New 'Circle to Circle' committee to study Sea Pines to Coligny corridor

By Zach Murdock via The Island Packet 

Pope Avenue, Hilton Head 

The two traffic circles at the heart of Hilton Head Island and the busy stretch of Pope Avenue between them will get some extra attention this year as part of a new town study.

The study will review existing traffic challenges in that area, its current redevelopment needs and future development plans along the corridor, including the proposed University of South Carolina Beaufort hospitality campus on Office Park Road, according to town leaders and documents.

Next week, the town's Planning Commission will appoint a "Circle to Circle" committee of a dozen citizens and town officials to lead the study, identify a 20-year plan for the area and host public hearings on their findings later this year.

The idea for the study sprouted from an effort by more than a dozen south-island residents to form such a committee and after several meetings about Coligny area improvements last year, said Tom Sharp, a Sea Pines resident who helped form the original group and will serve on the town committee.

Those residents saw one big problem: The conversations about south-end traffic, Sea Pines Circle and Coligny area improvements were all happening separately, said Sharp, a former commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation.

"The whole crux is whatever happens in the Coligny district has to move through Sea Pines Circle from a traffic standpoint," he said. "Unless you decide what should happen in Coligny, you can't test the robustness of Sea Pines circle."

"It's just time to take everything together because we seem to have had a tendency in the past to take one piece while disregarding the influence the other might have," he added.

The committee will follow through on new Mayor David Bennett's campaign promise to craft a long-term development plan the Coligny area.

"That area is an area where the town is making a very large capital investment in the coming years," Bennett said. "It's an area that's a concern today with respect to traffic around the Sea Pines Circle."

Bennett hosted many of the meetings about Coligny improvements as leader of the Planning Commission last spring before master planning became a major tenet of his successful run for mayor in November.

"It seemed like a good area to start with," Bennett said last week. "The entire island needs a similar look, and my hope would be to continue" with similar efforts in each of the town's wards.

The committee does not yet have a meeting schedule, but its membership will include citizen leaders such as Sharp, two Planning Commission members and a Town Council liaison, according to town documents. Members also will work closely with town engineers and planners, Sharp added.

"Hopefully we can sharpen our focus, put it together and start talking to people about it," Sharp said. "It has potential to be a joyous time. There will be a lot of ruckus and what have you, but if we focus on facts and not emotion, I think we might get there."

Former Adventure Inn site to become $80M Hilton-brand timeshare

Via The Island Packet

 A Myrtle Beach developer plans to spend $80 million to turn the former Adventure Inn site into Hilton-brand timeshares.

Strand Capital Group will develop the 7-acre beachfront property on Hilton Head Island. It will be the Hilton brand's and Strand's first timeshare development on the island.

The South Forest Beach resort will feature two six-story buildings with a total of 125 two-bedroom units, according to plans submitted to the town last month. The companies behind the project and their construction schedule were announced this week.

Strand Capital bills itself as "the premier timeshare real estate development firm along the Carolina Coast." It has developed nearly 20 high-rise beachfront resorts in Myrtle Beach, according to its website.

Principal partner Patrick Lowe said the Hilton hotel chain's interest in the property is what brought his company to the island.

"They are expanding their brand presence in the Carolinas," he said. "I think they've always been interested in Hilton Head."

Hilton Grand Vacations, a division of Hilton Worldwide, will be responsible for sales, marketing and management of the resort, according to a news release.

A spokeswoman for the company said a name for the resort likely will be released this spring.

Hilton plans to begin selling timeshares in April, the release said.

Plans for the resort show an administration building, two pools, an outdoor bar and grill, fitness and business centers, a lawn with live oaks, and boardwalks that lead to the ocean.

Construction should start this spring and be completed in two phases.

The first phase includes the resort amenities and the building next to the Carolina Beach Club. It is expected to be finished by summer 2016, the release said.

The second phase includes the building next to Ocean Dunes Villas. No completion date was provided in the release.

The height of the buildings will rival the tallest oceanfront structures on Hilton Head.

Buildings at Sea Crest Villas, and Omni and Sonesta hotels also are 75 feet tall, or about six stories. That's the maximum height the town allows for beachfront properties, according to land-management ordinance official Teri Lewis.

The Adventure Inn, which was built in 1963 and demolished in 2008, was an island landmark and one of Hilton Head's three original hotels.

Follow reporter Dan Burley at twitter.com/IPBG_Dan.

Related content:

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2015/01/14/3537698_former-adventure-inn-site-to-become.html?sp=/99/100/&rh=1#storylink=cpy

New resort planned for Hilton Head at site of former Adventure Inn

via The State 

by Dan Burley

Adventure Inn C 1968

Adventure Inn C 2015

A Hilton Head Island rental company has plans to transform the site of the former Adventure Inn into a beachfront resort.

Vacation Time of Hilton Head Island wants to build two six-story residential buildings on land once occupied by the inn. The complex on Lemoyne Avenue and South Forest Beach Drive would have as many as 125 two-bedroom units, according to plans submitted to the town.

Plans also call for two pools, an outdoor restaurant, a lawn, and boardwalks that lead to the ocean.

Vacation Time describes the development as a "signature destination resort." It is unclear from plans whether the buildings would be hotels, timeshares, condominiums or a combination.

The height of the buildings would rival other popular oceanfront developments on Hilton Head.

Buildings at the Beach House, Omni and Sonesta hotels are also 75 feet high, or about six stories. That is the maximum height for beachfront properties allowed by the town, according to land-management ordinance official Teri Lewis.

Vacation Time has planned to redevelop the property since 2008, when the Adventure Inn was demolished.

The inn was the last of the island's three original hotels.

Built in 1963, many early island investors stayed there, as did some of the earliest tourists who helped turn Hilton Head into a resort destination.

The inn also operated one of the island's first golf courses -- a nine-hole course across the street that was lighted for night play, where the Xanadu Villas condominium complex now stands.

Editorial: It's a brand new day for an old, tired mall

Via The Island Packet In November 1989, the popular Pineland Mall invited local kids to participate in a holiday challenge. For every pine cone the children collected, the mall would put one nickel toward the construction of a mall Christmas tree. The results overwhelmed mall owners: 80,580 pine cones were collected. And so a 10-foot tall tree made of cones was erected by the Island Recreation Department, celebrated with a tree lighting ceremony the community attended and caroling by school kids. Much has changed at the former Pineland Mall site --- later named Pineland Mill Shops and now named Pineland Station --- located at the corner of William Hilton Parkway and Mathews Drive. Some days, there seems to be more ducks than shoppers at the center. Many storefronts are vacant. Several business owners have moved out, citing Pineland Station's poor condition. And its dated appearance isn't inviting to residents or visitors. Built in 1975, it holds the dubious distinction of being one of the island's oldest shopping centers. We're pleased to see it's scheduled for a rebirth. Virginia-based Wheeler Interests announced earlier this month that it will tear down and rebuild much of the 130,000-square-foot center as part of a $20 million to $30 million renovation project. Plans include about 140,000 square feet of commercial space, including a new anchor retailer, a smaller box store, about 23 shops and a gas station. Starbucks and Stein Mart will remain. The company paid the Town of Hilton Head Island $1 million for 10 acres near Mathews Drive to create space for the makeover --- a sign that this renovation project will actually happen vs. continue to just be discussed. The renovation aligns with the town's plan to encourage refurbishment of privately owned properties. "The town is in a mode where they want the buildings upgraded. (That) is really the driver (of the renovation)," said Jonathan Guion, regional partner with Wheeler Development. We wish the developers luck. But we'd offer them a word of caution as they prep for the work: Think "Hilton Head" in all renovation decisions. As the developers of the new Shelter Cove Towne Centre recently learned, Hilton Head residents insist on adherence to an understated look that puts a priority on muted colors, tree preservation, low lighting and minimal parking. Many residents felt that Shelter Cove did not meet the community standard, voiced their concerns and wrung concessions from the developer, including more plantings and an observation deck for bird watchers. While Pineland Station is much smaller and not as centrally located as Shelter Cove, town residents will surely take note of any changes. Wheeler Interests can save itself a lot of time and stress by listening to the community from the onset. And it might be fun to revive that cone Christmas tree challenge too.

Hilton Head Town Council Meeting

The Hilton Head Town Council meets on October 21 at 4PM. 

The full agenda can be found here.

New business topics to be discussed include:

Consideration of a Recommendation – Coligny District Improvements:

Consideration of a Recommendation that Town Council approve the Conceptual Master Plan for the Coligny District Redevelopment, prepared by Wood+Partners, dated October 1, 2014.

Public Hearing on the proposed amended and restated development agreement between Shelter Cove Towne Centre LLC, Shetler Cove II LLC, and the Town of Hilton Head Island.