Councilman Phillips on Crowfield Deed Restrictions

Editor's Note: Goose Creek City Councilman Mark Phillips provided a guest editorial on the  

By Mark Phillips

I support deed restriction on the golf course property. However, I do have some concerns about the final form of those restrictions being considered.

I am concerned about involving a third party in the deed restriction but I don't think Council has been briefed adequately and deliberated sufficiently yet to fully understand that aspect. I am also concerned that the proposed thrust of the deed restriction would be to prohibit subdivision of the property and is silent on any future land use.

A change in land use from Conservation Open Space to some other use is what people are concerned about. I can envision a scenario where the entire tract could be rezoned and redeveloped without being subdivided. 

I think City Council made a mistake last week by voting to table the resolution that would have continued the process of investigating the details of deed restriction. I believe that tabling a matter that has had such intense public interest is a political cop-out. I voted against tabling but was on the losing side of a 4-3 decision to stop the process.

Now some councilmembers who voted last Tuesday to block proceeding with the process appear to be realizing the error of their judgment. One of the councilmembers who voted to table is now offering a compromise and calling for more public input.

On the contrary, there has been plenty of public input during the past year or more. Public input has dominated several council and town hall meetings. There have been three city council workshops on deed restrictions and no specific compromise was offered by the opposing councilmembers.

If there are compromises that councilmembers want to offer we should have voted to pass the resolution. The compromises could then be debated during the course of developing an acceptable deed restriction and more public input would undoubtedly have been received. Right now the process is halted.

There were also objections that authorizing legal counsel to proceed would be wasting money and giving the lawyers too much latitude. My position is that City Council cannot properly frame a deed restriction without input from and interaction with legal counsel.

That was exactly what the proposed resolution was to set in motion. The lawyers will work with us to address council's concerns and draft a document that would be acceptable. Also, this matter is too important to worry about the relatively minor legal fee that would be incurred. That concern is just a smoke screen. At this point, City Council needs to take up the tabled resolution, pass it and move on — the sooner the better.

 and  have also commented on the issue.