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In the October issue of Hilton Head Monthly, CEO Marc Frey noted that our island has become a bit faded and we all must work to ensure that we remain a unique and desirable community. I sincerely appreciate Marc’s interest and the town couldn’t agree more.
I started to lay the groundwork for the need to improve this island — without overwhelming or overdeveloping it — more than a dozen years ago. The town made revitalization the key component of our 1999 Comprehensive Plan. We thought the community was on board as we embarked on improving the island. However, the negative reaction to our Initiative Area Studies, combined with a misunderstanding of what TIF was and is, brought us up short. We first had to have a referendum about whether this town even needed redevelopment!
I pushed for a successful referendum because I believed in the potential of this island and in the need to continually polish this gemstone we call home. An important lesson from that experience is that involving people takes education and time. The public approval process is necessarily messy and does not happen overnight if you do it right. It has taken longer than I hoped, but we are enjoying enhancements such as the Pope Avenue pathways, Mathews Drive, and Coligny Beach Park; among many others.
Today, our Planning Commission is engaged in updating our Comprehensive Plan. I am chagrined, but not surprised, that many of those who have attended the public meetings feel everything is fine and we should leave things just the way they are. Life doesn’t work that way; particularly for a resort destination. We move forward or we start to fall behind.
My goal for the island is a continual quality evolution.
I am distressed that too few are participating in this planning process. When I asked the question at the Chamber State of the Region breakfast last month, less than 10 people out of 500 attendees admitted to participating in public meetings to update this long-range plan. We need you to share your hopes and dreams for our island.
So, I welcome all who are now getting energized.
Certainly the news that Verizon will no longer sponsor our golf tournament should be a wake-up call, but I caution against overreacting to this news or to the current economy. We need to reafrm and stay true to our core values: quality development, respect for the environment and respect for our history and culture.
Together, we will move forward.
