Tickton Hall, located in Jasper County, is a 1,400-acre parcel currently covered in fields, wetlands, and forests that abuts 9,000 linear feet of Euhaw Creek. The property has been presented to the Ridgeland Town Council for annexation into the town so it can be upzoned and developed with a proposed 2,000+ homes, 30+ docks, and 250,000 square feet of commercial space.
Background of Tickton
Chelsea Plantation was a 6,000-acre family homestead extending along the banks of the Chechessee River and Euhaw Creek. The property had been maintained for hunting and forestry for generations. In 2019, it sold for $30 million and was split into three parcels – Chelsea, Chelsea South, and Tickton Hall.
Chelsea and Chelsea South were presented to Jasper County to change the zoning to allow for intense development. Bolstered by tremendous community opposition to the development proposal and generous support from donors, The Nature Conservancy purchased the Chelsea and Chelsea South parcels in 2025 to conserve them in perpetuity, with plans to sell them to the state forestry commission as a public-access state forest.
Meanwhile, the Tickton Hall property was purchased by a conglomerate of LLCs managed by developer Robert Graves. The fate of this property has emerged as the latest and last stand in determining the future of the former Chelsea Plantation and the Euhaw Creek corridor.
Tickton Hall Property
The Tickton Hall property is 1,400 acres located along Euhaw Creek, extending 9,000 feet (1.7 miles) upriver from Bolan Hall Landing. This property is within the Euhaw Creek subwatershed of the broader Port Royal Sound watershed, and is currently 7% impervious – still below the critical 10% threshold (a rare gem of watersheds). It is within incorporated Jasper County, about 10 miles from the Ridgeland town center.
Proposal for Tickton Hall
Currently, the Tickton Hall property is located in unincorporated Jasper County, zoned as Rural Preservation, which presently limits development to one home per acre. It’s situated in the proposed Euhaw Overlay District, an area of Jasper County considered to be of particular historic, cultural, and environmental importance and fragility that is being considered for additional zoning limitations.
The owners of Tickton Hall have developed a proposal for the property that includes building 2,040 homes, 30+ docks, and 250,000 square feet of commercial space – far beyond the density or approved uses currently allowed by Jasper County.
The owners of Tickton appealed to the Town of Ridgeland to be annexed into the town jurisdiction in August 2022, and again in Spring 2024 – both times without success. This summer, the proposal was presented to the Ridgeland Town Council in a slightly modified form, down from the original 3,000 homes and 75 docks.
Threat to Euhaw Creek and the Port Royal Sound
Development done well and in the right places benefits a community. The Town of Ridgeland would benefit from growth and development that supports its stated goal of revitalizing the downtown district. But development in the wrong places will forever change a place.
Research from the SCDNR reveals that when 10% of a watershed becomes impervious (rain can no longer soak into the ground), we start to see potentially irreversible changes to the physical and chemical conditions of the creeks and rivers. At 20+%, the life in that waterway is impacted.
“Measurable adverse changes in the physical and chemical environment are observed when impervious cover exceeds 10%… and living resources respond when impervious cover exceeds 20%… Headwater tidal creeks provide early warning of ensuing harm to larger tidal creeks, tidal rivers, and estuaries.” (Holland et al., 2004)
The Euhaw Creek watershed is currently 7% impervious, among the least developed watersheds in the lower Port Royal Sound watershed. Based on the little detail that has been provided in the development proposal for the Tickton Hall property, we estimate that the construction of a 2,000+ home community will increase impervious surface in the watershed to close to the 10% threshold of likely irreversible environmental damage to Euhaw Creek.
With this increased impervious surface, we estimate that the property would produce an additional 2-6 million gallons of stormwater volume in an average 1” storm.
The Tickton Hall property is not currently connected to central water and sewer services. BJWSA has indicated they are not prepared to extend service to this property, and the Ridgeland water and sewer utility does not have the capacity to service Tickton Hall. The developers propose to serve the first 140 lots with septic systems until there is sufficient volume to support a package plant – a stand-alone sewage treatment system that would need to be maintained by the community in perpetuity. Septic systems can work well in proper conditions when properly maintained. Same with package plants. But both options come with risks based on changing conditions and inconsistent maintenance that could result in fecal contamination in the environment.
Lessons from the May River
We only have to look 12 miles south of Euhaw Creek to the May River for an example of what rapid development can do to the health of a river. In 1990, the population of the Town of Bluffton was fewer than 800 residents, and only 5% of the headwaters of the May River was covered in impervious surfaces. By 2010, the population had risen to 12,500 and 25,500 by 2019 — a 3000% population increase in 40 years. With that increase, the amount of impervious surface area tripled, exceeding 15% in the headwaters by 2018.
The oyster and clam fishery in the May River had long been a source of revenue and pride for Bluffton. In 2009, shellfish beds in the headwaters region were closed for harvesting based on fecal coliform bacteria levels that consistently exceeded human health standards. The sources of contamination were traced back to leaching septic tanks as well as stormwater runoff and the pollutants that come with it.
Recognizing the cost of water quality degradation, both financially and as a source of identity and pride, the Town of Bluffton is now at the forefront of watershed conservation in the region, working to restore the May River from the problems caused by development in the wrong places. But that work comes with a hefty price tag – $32.7 million estimated for the whole watershed scope of the proposed impervious area restoration projects.
What’s Next
On Thursday, September 18, 2025, the proposal for 1) annexation into the Town of Ridgeland, 2) Change of zoning to a “Special District” designation, and 3) the Development Agreement to proceed with the proposed development plan is being presented to the Ridgeland Town Council for a first reading and vote. If the Council votes in favor, there will be an opportunity for the developers to make the requested changes to the plan, and a second reading will be scheduled, allowing for a decisive up or down vote. If the Council votes unfavorably at the first reading and vote, the proposal is considered declined. So the meeting on September 18 is critical.
PRSF Stance
The development of 2,040 homes, 30+ docks, and 250,000 square feet of commercial space on the Tickton Hall property is not the right type of development for this jewel of the Port Royal Sound watershed. Euhaw Creek remains among the least developed subwatersheds in the area – a reminder of what the entire watershed once looked like. This is one of two subwatersheds that remain below the 10% impervious surface area threshold where degradation starts to become measurable and likely irreversible. Tickton Hall is representative of why Jasper County is developing the Euhaw Overlay District to “conserve and protect the rural character of Jasper County, protect water quality in the Broad River and its tributaries, and balance development with conservation of natural and cultural resources.”
What You Can Do
- Especially if you are a resident of the Town of Ridgeland or Jasper County, EMAIL MEMBERS OF THE RIDGELAND TOWN COUNCIL, urging them to vote against this proposed annexation and development agreement for the good of Euhaw Creek and the Port Royal Sound. If the link above does not generate a pre-written email, you can find their email addresses below.
Joseph N. Malphrus Mayor jnmalphrus@ridgelandsc.gov Josephine Boyles Councilwoman jboyles@ridgelandsc.gov Bill Fishburne Councilman bfishburne@ridgelandsc.gov Libby Malphrus Councilwoman lmalphrus@ridgelandsc.gov Tommy Rhodes Councilman trhodes@ridgelandsc.gov - Please join us at the Town Council meeting on September 18 at 6:00 p.m. at 1 Town Square (Ridgeland Town Hall) to show your support and concern for Euhaw Creek.