2 Hilton Head council members voice concerns about annexing Bay Point Island

The timeline for Bay Point Island developers to come back before the Hilton Head Island Town Council is unknown, but two council members now say they have concerns about annexing the nearby undeveloped island for a proposed $100 million, five-star resort.

The council in September unanimously approved accepting a petition by Bay Point LLC for annexation of the 347-acre island. The developer plans to lease property to Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, based in Bangkok, Thailand.

Discussions on the annexation halted after Hurricane Matthew struck the region in October. Bay Point officials said then that the Category 2 hurricane damaged the private island and that annexation talks could resume in early spring.

Tom Gardo, spokesman for Bay Point, said Wednesday that a timeline for the proposed development is still not set. The Town Council in January removed the project from its priority list for this year, just days after The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette raised questions about a personal and financial relationship among Gardo, Mayor David Bennett and council member David Ames.

“We are moving forward with our due diligence and (hurricane) cleanup,” Gardo said Wednesday. “We don’t know specifically when we will be getting back with the town.”

Last week, council member John McCann sent a letter to his constituents outlining environmental concerns from Chris Marsh, executive director of the Lowcountry Institute, a nonprofit organization in Okatie that provides environmental education, outreach and research to the region, according to its website.

McCann said Wednesday he is leaning against annexing the island, given the environmental concerns.

“I haven’t made up my mind, but I am leaning one way based on the facts I have received,” he said. “I am looking at getting more information from the other side.”

Many residents of Port Royal Plantation, which sits in McCann’s district and directly across the sound from Bay Point Island, are against the proposal, McCann said.

“We live in a place where we protect the environment, and they think this is against what we believe in,” he said.

Another council member, Bill Harkins, said Wednesday he also met with Marsh recently and that he has concerns about the environmental impact of developing the island.

“I think we would diminish the brand we are trying to enhance by moving in that direction,” he said.

Other council members, however, are more undecided about the proposed resort, described as “eco-friendly.”

“I haven’t given it any thought since the hurricane, and my impression is that it is dormant,” Ames said Wednesday. “I don’t even know if the developer is still interested.”

Ames said the town has other priorities to focus on with hurricane cleanup.

Council member Tom Lennox said Wednesday he is waiting on more information about the proposed development.

“I can’t say I support the application one way or another,” he said.

McCann said he thinks it is important to start researching the proposal now.

“I want this to be a fully transparent process where everyone knows everything all the time,” he said.

Following the Town Council’s acceptance of the annexation petition in September, The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette revealed that council members had met privately with developers prior to the public meeting.

In McCann’s constituent letter, Marsh said Bay Point Island is one of the few undisturbed barrier islands in the state to provide migration resting grounds for declining shorebird populations. Development also could impact sea turtle and fish populations and increase the number of raccoons and rats on the island, Marsh said.

“The Bay Point Deep Hole is a well-known fishing destination where large fish reside,” Marsh said in McCann’s letter. “DNR biologist Dr. Brian Frazier and his research team caught and tagged a nine-foot great white shark here the first week of March 2017.”

Marsh did not return a call seeking comment on Wednesday.

Gardo said varying opinions on the issue are expected.

“We trust in the collective wisdom of the Town Council when all sides of the issue are considered,” he said.

This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 5:08 PM with the headline "2 Hilton Head council members voice concerns about annexing Bay Point Island."