Hilton Head mayor's task force tries to solve 3 problems at once

Restrictive land-use rules impede a diverse economy, and spending on marketing might not be enough to sustain the industry Hilton Head Island already has, members of a mayor's task force say.

The Mayor's Task Force for the Island's Future is in the fifth week of its "discovery phase" and met Monday to discuss reports from subcommittees on tourism, business and retirement -- the three legs of the island's economy, according to the task force's chairman.

"If you asked most islanders why they first came to the island, they would answer one of the following: for a vacation, a job or retirement," David Ames said.

At the Town Council's annual retreat late last year, council members discussed how the town might attract business not related to tourism and how areas of the island could be redeveloped.

The 13-member task force, handpicked by Mayor Tom Peeples in December, is gathering information about the island's economy and trying to make goals for the town a reality.

Obstacles to economic diversity are the town's restrictive land management ordinance and outdated buildings and infrastructure, said committee member Elizabeth Lamkin.

Right now the island's economy is almost 70 percent tourism-based, said tourism subcommittee chairman Steve Birdwell. The group is analyzing how the island markets itself under the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. The island spends one-tenth as much as similar resort towns, said Birdwell, citing Naples, Fla., as a comparable city with a $10 million marketing budget. The gap could be remedied with more sales tax dollars, but only if they establish the most effective way to use those funds.

"Everyone recognizes the need to analyze our destination marketing strategy -- where we advertise, how the money is spent," Birdwell said.

The retirement subcommittee is drafting a survey to gauge whether the island's seniors believe their needs are being met. Subcommittee chairman Willis Shay noted that retirees form the bulk of the island's residents, but even that could change.

"We have to be prepared to recognize the constancy of change," Shay said.