Mitchelville lease tabled as gated community raises concerns

After questions from a gated community about the legality of renting a Hilton Head Island park to the Mitchelville Preservation Project, Town Council decided to table a decision on the lease agreement Tuesday.

Town Council approved the first reading of a lease agreement with the nonprofit unanimously last month, but Mayor David Bennett said town staff needs to research the property further before moving forward with a final agreement.

Bennett said the decision comes after staff and council members received a letter from Port Royal Plantation general manager Lance Pyle on Monday. The letter states that 14.7 acres of the 16.4-acre park were given to the town by the plantation.

Pyle said the property was conveyed with restrictive covenants that require the land to stay natural. He asked the town modify the lease agreement with Mitchelville to do this.

Town manager Steve Riley said there are some misconceptions about the covenants but wouldn’t elaborate. He said more research is needed before he can comment further.

“Since there is not a lot of clarity, we are asking to table the recommendation and bring it back in two weeks with some clarity of what the facts actually are,” Bennett said. “Without knowing what those facts are, I am not interested in modifying the lease agreement.”

The Mitchelville Preservation Project first approached Town Council asking for a lease agreement in 2010. At that time, the council said it supported the idea but asked for the organization to present a master plan before entering into a lease agreement.

The first reading of a lease agreement last month was approved by Town Council with the idea that the organization would start working on a master plan.

Shirley Peterson, nonprofit board chair, previously said that it planned to use the site to preserve the history of Mitchelville. She said the organization would use a structure or technology to do this.

Peterson was not present during Tuesday’s meeting.

Town Council member Marc Grant, who previously has said this project should have moved forward long ago, questioned the mayor and staff on how long it would take to bring the lease back to council.

Bennett replied that he hoped it could be back before council at the town’s next meeting at 5 p.m. April 18. The meeting will be held at Town Hall, 1 Town Center Court.

This story was originally published April 4, 2017 at 8:52 PM with the headline "Mitchelville lease tabled as gated community raises concerns."