Clam Farm dock project to downsize

Developers of The Preserve at Clam Farm, a new marshfront development near Folly Beach, have withdrawn their application to build a community marina dock and will revise the project to make the dock smaller, said Bill Eiser, project manager with the state Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.

"(The applicants) said they would be revising the project to reduce the size of the dock; (they) didn't specify how much," Eiser said.

Ken Smoak, a consultant with Sabine and Waters, a natural resource consulting firm representing the owners on the application, confirmed that the owners are reconfiguring the application to make it smaller.

"It will be substantially smaller," Smoak said, although he did not specify a size. "It was pulled because we were reconsidering the configuration."

The owners of the Clam Farm could not be reached for comment.

The original permit application asked to change the current dock on the Folly River from commercial use to a community marina use to include water and electrical hookups. The applicants asked to construct a new pier, pierhead, ramp and a 655-foot-long floating dock. The application also sought to construct 13 additional piers off the floating dock, ranging from 25 feet to 60 feet long, that could hold up to 24 boat slips.

When Folly Beach Mayor Carl Beckmann heard about the proposed size, he called the owners and told them there was no way it could be approved. "I brought them in my office and said, 'It's not going to happen.' "

Beckmann said there were legal issues with the size of the proposed dock. The city and developers agreed in 2005 to keep the dock in its current footprint.

"There was an agreement, recorded and deeded, that the (dock) footprint be no larger than what they have now," Beckmann said.

The dock is about 200 feet long, Beckmann said. "The dock permit was for what they have now plus 655 feet. That's too big."

The city of Folly Beach wrote a letter of concern to OCRM, the agency that grants community dock permits.

In turn, a public hearing was scheduled for April 30 to solicit comments from residents about the application. The hearing was canceled at the last minute when the applicants withdrew the application. Still, four people showed up at Folly Beach City Hall that night, Eiser said.

He said that when the application is updated, the agency will let the public know, and another public hearing will be scheduled. He estimates it will be about three weeks until updated plans are submitted.

"We have specific regulations on community marinas," Eiser said. "There are guidelines in making these decisions."

Beckmann said there are other reasons he is opposed to the permit application.

"It will detract from the appearance from the river," Beckmann said. "You won't be able to see marsh. You won't be able to see anything but boats."

Another concern comes from local shrimpers. Some say shrimp boats would not be able to access Crosby's Fish and Shrimp Co. as easily if the dock permit is granted. The company is directly across the river from the development.

"It would hinder the maneuvering of these big boats," said Linda Fuller, who works at Crosby's. "Especially at low tide, you need that water. It would be hazardous to navigation."

Fuller added that many people use power skis and boats in that stretch of the river, and a large dock would be dangerous.

"The impacts are numerous," Fuller said. There is a petition at Crosby's over the size of the proposed dock.

"No one is saying they can't have one," she said. "It's just too big."