Surging Port Royal surpasses 16,000 residents. ‘If you’re not growing, you’re dying’

Port Royal, which became the population king north of the Broad River in Beaufort County in 2020, continues to distance itself from second-place Beaufort, with the latest estimate putting the number of residents at over 16,000 — a 14.5% increase since 2023 and a 52.5% jump over the past 14 years.

Mayor Kevin Phillips says the town’s sense of community, Lowcountry location along the coast and relative affordability are driving the population increases. But residents must be willing to be “bold” in protecting the amenities that are fueling the population growth or risk losing them, Phillips adds.

The U.S. Census Bureau, which came out with new 10-year census figures in 2020, releases periodic updates. The latest estimated populations are as of July 2023 and were released in May.

Port Royal grew by more than 2,000 residents between 2020 and 2023 alone, with its population officially standing at 16,287 as of July 2023. It’s annual rate of growth has averaged 4.5% over that time span.

The July 2023 population of Beaufort, Port Royal’s well-known neighbor, was 13,850, a 1.8% increase from 2020. The city has grown 12% over the past 10 years. Port Royal first surpassed Beaufort in population in 2020.

South of the Broad River, the population of Bluffton now stands at 35,243, a 27.1 percent increase from 2020 and a 181% increase from 2010. Hilton Head, still the county’s largest municipality, is 38,097 residents compared to 37,666 in 2020 and 37,099 10 years ago. The population of Hardeeville, which is located in Jasper and Beaufort Counties, is increasing the fastest, jumping almost 60%, to 11,897, since 2023.

Shaping the growth

Mayor Phillips, who called for slowing down development when he campaigned for office last fall, views the growth positively, noting, “If you are not growing, you’re dying.”

Port Royal residents, says Phillips, have an opportunity to shape growth so it fits the town’s personality and environment. It’s OK that people are moving to the area, Phillips adds, but managing development will also require bold ordinances.

“We all know how this story ends if we don’t take it seriously,” Phillips says of growth. “You can look up and down the east coast of South Carolina and see what’s happening.”

The town needs to listen to developers, says Phillips, but residents have the right to have a say in how the community grows, too. Otherwise, there’s the risk of the town’s quality of life and environment becoming tarnished leaving Port Royal “anywhere USA.”

Town responds to growth

Rapid construction of apartments prompted the town to approve a 1-year moratorium on new apartment construction in April. The moratorium followed a move by the town in 2023 to strengthen its ordinance on removing trees after residents complained that too many live-oaks and other treasured species were being lost to development. The tree ordinance has already cooled down development activities, Phillips says.

Phillips says he’s proud the town took those moves, saying they are examples of the kinds of aggressive steps that are needed to shape growth in the future.

Much of the growth can be seen in new homes and apartment complexes that are rising along the Savannah Highway and Parris Island Gateway. At 30 Grober Hill Road, for example, construction of the 264-unit Zephyr Apartments is underway. And more than 300 single-family houses and “accessory dwelling units,” or ADUs, are planned in a separate project called Overland Reserve located next door to that apartment project. The projects are part of a 1,552 housing units, many of them apartments, that are under construction or in the pipeline.

What’s fueling population increase?

Phillips describes Port Royal as a tight-knit community where people come together, take care of each other and know each other. These days, he says, you don’t find that sense of community in many places and he sees that as a factor in the town’s population growth.

“Of course we have our problems and things we can do better, but when I talk to people they just love it here,” Phillips says. “They say things like, ‘I’m so thankful I found this place. I’m so thankful I moved here.’”

Outstanding natural amenities such as Sands Beach and the Cypress Wetlands and an abundance of activities, especially for young families, are other factors in the town’s growth, which is also part of a larger population increase in South Carolina, Phillips says.

In the future, additional revenue will be necessary to boost staffing levels in areas such as public safety, public works and code enforcement to meet the needs of the growing population, Phillips predicts. The town recently passed a $10 million budget, the first time in its history that the budget got into eight figures. A goal is growing the commercial base to raise additional revenue to offset the increased demand for services that growth is bringing, Phillips said.

“We’re pretty much at capacity at our town hall,” Phillips says. “We run a pretty tight ship.”

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