USCB campus site cleared, lawsuit pending

About 56,000 square feet of dilapidated office space has been demolished on Hilton Head Island to make way for a new University of South Carolina Beaufort campus.

Construction crews recently cleared the last of two old office buildings from the 6-acre site on Office Park Road, making room for the controversial $33.5 million campus that will house the college’s hospitality management program.

For the moment, just oaks and pine trees remain.

“It looks absolutely beautiful. I wish they would put a park there,” said Kate Keep, a Hilton Head resident and former member of Town Council who is suing the town over its decision to build the campus.

Some town residents have expressed concerns about the town process by which the campus was approved and the traffic it will bring to the island’s south end, particuarly to the Sea Pines traffic circle.

Keep’s lawsuit is in the discovery phase, she said Tuesday, adding that her research has raised additional questions.

For example, Keep said the town claimed traffic at the circle increases 1 percent each year from February to June.

“Anyone who lives here will tell you it increases by 100 to 200 percent,” Keep said.

The USCB campus will only add to that traffic, Keep said. Campus officials have estimated about 200 students will attend classes there.

“When people leave USCB, they will come down Greenwood Drive and make this traffic worse,” Keep said. “It is going to be impossible to exit Sea Pines Resort. I have nothing against higher education. It is just likely this will make life very unpleasant.”

Al Panu, USCB’s chancellor, had a different point of view in a prepared statement Tuesday. He pointed out students will not be at the campus during the summer but working at the town’s resorts.

“We look forward to the construction of the building and we are a perfect fit for the vision of Mayor David Bennett and the town of Hilton Head Island for attracting economic partners,” Panu said. “We are very excited about the future of the campus. Hilton Head Island offers the best environment for true exploratory learning and will be a wonderful addition to USCB.”

The removal of the buildings from the lot is a positive step for the town and college, Panu continued.

“It shows the beauty of the site and now you can see the protected conservation easement that we might do research on in the future,” Panu said.

Derrick Coaxum, Hilton Head assistant facilities manager, said removal of the Carolina building and the old Time Warner facility, located at the site, cost the town about $484,000.

Town officials are now working on transferring over title to the college. Construction of the campus could start as early as January. Town Council approved spending $24.5 million on the work in March.

Students will start attending classes at the site in 2018.

This story was originally published June 28, 2016 at 6:35 PM with the headline "USCB campus site cleared, lawsuit pending."