Hilton Head Monthly Magazine

The Town Council would like your thoughts on our Land Acquisition Philosophy.

The criteria we have used in the past to guide the purchases we have made — while still important to the Town of Hilton Head— may not be as applicable to our program as they were in the past. This is due primarily to two issues.

First, the opportunities to purchase large tracts of land for the purposes of providing space for public parks and facilities, reducing potential densities and the preservation of open space along our major arterials are slim or non-existent.

Second, the Town of Hilton Head has evolved from a period when growth management was our primary function to a period where we need to look at redevelopment and revitalization of areas of the Town. Do you believe that the following criteria should be considered by the Town Council when evaluating a parcel or a proposed acquisition?

1. Redevelopment/Economic Development: The time may have come to add land acquisition as a third tool in our efforts to encourage redevelopment. Our land acquisition funds could be used to acquire properties we feel are in need of redevelopment, demolish older structures, and potentially combine with other properties and re-sell them with use restrictions to facilitate redevelopment of older sites.
2. Hazard Mitigation: The Town has identified areas that are prone to negative impacts from natural hazards, predominantly flooding. With major flooding events we may physically lose land and structures. Buying developed sites in these areas and returning them to open space or parks would minimize the negative impacts of these flooding events.
3. Natural Resources Protection: We have used this in the past and, in my opinion, should continue to do so. This criterion is applicable to some of the Island’s waterfront property, such as along Broad Creek and Skull Creek.
4. Capital Improvement Program: This criterion has been used in the past and I believe should still be considered. While we have slowed our CIP projects due to the economy, we will continue to have a need for land for public improvements.
5. Growth Management: This criterion has been a major driver of our program in the past, but perhaps it should not be a major focus as we move forward. What do you think?

Of course, there will be ideas that come from Council or the public that are not included in the above listing. The purpose of this list of criteria is to provide a starting point for a philosophical discussion among the Council and the public about the direction of the landbuying program. Let Council know what you think.