New shops, housing proposed on Hilton Head. Here's where

More shops and housing may be coming to Hilton Head Island's south end if a plan heard by town staff Monday becomes a reality.

Barbara and Bill Maniotis, who own It's Greek to Me restaurant on Lagoon Road, want to add a new, two-story building next to their restaurant, which is across the street from Coligny Plaza.

The first floor would house three to five shops. The second would have five apartment rental units targeted at the island's workforce, said James Robinson, the project's architect. Both floors would be around 3,000 square feet, according to plans submitted to the town.

"Five units won't solve the (workforce housing) problem," Robinson said. "But it'll help."

Barbara Maniotis said that employees of It's Greek to Me, like many workers on the island, have trouble finding a place to live.

"You get people who can't afford to live on the island, and having to cross the bridge and the traffic is so difficult," she said. "If they could live close by, they could get to work."

She said the housing units would be available to any member of the island's workforce. No rental price has been set.

Because the proposal is preliminary, a timeline and a list of specific shops are unknown, Barbara Maniotis said.

Larry LaBanc, vice president of the Forest Beach Association board of directors, said the group is reviewing the community's covenants to determine if housing would be a permitted use on the site.

Housing in the area is permitted by town code.

Town staff said Monday an in-house development plan review and two approvals from the town's Design Review Board are needed for the project to move forward.

The average cost of rental units in Beaufort County rivals major cities, including Charleston, Atlanta, Houston and Seattle.

Town council made workforce development and affordable housing a 2018 priority.

Last August, plans to renovate a nearly 12,000-square-foot building at 7 Lagoon Road and add housing to the top floor were introduced.

At the time, the architect for 7 Lagoon Road said the nine housing units would be "a key cog for the housing shortage."

The first floor of 7 Lagoon now houses the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra.

This story was originally published July 3, 2018 at 12:09 PM.