The Empire Strikes Back

It looks as if we've stumbled upon one of the abandoned movie sets of "Star Wars." That's not one of the Empire's robots behind us, but the remnants of a water tank behind the Awendaw, SC, Town Hall.

Awendaw is a small village just north of Mt. Pleasant, SC. It has been something of a fire break in the inferno of development which has largely finished off Mt. Pleasant and the undeveloped land north up to McClellanville and into the Francis Marion National Forest. As many little coastal villages have awakened to the threat of development, they have taken steps to preserve their unspoiled lands, their way of life, their sanity.

Awendaw is not an affluent community. Much of the land is occupied by families which have owned their lots and tracts for generations. If development is allowed into the community the values will skyrocket as will their property taxes. They would be taxed off of their own land. It is a lesson learned over 30 years ago when Kiawah and Seabrook Island brought high taxes to Johns and Wadmalaw Islands and drove many families off their land. We figured that the folks in Awendaw had learned from that lesson, but apparently not.

Awendaw has voted to allow municipal water lines to come into their community. Development had been waiting at this door for quite a while. To what extent developers have influenced the candidates in the upcoming election we cannot say, but logic suggests that no all are unmoved by the promise of "progress." The Empire has indeed struck back.