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I have been screaming at our town that they are responsible for all the old properties that are in dire need to be redeveloped, but are not.  The Town of Hilton Head in 1987 adopted a very strict but good LMO (Land Management Ordinance), and all properties that were built at that time were grandfathered in.  However, they were not grandfathered in the event it's use changed or improvements made. In that event the property owner would have to conform the property to meet the LMO.  For many properties it was virtually impossible, or the owner would loose  valuable square footage. 

So, unfortunately 22 years later we have a number of rundown properties, and they are affecting the commercial values and are an eyesore.  Someone new to the island might think we were in terrible economic times, but that's not the problem.  We are victims of our town.  So it is comforting to read this story in our local paper today.

If you are looking for investment property contact me, and I will help you find the right investment for your needs.

Property of Charlie B Fraser 2009

From the Island Packet April 6, 2009

Island relaxes land management rules

Town hopes move encourages redevelopment By DANIEL BROWNSTEIN
dbrownstein@islandpacket.com
 

Enlarge Image Thanks to a relaxation of town rules regarding redevelopment, Stuart and Brecken Campagna plan to tear down this old dog kennel on Fish Haul Road and replace it with a new pet resort. Jay Karr • The Island Packet

Stuart Campagna and his wife, Brecken, bought an old cinder-block Hilton Head Island dog kennel last year with hopes they could level it and start anew with vacant land, a fresh canvass.

Had they bought Lowcountry Kennels on Fish Haul Road just a year before, their plans of building the more-upscale Southpaw Pet Resort would have hit a major snag.

Much of the island already was developed by the time the Town of Hilton Head Island was incorporated in 1983, and even more was built by 1987, when the town first adopted its planning code, the land management ordinance.

Many island structures pre-dating the town's formation don't comply with those planning standards. In the case of the 36-year-old kennel, the building infringed upon buffers between it and its neighbors, a vet clinic and a driveway.

If the Campagnas had wanted to put up a new building, much of their property would have been off-limits. They'd have ended up with a narrower building and not even enough room for dog runs.

"It would have been impossible," said Stuart Campagna.

Over the past two years, Hilton Head has injected some flexibility into its planning code through a series of changes to the land management ordinance. The intent is to encourage people such as the Campagnas to replace out-dated structures without requiring them to make sacrifices on building sizes and configurations.

Some of the changes apply only to specific areas of the island, like Coligny and Dunnagans Alley, where the town wants walkable districts of shops and cafes.

However, most changes are island-wide, and they mark a significant shift in town policy.

The goal had been to make all new buildings in total compliance with the planning code. Now, the goal is to push for incremental improvements -- so many aspects of properties are in compliance -- but not making the owner go all the way, which some argue is an unrealistic hurdle.

"If we want people to improve their properties, we need to be flexible and not require them to change everything," said Teri Lewis, the town's land management ordinance official.

Unfortunately, there have been few takers so far.

"We're not seeing them come in right now," Lewis said. "Part of that reason is the economy, but we think it's partially because people don't know about the changes we've made."

Town Council has set redevelopment as a major priority, but it's difficult to shake the image of a government founded to reign in growth that only recently changed course.

The new system allows "sensible discourse" between Hilton Head's planners and land owners instead of just getting a "cursory 'no,'" said Ed Evans, a co-founder and principal of Wood+Partners, an island land-planning and landscape architecture firm.

"Without some flexibility in the LMO, people who have very valuable property, some of the most visible and highly-traveled properties on Hilton Head, would not improve," Evans said. "People were sitting on their properties and not bringing them up to code because of the sacrifices to parking and the amount of lease-able space."

Among his many clients, Evans represents Plantation Center, a shopping center near the gates of Palmetto Dunes. The center recently got permission to demolish an abandoned building, so more parking could be added, something desperately needed during the lunch and dinner rushes at some of its popular restaurants, including Santa Fe Cafe.

The Campagnas hope to break ground on Southpaw Pet Resort and open the 31 kennels and 16 cat condominiums within the year.

Despite the town's changes, it wasn't easy to get the project approved, Campagna said.

"The town was helpful, but it was still a long, arduous process," he said. "There are a lot of properties on the island that just need some leniency. This is a new system, and hopefully some other building owners will take advantage of it."

Maybe the town should be asking the question if they have made it too hard for someone to renovate a property, or tear down a property and redevelop the property.  The current LMO is very strenuous on its criteria for building; most of the properties built that need to be torn down were built prior to the LMO and are not conforming today.

A developer could not rebuild the square footage that some properties currently have, and they cannot renovate more than 50% of the building value.  It is a catch twenty two!

So, now the Town wants to buy land and prepare it for resell.  Is the Town going to be subsidizing the developer, because they will over pay for the property just like they have in the past, and then add all the cost that would be incurred by the Town and expect someone to run in and buy the land.

We have vacancies, we have low rents and we have deteriorating properties.  I would recommend amending the LMO, so that existing properties can be renovated and a developer can still make money as well as the commercial tenant.  Also, allow for a more square footage per acre.

$150.00 a square foot for land is a high cost to pay for commercial property.  A 10,000 sq ft building can be built on an acre, and HWY 278 frontage sells for $1,500,000.  A building would cost another $200 a sq ft finished, and you have a $350 a sq ft building. A lease would need to be $30 a square foot.  A retail business would have to do $5,000,000 in sales a year, a restaurant would have to do $3,750,000.  These figures are based on average percentage of sales nationally for retail & restaurants.

The Town is not a developer, and the one time they tried it cost the Town millions, remember the land that was bought for low income housing?  Did we every get low income housing, no the new owner made a huge profit off the Town.

The Town is just trying figure out how to spend the $17,000,000.  I personally think they have enough property.

Property of Charlie B Fraser 2009

www.fraserrealty.net

The Island Packet article

Hilton Head looks at buying land to spur redevelopment

 By DANIEL BROWNSTEIN
dbrownstein@islandpacket.com

When Hilton Head Island conceived its land-buying program 20 years ago, the intent was to prevent growth on an island with plenty of land for development and no shortage of speculators.

Now as the island approaches build-out, Town Council members are considering using public money to buy properties, demolish outdated buildings, and rezone and resell the land to spur development in certain areas.

For instance, the town could level an empty office building and then sell the property to a developer. That developer might have had no interest in owning an office building -- especially a languishing one -- but does have use for an empty piece of land.

If a successful project then goes in that spot, it could cause neighboring landowners to improve or redevelop their properties.

Similar tactics have been used elsewhere in the state, including in Greenville and Columbia.

If the Town Council decides to go down that path, it would mark a major shift in the guiding philosophy behind the town's land-buying program, which is funded by voter-approved bonds, tax increment financing districts and a real estate transfer fee.

The seeds of the debate were sown in December when the Town Council identified promoting economic redevelopment as a major priority in the coming year in order to maintain the island's reputation as a desirable tourist destination.

Some council members have expressed frustration at the snail's pace of proposed redevelopment in the Dunnagans Alley area, where plans call for a walkable commercial district.

During a strategy session Monday, the council stuck its toes in those waters, but was far from making a decision about whether the town should start a limited program to "flip" properties. Doing so could require changing written policies.

"I think it's one of the tools we should be working with, but I don't think it should be the defining force behind our land-acquisition program," Mayor Tom Peeples said. "We need to make sure that if something comes our way, we're not going to turn our backs on it."

Making such a change is not without controversy.

In a November referendum, voters overwhelmingly approved authorizing the issuance of up to $17 million in bonds for "purchasing developed and undeveloped land, development rights and conservation easements in order to manage growth and development ... ."

Town manager Steve Riley said the language appears to give the town enough flexibility to buy land, rezone it to allow less intense development and sell it off to developers.

But the public's perception of what they voted on might differ from that interpretation.

"I don't think it's really generally in line with the public's vote in 2008," Councilman George Williams said. "The way I would have read it is that it's more of the same as what we've been doing and doesn't open up another door."

At least one resident watching Monday's meeting felt the same way.

"This community voted for that referendum based on the thought that the property would be used for parkland, bike trails and non-commercial uses," Tony Andreano said.

If the town wants to spur redevelopment with its land-buying program, Andreano argued that another bond referendum should be held.

Buying land, demolishing aging buildings and creating more restrictive zoning to promote a certain type of development could cause a ripple of welcome change, those associated with local commercial development said.

"I think it's very important for us to consider redevelopment of some of those tired places because there is a lot more competition out there as to what Hilton Head offers," said Bryan Hughes, a broker with the Hilton Head office of Maloney-Mitchell-Denton Commercial Properties.

Riley said discussions will continue about the types of purchases that should be

considered.

"I didn't get a good sense of direction one way or another," he said. "But the discussion was a starting point. Nothing ever gets solved in one meeting."

There have been numerous articles recently about the quality of water in the May River and other pristine waterways that are a part of the lowcountry estuary system. (I have posted a few below) They all lead back to one problem. Our county and town governments have dropped the ball on inspecting the way retention ponds are built, what they flow into, and how do they filtrate the pollutants that they hold.

Beaufort County has rules and regulations and standards for developers, but they seem to be more interested in natural buffers along the major thoroughfares (I call them trash collectors). A nicely landscaped buffer is much neater, more aesthetic to the eye, and provides better visibility for the commercial operators.

It shouldn't be such a big deal, what is a big deal is not taking the time, the money, the knowledgeable inspector to check on the retention ponds, and drainage of a development.

Take it one more step and make developments get bi annual water testing of their outflows.

Work with marine biologist to plant naturally plants and crustaceans that filter the water, and maintain the appropriate ecosystem in the master drainage system.

We have no one to blame but ourselves for not making sure our elected officials oversee what is taking place with inspections. Write your Town Council, and Beaufort County Council voiceing your anger for their oversight, and get them concentrating on the important things not the cutting down of weeds and dog willows along 278.

Property of Charlie B Fraser 2009

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May Day for the May River: How we can save the county's pristine waters Collins Doughtie cdad@hiltonheadisland.net 843-757-7534 Published Wednesday, January 28, 2009

I have always found it amusing how Blufftonians have defended our oysters. They aren't the biggest oysters in the country, but they sure are the sweetest, and they contain just the right amount of salt. In fact, they're the subject of many a discussion about whether they're the best in the country, which, believe it or not, has been known to stop just a tad shy of fisticuffs.

A perfect "for instance" happened not too long ago when I attended an oyster roast where I met two guests from Apalachicola, Fla. If you are not an oyster aficionado, Apalachicola is known for shipping oysters all over the country -- including to right here in Bluffton -- during the months when the water has not yet cooled and our oyster season is closed. They are big oysters alright, but to me they taste like a giant wad of cotton soaked in Lord-knows-what. For years I have tried to like them but, folks, it just ain't going to happen.

Thus I forgo eating oysters until that magic day around here when the water temperature drops and it's time to pull my boat over to a shell bank, grab my oyster knife and wallow in ecstasy as I sample the first May River oysters of the year. To make this event even better, I carry along saltine crackers and cocktail sauce, so I can shuck several oysters at a time, pile them high a cracker, drip a tad of cocktail sauce on and add another cracker to make an oyster sandwich. I swear this will make you swallow your tongue.

Since the time of the Indians, May River oysters have been a mainstay. I look at the shell middens -- which if you don't know are where the Indians would sit and shuck oysters and other shellfish. Some of these middens are 30 feet high and hundreds of feet long. Being a dreamer as well as a lover of history, I imagine how many generations of Indians -- and how many hundreds of years -- it took to pile up that many oyster shells. It just blows my mind. Since its beginning, the pristine May River has done its part to feed millions upon millions with all that it has to offer.

Not that long ago, I remember how proud we all were when we found that the May River was among only a select few bodies of water on the entire East Coast that could boast an A+ rating. We fought industry and won. We reveled whenever a story in some national publication used the May River as an example of the right way to develop in harmony with nature.

But this past week, the May River was the subject of a new piece of literature that has me terribly saddened. If I were to have named this report, I would called it "May Day For The May River."

What I have feared most has happened: A study done by the Town of Bluffton and DHEC reports that the May River is in big trouble. To illustrate just how much trouble, discussions are in the works about completely shutting down shell fishing from about one mile upstream from the Oyster Factory all the way to the May River's headwaters. Why? Pollution. To say I was stunned is an understatement. I was absolutely floored and frankly, mad as hell.

Where is this pollution coming from? It is coming from many sources, but primarily the many developments that have sprung up almost overnight in the past several years. And if you ask me, a lack of foresight and understanding of how the water run-off works in these areas is the reason our cherished May River oysters, clams and other filter feeders are threatened.

How come I saw it coming and those in power didn't? I am by no means smarter than these folks, but when building permits were being handed out like candy at a parade, I knew there would be consequences. Those consequences are now a terrible reality. To me, greed overpowered common sense.

So what can you do? Yell, scream and make your voices heard. Attend town meetings and write to those you have entrusted with our future. Unless we address this nightmare right here and now, you might just find yourself eating Apalachicola oysters from now on. How's that for a wake-up call?

Collins Doughtie is the outdoors columnist for The Bluffton Packet.

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County yet to arrange promised Okatie River water quality testing By MICHAEL WELLES SHAPIROmshapiro@islandpacket.com843-706-8142 Published Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Months after the Beaufort County Council approved in October a 1,252-home development near the Okatie River, the county hasn't moved forward with promised water quality testing. The river water testing was part of an agreement developers of Okatie Village signed in exchange for the right to build the 284-acre project, which has a mix of commercial and residential developments.

The developers, Hilton Head Island's Jim Robinson and La Casa Real Estate Development of Winston-Salem, N.C., agreed not to do any further harm to the Okatie River, most of which is off-limits for shellfish harvesting because of pollution levels.

But the county, which was responsible for getting the initial tests done, hasn't yet hired a contractor.

County stormwater manager Dan Ahern said Beaufort County, which received money from developers for testing, wants to make sure its testing methods are consistent with those used by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

"We've gone over the scope of what needs to be done," said Ahern. But, he added, the question of who will do the work and what it will cost have not yet been determined. The Okatie River is one of 970 impaired waterways in the state that the U.S. Clean Water Act requires DHEC to improve. Officials have said the agency is developing a program specific to shellfish harvesting waters that will define the maximum amount of a specific pollutant a body of water can take in and still meet state standards.

A study of the river, expected to be completed by year's end, will try to identify the pollution sources, which could be animals, failing septic tanks, stormwater drainage systems or all three. The study is a requirement for grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ahern said county and state testing methods must be the same so officials have a better understanding of the sources of the pollution.

As a result, he said, the county's testing methods must be approved by state regulators. Tom Jans, a spokesman for the Okatie Village developers, said his clients are surveying the land and performing engineering work before construction starts. The process should take six months.

"But the developers are committed as ever to provide the best protection possible for the Okatie," Jans said.

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Dog wilows and weeds are not a natural buffer, the only small animals that live in them are rats feeding on the trash collected in the weeds. It also is not the character that I have grown up with. As far as neon signs, billboards, high rises, that the most ludicrus thing a reporter could even report. That is one thing Beaufort County got right. We don't have bill boards, neon signs and high rises, and we want. I mentioned how we could work with the runoff at the beginning of this blog, and it still is valid in this disccussion.

Property of Charlie B Fraser 2009

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Developers, environmentalists clash over buffers By MICHAEL WELLES SHAPIRO and LIZ MITCHELLmshapiro@islandpacket.comlmitchell@islandpacket.com Published Sunday, January 25, 2009

Imagine the drive down U.S. 278 toward Hilton Head Island if many of the trees were replaced by high-rise buildings and hotels awash with flashy colors, bright neon signs and tall light fixtures.

It's not unusual for business groups to want their projects seen by the traveling public and tourists visiting Beaufort County.

The business groups, however, have long been at odds with environmentalists over the appropriate pace of development and the standards for building projects.

As the recession lingers, some business and government leaders have started to rethink the strict county rules on natural buffers and aesthetics involved in opening and renovating businesses.

The debate has been ongoing, mostly fought in a series of board meetings rarely attended by the public.

In November, however, the issue came to the forefront when county administrator Gary Kubic overrode the Southern Corridor Review Board, enabling a car dealership on U.S. 278 to rehabilitate its building without having to comply with the review board's requirements. In the coming months, the county plans to revisit its renovation rules, particularly the requirements for planting trees. Though businesses sometimes view those rules as onerous, the officials charged with enforcing them say they are needed to protect the area's character and environment.

REDEVELOPMENT

Kubic has voiced concerns about a jumbled county permitting process, which in lean times can make it difficult for new stores to get off the ground and for aging businesses to renovate. Kubic said it is challenging to encourage small- and medium-sized businesses to spruce up older properties. "They'll say, 'Hey, I can't afford it,'" Kubic said. "How do we get the developer to reinvest in himself, when he's saying, 'It's not worth it. I don't want another mortgage.'" Kubic has suggested using the fines the county collects from builders who violate environmental standards to help small businesses pay for required buffers. Steve Wilson, chairman of the review board, said the county should think hard before loosening requirements.

The board enforces zoning rules for tree- and shrub-filled buffers and design standards for lighting, muted colors and architecture that are consistent with the Lowcountry look. Wilson is particularly adamant about buffer requirements, which he said aren't so cost prohibitive as to prevent developers from renovating.

"I'm a big capitalist," said Wilson, a commercial real estate consultant. "I think the market drives things and businesses aren't going to let their properties turn into blight."

ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE

The county's permitting process takes time, and some businesses have said they lose money waiting to set up shop as the wheels of bureaucracy turn.

Bill Miles, president of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, said the county must balance "the needs of business to be unencumbered by undue restriction" with the area's distinctive look.

Judy Nash Timmer, the county's development review planner, said much of the board's oversight deals with maintaining that local character.

When developers approach the board with car dealerships, Timmer said they often push for the franchise building to satisfy corporate headquarters.

But those plans often clash with local standards. "They should look at what's allowed," Timmer said.

While businesses don't always like the process, Wilson said the county's regulations serve a valuable purpose. "The wants and needs of the developer really are at odds of the wants and needs of people who want to control growth and protect the environment," Wilson said. To that end, he said costs to the developer must take a back seat to buffers. Kim Jones, natural resources manager for the town of Bluffton, said buffers serve as visual barriers to screen highways or neighboring properties, provide habitat for wildlife and help protect water quality.

"We are developing more of our land and taking more habitat off the plate for wildlife to utilize," she said. Jones said encouraging the use of native vegetation and layers of tall trees and small shrubs in buffers will give birds habitat in the upper canopy while small mammals can inhabit the dense underbrush. As far as water quality, the more plants to soak up nutrients and pollutants that run off roads and parking lots, the healthier local rivers will be, Jones said. The board tries to balance development and the environment, Wilson said. If the area were any different, developers might not want to locate in Beaufort County. "Why are people coming here?" he asked. "It's not for Best Buy or for Home Depot, but for the beauty of this place."

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This is one of the articles that is alarming. Pulte did not build the runoff lagoons properly and they are a problem, how many others are their like this one? Not just in Sun City but all along 278, Buckwalter, and the New River. Beaufort and jasper Counties need to take a good hard and long look at this problem, and get with there programs and start fining people.

Property of Charlie B Fraser 2009

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Sun City developer promises to remedy lagoon problems By MICHAEL WELLES SHAPIROmshapiro@islandpacket.com843-706-8142 Published Friday, January 23, 2009

Sun City Hilton Head developer Pulte Homes on Thursday promised to fix problems with a number of lagoons in the gated community at no cost to residents. That promise was made to about 550 residents at a meeting organized by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The agency alleged in June that Pulte had built a number of lagoons in several of the community's newer neighborhoods that didn't match their original permits, a violation of state pollution laws.

Lagoons are designed to filter rainwater before it flows into nearby rivers, streams and wetlands.

DHEC officials announced Thursday that Pulte has begun the repairs in the Aster Fields, Basket Walk, Murray Hill and Water Lily Cove neighborhoods.

"We stand ready to do this work, we've started to do this work ... and it's not going to cost you a nickel," Pulte spokesman Jon Cherry told the audience. After the meeting, Cherry said he didn't know how much the work would cost.

A "lagoon action plan" submitted to DHEC shows the repairs include dredging seven lagoons and raising the water level in others by changing the height of drains.

Though residents applauded Cherry's promise, many voiced concerns that Pulte's repairs would not be thorough enough and could saddle homeowners with hefty repair costs in the future.

Several pleaded with DHEC officials to make sure the repairs are adequate. "Require Pulte to correct all the deficiencies and make sure it's done properly" said Rick McCollough, a Sun City resident who pushed DHEC to look into lagoon issues in 2007. A presentation by Tim Doyle, a Sun City resident and civil engineer, said lagoon depths should be increased beyond what Pulte has proposed to ensure water quality.

During a lengthy public comment period, many residents described living next to murky, sediment-filled lagoons they felt were too shallow.

Stuart Freeman said he'd gone out in the pond behind his home in a canoe to measure its depths. It was 4 feet at its deepest point, he said. While many residents came to the meeting to hear about the lagoons, a number also were upset that water is inundating several areas of federally protected wetlands in Sun City. Rita Niemeyer described wetlands in her neighborhood where hardwood trees have collapsed because of excess water.

"In the past 1 1/2 to 2 years it has spread so fast it's frightening," Niemeyer said. She added the view of dead and dying trees behind many residents' homes adversely affects property values.

"How do you replace all these beautiful trees?" she asked. "It breaks my heart." "We're still looking at the wetlands," said Blair Williams, a DHEC official. But he said the Army Corps of Engineers, which has oversight of wetlands, is leading that ongoing investigation.