Another One Bites the Dust

[Muonic]

goin2carolina,

My family is originally from the low country, and I spent all of my vacations on Pawleys Island as a kid. But, I have not been there in about 40 years, so I really can't give offer any information about the changes over the years. I just remember it as a very rural, little piece of paradise, that was a fairly well kept secret. If you didn't know the Island was there, you would drive right past it. And I don't remember there being any sort of "town" on the mainland, though there may have been and my memory is just slipping. Certainly there were no mansions, subdivisions, shopping centers, or even grocery stores. Just one little "general" store (Lachicottes).


I agree that change can be good or bad, but my childhood memories make it hard for me to accept a more modern Pawleys Island. I guess I'm just getting a little sentimental, as I grow older. That's all.

[goin2carolina]

I know what you mean...my first memory of Pawleys Island is about 25 years old, maybe a bit more. It was still a town that you'd miss if you blinked and that romanic notion still drives my desire to settle there.
-I guess my age allows me to be grateful for a few restaurants and a couple groceries to be allowed in the current picture, though.

[PawleysDude]

Originally Posted by goin2carolina

...And do you think that the push for tourist dollars over residents' needs/wants/ will continue to chip away at the charm of PI?

IMO, tourists aren't really an issue. They come in, they spend their money, they leave. Those of us who insist on living directly at the coast are the problem, with Pawleys no different than a mutitude of special little coastal treasures that have disappeared on both coasts as populations have grown. Today, over 1/2 of the US population lives within 50 miles of the coast. That's an increase of over 50 million people since 1970. Places like Pawleys are fragile environments in a delicate balance with their surroundings. That balance has been overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. We've filled in wetlands then wonder why flooding is such a problem. We've destroyed habitat for native wildlife. We've polluted the waters from run-off caused by too much paving. We've built neighborhoods directly on the coastal rivers then worry about how to deal with the "problems" of alligators and snakes. We've built directly on beach areas unsuitable for construction then erected artificial structures to fight natural erosion and migration of shorelines. We've paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by Muonic

In my mind, the building of condominiums and making the pier private, was the beginning of the end.

Actually, those condos are the reason Pawleys Island was able to save itself. When they started building those condos, the island incorporated itself and outlowed any new businesses (the four there were three B&Bs and one soda shack and since the soda shack was destroyed during Hurricane Hugo they were not allowed to rebuld) and any multiple family properties.

A couple of years ago because of those horrible monstrosities, they enacted a law that no home can exceed 5,000 square feet.

As far as Bove goes, they went under because they never paid sales tax to the state of South Carolina. Peter Ryan is a close friend of the family as are multiple investors.

It's the exact same reason Louis went under.

As far as High Hammock went, they just pissed everyone off.

Nosh is being bankrolled by Bove's investment partner Walt Frank's partner Tom Cerasera.

[hulagirlatheart]