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Success Stories Renew America Success Stories  Dewees Island A DEVELOPMENT DEDICATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION Contact: John L. Knott, Jr., CEO Island Preservation Partnership Dewees Island Marina 46 41st Avenue Isle of Palms, SC 29451 tel: (803) 886-8783 fax: (803) 886-5836 email: jknott@sc.net 
Description Dewees Island is a former hideaway for pirates located just a few miles north of Charleston, SC at the tip of the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge. An unlikely spot for a housing development, that is just what it is becoming, but with a twist. The Island Preservation Partnership (IPP), the consortium of developers who are building on the island, have designed a model that ensures minimum environmental impact while maximizing economic value. Says John L. Knott, Jr., the CEO of IPP, "I've tried to create an opportunity that will prove that people can live with the environment." The cornerstone of turning the island into a sustainable community are the strict restrictions placed on construction, and on how many people can live there. Only 150 houses will be built on the entire 1,200-acre island, and each must be built in a manner that minimizes energy and water use, waste, and habitat disturbance. The goal is to leave more than 90% of the island totally undisturbed. To ensure that a harmonious relationship with nature could, indeed, be established on the island, IPP worked with local and regional environmental organizations that reviewed the development proposals. To Knott's surprise, 40% of the buyers of homesites indicate that they will make Dewees Island their permanent home. "I've never seen people so excited about a project," says Knott. "They are concerned about us being true to the guidelines and the environmental mission of the island." The environmentally-friendly lessons being learned on the island won't just stay there. IPP has made a strong commitment to sharing what it has learned with the surrounding community. IPP retains a full-time environmental educator who helps facilitate field trips and in-class instruction in local K-12 classes, as well as community seminars on environmentally-responsible construction. Every year, Dewees Island hosts an environmental building products show for property owners, architects, builders and the general public.
Program Highlights  Development Guidelines
- To fund the island's environmental programs, every time a property is sold a 1.5% transfer fee is assessed and placed into an environmental fund.
- Development is limited to 150 homesites on the 1,206 acre island. Each homesite is restricted to a 7,500 square-foot disturbance boundary.
Sixty-five percent of the Island has been designated as a wildlife refuge and is protected against any future development whatsoever. Private boat docks are prohibited. Owners share developer-built community docks. Owners are required to use indigenous or native plants for landscaping and gardens, thus eliminating the need for irrigation, pesticides and fertilizers. Transportation on the island is restricted to electric vehicles. All roads and driveways are constructed of natural sand. Impervious surfaces (e.g., cement and asphalt) are prohibited. As a result, stormwater management is simplified, erosion and runoff are reduced and increased recharge rates for the aquifer are achieved. No golf courses will ever be built. Strict regulations are in place to protect sand dunes, marshes, wetlands, lakes, creeks and shorelines from human disturbance. Home construction guidelines specify energy- and water-efficient designs. Kitchens, for instance, cannot have garbage disposals. Composting is encouraged. A full-time staff environmentalist is employed to ensure protection of the Island's ecosystem. - Vital Statistics
 Program Management/Partnerships: Dewees Island is managed by the Island Preservation Partnership and has been developed through the assistance of numerous regional environmental groups who have monitored progress on the island. Recently, Dewees entered into a partnership with the Charleston Area African American Sweetgrass Basketmakers Association enabling the Association to harvest the rare grass that grows abundantly on Dewees. Dewees works with the Architectural Resource Board for expertise on low-impact architectural designs, and Dewees helped created the Clean Water Council, dedicated to decreasing non-point source pollution in the East Cooper area (which includes Dewees Island).
Budget: The project is equity-based with a $1.1 million bank debt. Community Served: The residents of Dewees Island and the East Cooper area. Measures of Success: The Dewees Island low-tech sewer system with built-in redundancy eliminates all discharge, protecting the Island's shellfish beds. Through the elimination of irrigation and installation of low-flow water fixtures, household water consumption remains 50% below the regional average. Through wildlife refuge designations, development regulations, and reduced community infrastructure, 92% - 94% of the Island's natural habitat has been preserved. Dewees is experimenting with reducing energy consumption further by utilizing energy from the sun, wind and tides. Dewees Island cofounded The Harmony Project, a nonprofit partnership to promote the development of sustainable communities.
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