Hilton Head Monthly Magazine

In December, Mayor Tom Peeples drafted some of the island’s most influential leaders to serve on a new task force charged with two things: re-evaluating the town’s core values and offering guidance to a town coping with a shifting identity. The group, dubbed the Mayor’s Task Force for the Island’s Future, set out with no less of a goal than identifying the key values, characteristics and desires that define Hilton Head Island.

“I want to build upon the great work done over the past two years by our Planning Commission and town staff in developing our new Comprehensive Plan,” Peeples said at the time.

This September, the group unveiled its findings. The 109-page Mayor’s Vision Task Force report, now available in full online, is the culmination an estimated 1,000 hours of reviewing data, consulting with local experts and identifying great strengths and clear weaknesses. Some of its strokes are broad — a major recommendation involves making the island less dependent on tourism, for instance, while another addresses the financial needs of the Heritage and a third involves creating social and shopping hubs. Some are more broad, such as finding ways to draw younger families to the island.

The following two pages feature the report’s highlights: Core Values and Key First Steps. The full report is online at hiltonheadmonthly.com/vision-task-force.

THE MAYOR’S VISION TASK FORCE TEAM

• David Ames, Task Force chairman, retired developer
• Mark Baker, co-owner of Wood and Partners land planning and landscape architecture firm
• Tom Barnwell, native islander and developer
• Steve Birdwell, president of Sea Pines Resort
• Marc Frey, CEO of Frey Media
• Joe Harden, founder of Harden Homes
• Elizabeth Lamkin, former CEO of Hilton Head Hospital
• Peter Kristian, general manager of Hilton Head Plantation
• Gail Quick, chairwoman of the Planning Commission and a former vice chancellor at the University of South Carolina Beaufort
• J.R. Richardson, Task Force co-chairman, developer and owner of Coligny Plaza
• Willis Shay, former chairman of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra
• David Tigges, a managing shareholder of the Beaufort County unit of McNair Law Firm
• Kumar Viswanathan, CEO of Asset Management Associates

Click here to read THE ROAD TO A BETTER FUTURE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CIVIC PLEDGE AND CORE VALUES

CIVIC PLEDGE:
“We will preserve Hilton Head Island’s identity by protecting the island’s unique qualities and its appeal to residents, visitors and  businesses and by holding all  policies, programs and initiatives to the principles embraced in our core values.”

CORE VALUES

1. We protect the natural beauty, environmental resources and unique sense of place of our Sea Island.
2. We embrace living in harmony with nature.
3. We sustain our community’s prosperity by broadening and deepening our economy.
4. We strive for excellence in everything we plan, build and do.
5. We cherish our history, the arts, cultural diversity and the pursuit of meaningful experiences.
6. We are a hospitable, open and friendly community.
7. We provide a serene, safe and healthy living environment for all.
8. We work together and volunteer for the greater good of the community.

< To download the full version of the report (.pdf), CLICK HERE!

KEY FIRST STEPS: A SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDED ACTIONS

Town officials have many choices in initiating Vision 2025. Certain recommendations may be set in motion soon, but will take years to be fully realized. Still others will be ongoing and lead to long-term benefits. Some actions can and should be taken quickly, thereby producing measurable results soon.

The Task Force is highlighting several actions below as key first steps. Key First Steps are meant to be doable, concrete actions with leveraged impact and relatively quick results. Their purpose is to enrich the experiences of residents and guests, to accelerate private sector investment in the three primary economic drivers, to strengthen the island’s leadership legacy of being a “green” community and/or to underscore its commitment to its Vision and Core Values. All are intended to enhance quality of life for both residents and visitors.

The following are recommended as Key First Steps in no particular order. See the Implementation Plan section of this report for additional details on these steps.

1. Enhance the long-term position of the Heritage Classic Golf Tournament with short-term public support to help bridge the gap while promoting and supporting PGA efforts to seek long-term private sponsor. This is a high priority due to the tournaments estimated $80 million impact and visibility to the community.
   
   
2. Create an Island Master Plan to identify priority revitalization and investment zones and areas suitable for “village center” redevelopment. This master plan will clearly communicate public commitments, incentives, priorities and revitalization options available to property owners, business owners and investors who may then choose to redevelop.
   
   
3. Institute Town ordinances, policies and procedures that stimulate private sector investment. In the simplest terms, steps should be taken to encourage and facilitate private sector investment consistent with island Core Values.
   
   
4. Create a “Redevelopment Authority” or “Community Development Corporation” to devise and promote revitalization programs identified by the Island Master Plan mentioned above. This autonomous or semi-autonomous body will be created to facilitate effective and timely revitalization of key areas. Although several areas on the Island could benefit from these efforts, reinvestment in the Coligny Area should be prioritized, due to its potential for greatest leverage, its popularity and epicenter qualities.
   
   
5. Establish an Island “Economic Development Leadership Commission” to promote, advocate and facilitate development of new business opportunities. At the outset this may be a task force with the goal of recommending to the Town and County the most effective structure for stimulating economic diversification. In the long term, this effort may include the addition of a permanent Town staff position to collaborate with county, state and regional economic development agencies.
   
   
6. Establish a private sector sponsored venture capital fund called “The Hilton Head Island Angel Fund” to kick-start business ventures. The island is fortunate to have the potential of having its own “Angel Fund” and the experience and knowledge to run it. This effort would send a strong message to prospective businesses and entrepreneurs and set the island apart from other communities.
   
   
7. Appoint a “Sustainability Advisory Committee” to identify, explore and promote environmental and “sustainability” options, policies and practices. The Advisory Committee will consist of representatives from the public and private sectors. The purpose of the committee would be to strengthen the Island’s environmental leadership position, enhance long term economic and environmental sustainability and attract “green” businesses and “green oriented” travelers.
   
   
8. Enhance access to technology and improve technology infrastructure. Access to technology has become an essential basic infrastructure requirement of the Island’s resort, residential and business community. All three economic drivers depend on and will benefit from improved access to technology infrastructure.
   
   
9. Increase funding for and coordinate the messages of resort and retirement marketing. The intent is to reinforce the “island message” while stimulating demand for real estate, accommodations and services. With increased occupancy and stronger balance sheets, private sector reinvestment is more likely.
   
   
10. Establish a “Hilton Head Island Institute” for the study of community health, wellness, lifestyle, ecology, planning and design where experience, theories and knowledge are shared and leveraged for the benefit of this and other communities. An institute, dedicated to enhancing communities, would, by association, elevate Hilton Head Island’s reputation as an extraordinary and desirable place to live and visit. But, more importantly, it would institutionalize the island’s leadership in community planning and keep “Quality of Life” in the forefront of island thinking.
    
    
11. Become the preferred hospitality destination for youth and adult learning by developing great historical and cultural sites and by building a center for the performing arts and intellectual and cultural activities. These endeavors underscore the community’s commitment to its core values and will be most appealing to residents and guests who share those same values.