Looks like results are in: Hilton Head Plantation decides on short-term rentals
If you’re looking to rent a place on Hilton Head for spring break, you’ll only be able to do so in Hilton Head Plantation if your spring break lasts more than six months.
That’s the new policy after voters in one of the island’s largest gated communities have voted to ban short-term rentals, according to unofficial results released Monday morning by the POA.
Hilton Head Plantation’s election on the issue ends on March 21, but the unofficial results show there were at least 2,449 votes in favor of the ban on rentals — which just surpasses the 67 percent threshold of property owners’ votes needed to change the community’s covenants.
Although the community is mostly residential, the handful of property owners who are renting will have a several-month grace period to adjust to the new rules once the election results are made official, according to Hilton Head Plantation general manager Peter Kristian.
Hilton Head Plantation joins five other gated communities with varying short-term rental bans.
Other communities such as Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes and Shipyard are known for allowing short-term rental properties.
“Many property owners moved from these ‘resort’ environments to get away from the weekly influx of cars, traffic, and people that constantly change from week-to-week,” Kristian wrote in an email blast to Hilton Head Plantation property owners Monday morning.
Although most of the community is subject to the amendment once it’s certified, around 700 condos and homes in areas such as The Cypress, Ribault Island, Glenmore Place and Preswick Court are exempt from the change, according to Kristian.
Bill Harkins, a Hilton Head Plantation resident and the member of Town Council that represents the area, said last week the 67 percent threshold was a “steep mountain to climb.”
“But I think people have really analyzed this situation, and they support a more restrictive policy,” Harkins said. “Including myself.”
