Why north end businesses on Hilton Head may be bought out by Beaufort County
At least four Hilton Head Island businesses have been put on notice: They may have to leave their property so the island’s airport can get bigger.
In a letter dated May 10, Beaufort County attorney Thomas Keaveny explained to tenants on Hunter Road that their properties were under review to determine whether the land will be suitable for the Hilton Head Island airport terminal expansion project.
Sam Johnson, who owns Beachside Tire and Auto, said he received a letter May 23 about the possible acquisition.
“They just came in and handed me a letter,” Johnson said. “But they were on the property already when they gave it to me. There were four or five guys walking around checking it out.”
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Keaveny’s letter is straightforward about the airport’s interest in the Hunter Road area.
“The popularity of Hilton Head Island as a tourist destination continues to grow year after year as the Island wins accolade after accolade,” the letter stated, referencing the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce’s announcement that Hilton Head was named the best island in the United States in 2018 by Conde Nast Traveler.
“In order to provide for efficient operations and excellent customer experience, Beaufort County, as the airport owner, is undertaking a terminal expansion and renovation program,” the letter continued. “One aspect of this program is investigation and consideration of several ... property acquisitions immediately adjacent to the airport property.”
Jon Rembold, the county airports director, confirmed Tuesday that the airport is looking into five properties in the area, one of which is vacant.
Representatives from Stoneworks, Beachside Tire and Auto and Farmer’s Air confirmed Tuesday their businesses received letters about possible property acquisition.
Rembold said the county is in the “investigative stages” right now and couldn’t say whether buying all five lots will be necessary.
The airport announced last week it received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the terminal expansion project, which will re-work the ticketing and check-in counters to account for new service by Delta Air Lines and United Airlines on top of flights by existing carrier American Airlines.
The federal grant will not be used to fund possible property acquisitions, Rembold said. That money likely would come from the Federal Aviation Administration.
What will happen to the businesses?
The letters outline a process for the possible acquisition.
First, in getting the letter from the county, businesses were consenting to have their land surveyed.
Keaveny explained that the survey process would begin “within the next couple of months” and continue “for an undetermined period of time.”
After that, businesses would schedule an appointment with the county to begin the appraisal process.
“Following the completion of these processes, if it is necessary to pursue purchase of your property, the county will provide you with a copy of the appraisal figures. ... The county will then make an offer to purchase your property in an amount equal to its appraised value,” the letter stated.
That process could take from eight to 12 months to finalize, Keaveny explained.
County officials have partnered with PAN Inc., based in Columbia, for relocation services, the letter said.
Rembold said federal standards dictate how to move homes and businesses for public property acquisition.
“The drive of that Federal Relocation Act is to make sure that property owners are not harmed in the process,” he said. “Obviously lives are disrupted, and that’s not something that anybody takes lightly.”
The potential Hunter Road acquisitions join a growing list of airport-related movement on the north end of the island.
In February, Hilton Head Island Town Council began executive session discussions about purchasing the St. James Baptist Church and the Old Cherry Hill School north of the airport.
Representatives of the church have been in on those negotiations, which include relocating the school building and moving the church to a new building nearby, according to the Rev. Charles Hamilton at the church.
Moving the buildings will clear people out of the object-free zone of the newly expanded runway at the airport. The church was first built in 1886, while the school was built in 1937.
This story was originally published May 28, 2019 at 3:13 PM.
