenings.

What they do have in common is that they are signs of escalating retail and residential development along the heavily traveled corridor.

Brothers Te Riley and Trent Riley opened Half Day Cafe in mid-December at 2633 North Okatie Highway, as S.C. 170 is known. Te said he and Trent both felt there was a need for this type of establishment.

“There’s nothing else along this corridor that serves a homemade breakfast,” he said.

Trent owns Sunset Pizza and Full Moon Saloon located next door to Half Day Cafe. Te said diners can expect the same quality of food at Half Day Cafe.

“We do not duplicate anything from next door, and we put a fresh twist on everything,” he said.

Five different types of flapjacks, breakfast burritos, chicken and waffles, breakfast bowls, fresh fruit and sandwiches named, “The Killer,” “The Low-Bottom,” and “Cherry Point,” are on the breakfast line up.

Half Day Cafe offers a brunch menu on the weekends that runs all day, featuring shrimp and grits or biscuits and gravy. Te said both the spicy syrup and biscuits are homemade.

A few of the lunch items are chopped chicken salad, blueberry chicken salad, pattie melt, “The Wedge,” a hummus Feta plate and soup.

Te said that there will always be a soup of the day for lunch, which is decided that day. “We never know what soup we are going to do.”

Ralphie’s Pizza and Eatery opened in the Riverwalk Business Park within the last week.

“I’m from New York, and I’ve always wanted to have a pizza place down here,” said owner Joel Mathis, who has lived in Bluffton for seven years.

“We are excited to serve everybody, offer a great product with fresh ingredients, and be a part of the community,” he said.

And he looks forward to expanding to Ralphie’s to lunch hours, with a special lunch menu of two slices and a drink.

House, veggie, white and meat pies are just a portion of the pizza options offered in personal, large or extra large sizes.

In addition to the cauliflower crust option, there is a pie called “The Endicott,” which is topped with marinated grilled chicken breast and described as an “Upstate favorite.”

The appetizer offerings include mozzarella sticks, garlic knots and bruschetta.

Other menu choices are baked haddock, calzone, hippie rolls and eggplant parmigiana.

Along with adding lunch hours soon, Ralphie’s will serve alcohol as soon as its liquor license is approved.

Half Day Cafe

Ralphie’s Pizza and Eatery

In the past year of turmoil at an animal shelter in one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing counties, the latest turn of events resulted in the removal of the center’s highest-ranking position.

Jasper Animal Rescue Mission Executive Director Caitlyn Schake was abruptly terminated by the nonprofit’s board Friday. She’d been in the top job for nearly 10 years. The termination follows a string of turnover and tumult at the beleaguered Ridgeland shelter, including mass resignations, overcrowding, short-staffing and underfunding.

And with state funding for a proposed new facility now in doubt in this year’s budget, the path ahead may remain complicated.

The shelter’s board, which has undergone widespread turnover and dysfunction for the past year, terminated Schake on Friday afternoon. Members decided to “eliminate” the position “in order to save money,” according to Schake on Monday.

“I had no reason to believe this was coming,” Schake said told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette on Monday. Schake previously said she’d never been given warnings or infractions.

The board will absorb responsibilities of the executive director, replace an outgoing shelter manager and hire a new veterinary technician, said Michelle Hughes, who has been the interim board chair since March. Because the board had already taken on many of the executive director’s full-time duties, like conducting fundraising and adoption events, it financially made more sense to direct that money to other positions, Hughes explained.

When Schake asked board members Friday why she wouldn’t be given the shelter manager position by default, they responded that she could apply. Schake said did not apply for the job, because it became “pretty clear” they were “not interested” in giving her the position.

Following Schake’s termination, a series of shelter staff resignations followed. Michelle Hughes, interim board chair, said three employees remained Friday and named at least five who immediately resigned. According to Schake, only one of those employees works full time.

In response to her firing, the Schake launched a petition asking the Jasper County Council to reinstate her as the shelter’s executive director and investigate the decision to terminate her. According to the nonprofit’s bylaws, the animal rescue’s board had authority over the executive director position. In Schake’s petition she launched Sunday, she said the shelter is being “run by board members and volunteers who have no knowledge of JARM operations or shelter operations/animal welfare in general.”

“The animals need experienced staff to return and provide proper care as soon as possible,” the petition read. “Currently only one dog kennel technician and one cat kennel technician remain to care for over 200 animals.”

As of Tuesday morning, over 500 people had signed the petition.

Over the weekend, the significant shrink in staffing was bolstered by volunteers and board members who came to the shelter to help with adoptions, animal care and building cleaning.

Michelle Hughes said Monday morning that a shelter manager had been selected and a search will soon begin for a new veterinary technician. Since the board’s built back up with new members, Michelle Hughes said it’s garnered funding, set up events and continued work on maintenance issues that plague the aging county-owned shelter building.

“We have a lot of things to work through, but we’re committed to putting it right,” Michelle Hughes said. “We’re very grateful for the staff that stuck around and kept moving things along. “

Schake’s termination and the elimination of the executive director position, which the board is in charge of managing, followed the board’s near-total turnover in February, including its former president.

Mass board resignations began last year after former board vice president Robin Artz left, stating in a July 30 email that she was “tired of listening, making excuses and no actions being taken while I was on the board.” Artz’s email mostly referred to the overcrowding and poor conditions at the Jasper County center.

For months, volunteers and former rescue mission board members pushed Jasper County to address concerns about the shelter. Volunteers and former board members said the building is infested with rats, dogs and cats are left in their feces, cages are stacked three-to-four high, water bowls are full of algae and soiled laundry is piled feet-high, according to previous reporting by The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. They described the building as “unsafe” for workers and animals.

Between August and September, the shelter’s board gained six new members. By the first week of October, five of the six new board members had resigned.

After a Feb. 16 board meeting this year, three of the then-four board members left, including its president, Cindy Abernathy. Board president for six years, Abernathy told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette she resigned because she felt “attacked” and was yelled at by former board members who attended the February meeting unannounced.

“I’m not gonna sit there and have people attacking me when the only thing I tried to do was help,” Abernathy told the newspapers.

Hughes, who was at the February meeting but not on the board at the time, said no one yelled and while Abernathy “may have felt attacked ... she was not attacked.” Michelle and her husband, Keith Hughes, said they did not expect Abernathy to resign during the meeting.

Shortly after the February meeting, Michelle Hughes was made the nonprofit’s interim board chair.

Against the backdrop of the wake of Schake’s termination and a pending election to select the nonprofit’s new board of directors, the county is hashing out its own responsibilities related to the animal rescue’s building. The animal rescue mission leases the county-owned building for $1 annually.

County officials’ solution to the continuing maintenance issues and the building’s deterioration is the construction of a new shelter.

Since late August, the county has worked to fulfill a list of priority repairs affecting human and animal safety, including replacing the building’s water heater, restoring rusted exterior panels where rats got in, adding back missing roof insulation, fixing a frequently stopped-up sewer system and an ongoing rat infestation issue.

Despite the over $15,000 in repairs, county plans point to the need for a new facility.

Securing funding and completing construction of a new facility will take at least three to four years, said Rose Dobson-Elliot, the county’s director of engineering services. County officials’ solution is the construction of an $8 million facility that would be an expansion to the Beaufort County Animal Campus in Okatie. Officials want the state to pay $6.4 million; Jasper County taxpayers would put up the remaining 20%.

A budget request to the Senate earlier this year proposed designing and constructing a Regional Animal Services Complex with Beaufort County. It would also include a Wildlife Resource Center and a sheriff’s department K-9 housing unit.

On April 10, the Senate Finance Committee appropriated $1.5 million for Jasper County’s facility, but it was not included in the Senate’s approved budget. Currently, funding for the proposed facility is not included in legislative budget documents.

Due to Jasper and Beaufort counties’ rapidly growing population, wildlife habitats are shrinking and more animals are displaced, the document said. In five years, between 2018 and 2023, the United States Census estimated Jasper County’s population grew 22% from 29,147 to 35,544. In that same time frame, Hardeeville swelled even larger, growing 82% from 6,515 to 11,897.

The document added that the facility “was satisfactory ten years ago.... (but it’s) too small and has gotten into an extremely poor physical condition.”

“The current occupancy of animals is higher than available space,” the document read. “The site has poor drainage and there is limited space for outdoor needs.”

This story was originally published June 18, 2024, 11:37 AM.

The Island Packet

-843-593-7313

Sarah Haselhorst, a St. Louis native, writes about climate issues along South Carolina’s coast. Her work is produced with financial support from Journalism Funding Partners. Previously, Sarah spent time reporting in Jackson, Mississippi; Cincinnati, Ohio; and mid-Missouri.

Upholding a legacy over a century old, borne from minds of the Manhattan elite, doesn’t intimidate two teenagers living in the quietude of rural South Carolina. At this point, it’s routine for Addison and Kadence Lancaster.

Since they were 8, with the exception of a pandemic year, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has been a highlight on the 15-year-olds’ packed calendars.

While it’s the most prestigious dog show they’ve competed in since August, it was one of 18 others on their docket in the past nine months. Westminster or not, preparation is exhaustive. The days are long. Logistics and strategy can get complicated.

When the teens begin to talk about their sport, everything from an affenpinscher’s eye shape to rankings as junior handlers, a whole world unravels. It’s one that many have heard of and few understand.

But for the twin sisters, it’s a world they’ve lived in since before they can remember. After all, it’s in their blood.

In the Lancasters’ Ridgeland home, set back from winding roads and under the shade of oaks, three generations of dog handlers gather in the kitchen.

The twins were 8 when they first competed at a dog show, the girls’ grandmother, Janet Rahn, recalled, standing at the coffee maker.

“Weren’t we 6?” Kadence piped up from the kitchen table.

“No, 5,” Addison interjected, seated across from her sister.

At 5 years old the girls first showed a toy fox terrier in Charleston, their mother, Chelsy Lancaster, confirmed.

“The reason we had them is because they could lift them on the table,” Chelsy said. “They couldn’t physically lift something larger.”

Then, mostly exhilarated and well-prepared, they entered the ring on their own in matching blue dresses to start making a name for themselves. By 6, Addison showed a German shepherd. At 8, they headed to Westminster. Now, turning 16 in a month, they compete in different breed groups and have graduated to prim knee-length skirts and modest blazers.

Over a decade into the sport, they’ve shown about 100 different breeds while learning how to be a handler by assisting other professional handlers. They’ve won countless awards. Putting an exact number on how many shows they’ve gone to is difficult. Most recently, Kadence nabbed best of breed at Westminster with Hef, a Spanish water dog.

Instead of chatting about typical teenage woes, complaining about homework or gushing over crushes, the two, still with teen spirit, are all business. They explain what “fitting the best standard” means — the culmination of the dog’s attributes like height, face shape, teeth, temperament and balance. The closer the dog is to a judge’s perfect image of that breed, the more points are awarded. They talk strategy — how to rack up enough points to be top five in their chosen breed or how to get at least seven-best wins as junior handlers. Both are tickets to Westminster.

Every event throws out a new challenge. Crowds can be small or in the thousands. Each venue has different acoustics. The surface below the dogs’ paws changes, everything from dirt and grass to floor mats.

Sometimes the Lancasters are up against 15 juniors, other shows they have to beat out 50 people. Competition can be cutthroat and some competitors they’ve known since they began the sport. While Addison and Kadence are technically each other’s competition in junior showmanship and compete against hundreds of others, the identical twins couldn’t be more different.

One minute older than her sister, Addison owns the 60-second difference with pride. Shows have never made her nervous and she prefers to be left alone during them. She favors showing toy breeds, which can be more difficult to train, like her 4-year-old affenpinscher Max.

Over time, Kadence has worked to calm her nerves during shows. She’s fine with the social aspect of the events, people gathering around her and helping out younger junior handlers. Herding breeds are her preferred dogs, which are calmer, just like 3-year-old Hef.

But even if someone doesn’t know the Lancaster sisters, Addison’s made it easy to differentiate between them: She’s the one in the acetate glasses.

The Lancasters’ road to Westminster was paved before Addison and Kadence were born.

Their grandmother, Janet, started the legacy decades ago and is a co-owner of Dog Gone Sensational, a kennel, day care and dog-grooming facility that’s part of the 30-acre farm. She’s an expert behaviorist and handler. Among her accolades are an appearance on the “The Late Show with David Letterman” and a national tour with the Purina Performance Team.

She’s long been a part of the nation’s most prestigious dog show with roots that date back to 1877. A group of sporting gentlemen, who’d meet at a Manhattan bar inside a hotel named Westminster, thought it was due time to form a club where they’d keep and train their hunting dogs. Thus was formed the Westminster Kennel Club. The first show was staged to “compare their dogs in a setting away from the field,” at Gilmore’s Garden, as the club’s history goes.

Westminster is the second-oldest continuously held sporting event in the nation, just two short years after the Kentucky Derby.

Throughout its history, a cast of characters vied for a top spot at the dog show. A Russian Czar who bred a Siberian wolfhound. General George Custer’s pack and two deerhounds that were bred by the Queen of England. Philanthropist J. P. Morgan who first showed his collies in 1893. A year later, American journalist Nellie Bly entered her maltese.

Now, nearly a century-and-a-half later, Addison and Kadence continue long-held traditions that require a certain professionalism, patience and preparation that’s learned from years of being mentored. One of those is a few steps away from home — their grandmother. The other is over 200 miles away — dog handler Lexy Jessee, who lives in Florida.

The Lancasters breed, train, groom and show their dogs. It’s all on a tight timeline, one that Chelsy tracks meticulously — everything from an upcoming show in Florida to planning which of their 3-week-old boykin spaniel litter of 10 will make it as show dogs. It’s detailed out on a color-coded calendar drawn onto a chalkboard-wall in the kitchen.

Planning to breed specific dogs takes years. Training can be monthslong. Grooming can run up hours. And despite an all-day event, showing a dog in front of a judge is a brief 2-minute window.

It’s further complicated by the fact that once a show dog, not always a show dog. The dogs can cycle in and out of the show scene, in between they’re well-trained house dogs that live in the lap of luxury. Addison and Kadence train and show new breeds often, learning about the specific best standard. It’s a way for juniors to learn about different breeds through immersion.

The dog “might be with them for a year or the weekend,” Chelsy said. “And then they go back home.”

Don’t they get attached? Yes and no. There’s always the “lifers.”

Humphrey, a 6-year-old affenpinscher, lovingly called “chicken nugget,” is a lifer at the Lancaster home.

He’s unlike his fellow housemates, like 6-year-old chihuahua Buzz that gets chalk applied to his face to keep it bright white, or Max that has expertly brushed and hair-sprayed fur around his face to balance his proportions.

While show dogs still get to sleep in Addison and Kadence’s beds at night and curl up in the air conditioning, lifers stay on the farm indefinitely and can get away with breaking rules. During Christmastime, Humphrey got to sport a green fur coat and wear a red sweater.

He’s a clear family pet. But getting into dog showing is knowing most dogs will eventually go home.

“We’ve had a lot of dogs that we have placed that were wonderful show dogs but again, you only want them to have a show career for so long,” Chelsy said. “Instead of them being in a kennel, they get to go be on somebody’s sofa.”

A few in Bluffton now cruise on boats. Others on Spring Island have become golf cart riders. That’s not to say dogs on the show scene aren’t spoiled in their own ways. They have their own chiropractors, weekly beauty sessions and have their teeth cleaned with a fancy gadget that’s similar to a Waterpik.

For any of the Lancasters’ show dogs, on the circuit, back with another family or retired, it’s certainly not a dog’s life.

But it is Addison and Kadence’s world.

This story was originally published May 28, 2024, 8:00 AM.

The Island Packet

-843-593-7313

Sarah Haselhorst, a St. Louis native, writes about climate issues along South Carolina’s coast. Her work is produced with financial support from Journalism Funding Partners. Previously, Sarah spent time reporting in Jackson, Mississippi; Cincinnati, Ohio; and mid-Missouri.

JASPER COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - A controversial proposed annexation of just under 3,000 acres by the town of Ridgeland will have its first hearing on Thursday.

In just a few days, Ridgeland town council and residents will meet at 6 p.m. at the Lakeside at Blue Heron Community Center to discuss the annexation.

The proposed annexation is for land near the Jasper/Beaufort County line, containing the Chelsea Plantation. The reason for the annexation is a proposed development with hundreds of homes and apartments, as well as commercial space.

Residents take issue with multiple aspects of the annexation, including a moratorium on developing the land from Jasper County. A group against the annexation, called Keep Chelsea Rural, is planning to attend Thursday’s hearing.

“We in the state of South Carolina are just watching our small towns just be taken away, every single day. And I think Ridgeland doesn’t actually realize just what they have,” said Ashley Rhodes, with Keep Chelsea Rural.

WTOC contacted the town’s administrator, and while he was not available in-person, he sent over a statement. In it he says, “In sum, it’s fair to say that what we’re currently seeing is more about a massive demographic population shift towards South Carolina, and the South as a whole.”

Regarding the conservation of Chelsea, he said, “Most importantly, over 2,000 acres could potentially be placed in conservation/green space, meaning over 71% of the property would be protected.”

He ends the statement by saying, “I am confident that whatever decision this council eventually makes with respect to Chelsea, will also take into consideration the situation we as South Carolinians face as our state faces unprecedented growth.”

You can read the town administrator’s full statement below:

“As mentioned in our earlier call, South Carolina is currently the most popular state in the U.S. to move to, which is based upon in-bound moves versus outbound moves—boasting a ratio of 2.1. That means twice as many moves are coming into the state than headed out. South Carolina also earns the highest net real estate property searches per capital of all the states. In short, people are moving to South Carolina---and in particular the Lowcountry----in record numbers. In turn this has created an urgent need for housing inventory—and in particular in northern Jasper County, where we have an acute housing shortage. At the same time, it also places a huge burden on our road infrastructure—there is no doubt the State has failed to keep up with the necessary road infrastructure required in our area. Our roads were designed for traffic counts dating from the 1990′s, not what we currently see. In sum, it’s fair to say that what we’re currently seeing is more about a massive demographic population shift towards South Carolina, and the South as a whole.

So, while I can’t speculate what the council’s ultimate decision will be with respect to Chelsea, there are things worth mentioning. Most importantly, over 2,000 acres could potentially be placed in conservation/green space, meaning over 71% of the property would be protected. Additionally, the total density of the project would be less than one dwelling unit per acre (0.4), making it one of the lowest-density projects in the Lowcountry.

But---given that Jasper County established a multi-county industrial park in a portion of the Chelsea property in 2020, this carries some considerations that require much deeper analysis. The council fully understands that smart and balanced growth is desirable and necessary in Ridgeland, but not at any cost. The issues this council is facing are a microcosm of the issues facing our state as a whole---massive numbers of workers leaving the workforce, an ever-increasing need for environmental protection, deteriorating road infrastructure, and skyrocketing demand for housing to accommodate an ever-increasing population. I am confident that whatever decision this council eventually makes with respect to Chelsea will also take into consideration the situation we as South Carolinians face as our state faces unprecedented growth.”

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