A new (gated?) community on Hilton Head? It’s in the works, and in a different spot

A tract of trees along a dirt road on the north end of the island may be the site of a new Hilton Head community if plans move forward with the town.

Mitchellville Heights would add nine homes to a 1.5-acre site, according to town application documents.

“I’d like to create a little community of neighbors,” Moshe Dekel, a doctor of holistic medicine, said after a preliminary development meeting Monday.

Dekel, originally from Long Island, said he “fell in love” with Mitchelville when he moved to the Lowcountry about a year ago.

Dekel’s home along Mitchelville Road would be adjacent to the nine houses, which would be roughly 2,000 to 3,800 square feet each, according to Ron Tuttle of HRT Design Construction Concepts, who is working with Dekel on the project.

“We know that it’ll be an enhancement to Mitchelville and that community,” Tuttle said after Monday’s meeting. “Not only aesthetically, but it’ll open up other doors for this type of development ... . We hope this will set a precedent.”

According to application documents, there would be five houses on the marsh side and four along Mitchelville Road.

Plans show the community would also be gated with “decorative fencing (and) lowcountry landscaping” and would have a property owners association. However, Dekel said after Monday’s meeting that a decision about gating the community is “still up for discussion.”

Dekel said there is no timeline for the project. He hopes to break ground “as soon as possible,” but there are a few hurdles to get over first.

Among other obstacles, Dekel and his team must first identify the owner of Mitchelville Road and prove they have permission to work on the right-of-way, town staff said Monday.

Tuttle said he has been in touch with the county and state but has not yet identified an owner.

The project would also require a major subdivision review by the town.

This story was originally published December 18, 2017 at 2:56 PM with the headline "A new (gated?) community on Hilton Head? It’s in the works, and in a different spot."