Volume 2 Issue 20

February 9 , 2007

Lettitor
By Heather Holbrook

 They’re everywhere. Paper hearts, candy hearts, foil hearts. Graffiti hearts inked on walls, hearts drawn with a fingertip in the dirty film on a windshield. In the grocery store, cereal boxes shout out that their oats are heart friendly and every magazine bombards us with heart-healthy recipes. Our hearts may be light, diseased, fitted with a pacemaker, stony or bursting with joy. Here are more ways the heart has woven itself into our vernacular, all of which you are already familiar with:

• have a heart - be merciful
• change of heart - change your mind
• to know something by heart - memorize something
• broken heart - to lose love
• heartfelt - deeply felt
• have your heart in the right place - to be kind
• cry your heart out - to grieve
• heavy heart - sadness
• have your heart set on - to want something badly

There are more, but I don’t have the heart to keep going. Certainly no other bodily organ elicits this kind of response. When was the last time you had a heavy spleen? But let’s bypass the hokey stuff and get to the heart of the matter.
      I have a heart-shaped rock on my desk with the word ‘peace’ carved into it. A good friend gave it to me and I find I reach for it often…a touch stone, a paperweight, a weapon if lobbed heartily (just kidding). This heart-filled month has me thinking about the hollow, cone-shaped muscle located between the lungs and behind the breastbone. With assorted atriums and ventricles involved, and numerous very important valves, this little pump beats an average100,000 beats a day, unassisted, if we’re lucky.
      But it is the heart of a little boy named Gabe who touches mine. Although he lives here in the Lowcountry, I have never met him but know of his trials through a series of community emails sent out through the Church of the Holy Cross.
      Gabe will be in the Pediatric Cardiac ICU this Valentine’s Day. Born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, his left ventricle is atrophied and not working. It is the main pump that would normally pump oxygenated blood through the body; his oxygen saturations are at 75 – 80 % of what a normal person would be. The treatment Gabe has received over the last three and a half years has been a series of three radical open heart surgeries to “re-plumb” the heart so the right ventricle does all the work that normally requires two ventricle pumps. All these surgeries were successful – a miracle by itself. These operations included donor tissue patches to his aorta, Gortex tubes re-routing blood directly to his lungs, and quite a few other complex procedures.
      After a viral flu setback in January, Gabe’s heart function took a significant down turn. He was hospitalized for about a week and re-hydrated, but his heart function did not come back and he never really recovered. He remained blue, his parents had to keep him on oxygen, and he was in severe discomfort due to his reflux, abdominal pains (due to poor heart function), and he virtually never slept. He ended up developing congestive heart failure, gaining seven pounds of water weight in 36 hours. Gabe was ultimately diagnosed with Viral Induced Cardiac Myopathy – a damaged heart.
      Next his family is going to try some radical drug therapies, but at the same time Gabe is now going through the heart transplant process. At first, he did not qualify as a recipient due to his developmental issues, but that decision was reversed. He has gone through most of the screenings, and has passed them all. Now only time will tell, but his friends and family are encouraged and are thankful for the peace they feel. Bless their hearts! And look: at the heart of that word, encouraged, is the root word for “heart”. And that’s a beautiful thing.

"WHO ARE WE SAVING THE ISLE OF PALMS FROM?"

    Reluctantly, I feel compelled to write this letter to my neighbors in the hopes that it will be read rather than being ignored by a few rabid/perhaps misguided & certainly disrespectful individuals at the recent city council meeting where my comments would have gone unnoticed. Our Mayor, elected officials and administrators are trying to do the best job possible balancing our way of life for each resident and vacationer alike-which may be the next resident of our wonderful island.
      I think our dilemma falls under the category of --we don't mind you moving here; just don't tell us how you did it back home or to be more politically correct-what to do with my home! Apparently, some think this island is private and not to be enjoyed by others!   Charleston is unique. We live in a tri-county area  with over a half a million people wanting beach access through one of 5 barrier island/neighborhoods and the next opportunity to go to the beach is an hour away in either direction- north or south of Charleston-- to guess what--- another barrier island!  Make no mistake; even if your ideas are approved as presented it is only going to get more expensive to live here and more crowded as the ENTIRE CHARLESTON AREA GROWS!
      No one disagrees with the idea that controls already in place should be refined and used to enforce abusive rental situations and overcrowded accommodations but the elimination of families and individuals spending their vacation at the Isle of Palms or stopping construction, dictating restrictions on private property rights and predetermining my home needs is not going to take us back to the sleepy seaside times of the 19 th century!!
      For you recent “local resident arrivals” and old timers with short memories, there was an event in September of 1989-Hugo that mandated the building trend for the type of renovation and construction that exists today. FEMA allowed this community and our 4 sister islands (each with their own township to govern themselves) to rebuild/repair & INSURE existing structures if they were not over 50% structurally damaged (not 50% of total value).  This simply stated- that time would replace the older ranch style homes (as they become functionally obsolete due to age) -- not economics. Insurance was made available to the community at large because simple renovations to improve these homes would cause all properties one by one to meet CODE. (Elevated structures off the ground to allow water to flow through- rather than damage the home left on a crawl space) When you lift these older style ranches- the exterior brick walls fall off, the floor plan without moving walls was not great living space --- so what would you be saving? Moving these homes (most are donated to habitat housing) or demolishing them is more cost effective even if you choose to rebuild a home that is the same size. The most vocal save the islander in the group complaining about these issues and has a family- probably doesn’t live in 1350 sq ft with one bathroom which is the average size of the older outdated properties.
       The current ordinances already zone (+-) 98% of the island for single family residential use only—the small commercial area that exists is developed and the multi family has already been built in many instances. Neighborhoods are not being torn down & REZONED to make way for duplexes, triplexes and hotels to be built on the IOP... Current law does not allow this type of redevelopment to take place. It will never be a Myrtle Beach. Like it or not our neighborhood is still a residential/resort bedroom community adjacent to a city like Charleston that invites everyone to visit!  Every house that is built will not be the next rental and most newcomers want a primary home or true second home for their personal use.  By the towns’ own recent study, only about 25% of the available properties purchased on the island are on short term rentals. It’s the same number of rentals today THAT HAS BEEN AVAILABLE for the last 15 or 20 years -- proportionally! 
      Economically speaking, each save the island proponent might realize that the quality of life they enjoy which has superior police, fire, rescue, street and sanitation services, the latest available equipment & the most private/public school in America available to their children--- might not be available without those tax and tourist related dollars that we generate as a community.  Who is going to pay for these services? Ultimately, your town will be forced to scale back the quality & level of services you currently take for granted!
      I would like to make another assumption—no one saving the island has ever vacationed and enjoyed themselves or behaved differently than they would normally at home?
      Wouldn’t this greeting be great to post as you drive on to the island—Notice: you aren't welcome to visit or live here! Just letting you know in advance of your arrival.

Scott Layton
IOP residen

What could be more simple than subdivision?
By Kristin Hackler

     Douglas Kerr reiterated at the City Council meeting on January 23 that this really is a simple ordinance, simpler than most of Isle of Palms’ ordinances so far. “The only thing that changes is the size of lots in SR-2 (Single Residence) from 8,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet”, he said. Just a simple change, but the effects, Douglas went on to say, are a little more complicated.
      “SR-2 is one of two residential districts on the island. SR-1 will not be affected by this code. There are roughly 750 lots in SR-2; the group with smaller than 8,000 square foot lots accounts for about 140 homes which are currently non-conforming lots and will not be effected by the ordinance. Lots that are between 8,000 square feet and 12,000 square feet are currently conforming, but under the new ordinance will become non-conforming. This will affect about 300 properties.
      The 12,000 square foot to 16,000 square foot lots, which covers around 300 properties, are all conforming and will not be changed. The last category is those lots that are 16,000 square feet or larger. Under the current code of 8,000 square feet, those lots could be subdivided, under the new requirement of 12,000 square feet, those lots could not be subdivided. This affects a total of 7 properties, roughly 1 percent of the SR-2 district.”
      Mayor Sottile thanked Douglas and opened the floor to citizens’ comments. Although most of the overcrowded room had come to speak on the issue of short term rentals, all ears were open as the “roughly 1 percent” took their turns at the podium. The first to make a statement was one of three people that had arrived to speak about one of the more contentious lots, 311 Carolina Boulevard. John Wade, a representative for the property, made the argument that “in 1946, the lot (311 Carolina) was two lots. In 1963, the owner had the lots redrawn as one lot.” Last May, they asked to separate the property again into three lots and were still going through approval with DHEC in December. “Then we see a note in the paper,” John said, “that says property lot sizes were going to change.” John went on to argue that since they had already been going through the approval process, that they should be allowed to continue and that also the law should allow any lots that were historically divided into more lots should be able to return to those lots.
      John’s opinions were supported by the next speaker, 311 Carolina Blvd.’s attorney, James Wilson. James also noted that the family currently living at 311 Carolina had already torn down the old house in anticipation of dividing the property.
      Moose Morris also took a stand against the ordinance, stating he has a personal investment in this issue. Not only had he and his wife bought property on the island with hopes of one day being able to subdivide. They had bought, he noted, two 12,000 square foot lots that were adjacent to each other, thinking that one day they could split them into three 8,000 square foot lots. Moose also felt that “This ordinance, being proposed the way it has, invades citizen’s rights and we have too much of that going on everywhere. We shouldn’t have it going on here.”
      Guy Taylor even went so far as to call the gathering “a mob” and begged the mayor not to change the laws just to please the mob. His property, he said, would be affected because it would make his lot non-conforming, which would effect his mortgage rates, just to start.
      Those who opposed expressed the same sentiments as many who had come to speak on short term rentals; give the board more time to come to a more balanced conclusion, declare a moratorium.
      “It seems to me that the ordinance was done in haste to prevent short term rentals.” Said Ann Maughon. “It seems to me that we should look at a moratorium on lot subdivision and short term rentals so we can look at this rationally, not in a rush. Everyone needs more time; give it three, four, even six months. Just stop everything.” Brian Duffy also spoke, not in complete agreement with the ordinance, but with a few suggestions as to what could be fixed to make the changeover a smooth one.
      “I really feel that we should look again at a couple of things”, he said. “Seems to me, single residential homes that are in low density family neighborhoods should maintain their status. The zoning is in place and it helps maintain the integrity of established neighborhoods. No lots should have to be reduced.”
      Although Council expressed no opinions during the hearing, the crowd was certainly divided and adamant on their points, with no clear resolutions by the end of the commentary period.
      The next meeting and second reading of the ordinance will be held at the regular City Council meeting on February 27 at 7pm at the Isle of Palms City Hall.