What’s next for yellow eyesore buildings near Hilton Head’s bridges? An excavator.
One of Hilton Head Island’s most recognizable eyesores will soon be demolished.
Parts of the bright yellow and green buildings that once made up Fairfield Square now sit in the shadow of an excavator.
The Town of Hilton Head Island, which bought the buildings in October for $475,000, issued a demolition permit on Friday for the strip mall, which was deemed unsafe in 2019. Demolition will begin Wednesday at 8 a.m., according to town Communications Director Carolyn Grant.
The demolition is part of a concerted effort by the town to buy and clear land surrounding the island’s single entry and exit point: U.S. 278. William Hilton Parkway and the bridges are part of a $300 million construction project that will aim to reduce congestion in the area.
But in the process of preparing for the project, the town has become the biggest owner of land in the historic Stoney Community, where native islanders and their families have lived and owned businesses for generations.
What used to be there?
Demolition work is scheduled from 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Friday, although it may be extended into next week if needed, according to a town news release.
The square was once home to three businesses: Versatile Cafe & Restaurant, Tienda La Guadalupana grocery store and a Hilton Head visitor center.
But the buildings fell into disrepair after a 2014 fire, and have since been scorned by passerbys for their condition.
In 2019, the town deemed the buildings unsafe for five reasons:
- The buildings aren’t secure and can be entered from several points.
- The roof has “collapsed in multiple areas and the structure is unstable.”
- Trash and construction debris is in and around the structure.
- Interior is exposed to the elements and “further degradation.”
- It’s in a state of “inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence,” and is a fire hazard.
Following a public hearing in June 2019, then-owner Mina Bhakta said she didn’t have any immediate development plans for the property. The town determined the buildings must be made safe or demolished.
Future of US 278
Hilton Head Island’s Town Council voted unanimously in August 2020 to buy the buildings. It cost taxpayers $475,000.
The purchase was part of a 4.6-acre buy that also included a nearby plot that once housed Wesley Campbell’s fruit and seafood stand and a marine dealership. In May, the town demolished the building on that property, too.
Campbell, who relocated his stand further west on U.S. 278, said the displacement of Stoney residents and businesses is unjust.
“I’ve never seen the town or the county come through and disturb a McDonald’s, a Burger King, [or] say, a Hyatt hotel. I’ve never seen that happen,” he said. “So if they’re not being disturbed, why disturb Mid-island Garage and Carolina Seafood?”
The town has hired a land planning consultant team to help create a plan for the Stoney community, which senior advisor Shawn Caolin called “an important step in preserving and protecting the Stoney community and its cultural heritage,” in a news release.
The U.S. 278 corridor project will reach its next milestone on July 22, when the public will learn of the S.C. Department of Transportation’s “preferred alternative” for the highway.
The public hearing on the alternative will be from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Island Recreation Center.
This story was originally published June 1, 2021 at 10:51 AM.
