Hilton Head neighborhood is expanding, but these houses are already taken

A neighborhood off Marshland Road is about to expand by eight houses, according to application materials filed with the Town of Hilton Head Island design review board.

They’re part of a 20-home neighborhood on Alex Patterson Road, and construction on the new homes will take about six months, according to developer Edward Flynn.

Although the houses are very close to the Habitat for Humanity site off Marshland Road, the two developments are not related, according to Patricia Wirth, the president of Hilton Head Regional Habitat for Humanity.

Flynn said the new homes will be the same style and similar colors as the 12 that already sit on the three plots of land.

Currently, those homes are rented by the the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa and the Sea Pines Resort for their workers, Flynn said.

The new, four-bedroom homes are already rented to those entities as well, Flynn said.

The design review board will hear the application Tuesday afternoon to determine whether the houses are consistent with island character and whether the density is appropriate.

Preliminary construction on the sites began Monday, Flynn said.

Housing, rentals for the workforce on Hilton Head

The homes on Alex Patterson Road are the latest in recent housing developments aimed at the workforce following the release of a report by a town-hired affordable housing consultant in April.

In May, the local development firm The Richardson Group opened a dorm-style housing development in a former office building on Park Lane on the south end.

That building was rented through a master lease with a nearby employer, according to Lee Lucier with the Richardson Group.

New York-based developers are also trying to build between 260 and 300 apartments at the site of Hilton Head Christian Academy on Gardner Drive once the school moves to Bluffton.

That project is not specifically geared toward the workforce, but representative Emmanuel Neuman said the group likely would reserve about 10 percent of the units for local workers.

In order for that project to take root, Spandrel Development Partners needs a request for rezoning the area to be approved. The planning commission hears that request once again on Wednesday.

Katherine Kokal

The Island Packet

843-560-9158

Katherine Kokal graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and joined The Island Packet newsroom in 2018. Before moving to the Lowcountry, she worked as an interviewer and translator at a nonprofit in Barcelona and at two NPR member stations. At The Island Packet, Katherine covers Hilton Head Island’s government, environment, development, beaches and the all-important Loggerhead Sea Turtle. She has earned South Carolina Press Association Awards for in-depth reporting, government beat reporting, business beat reporting, growth and development reporting, food writing and for her use of social media.