Hilton Head Town Council approves building new public park. Here’s where it will be located
Hilton Head Island will get a new park pending review from the federal government.
The Hilton Head Town Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the plan for Taylor Family Park, which will be located on the 5-acre Taylor Family Property on Wild Horse Road.
The park is part of the town’s 2022 Annual Action Plan, which was approved at the meeting. It will cost $236,817, and all funding will come from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program.
Not all of the money for the project is new. About $32,387 left from a 2019 Community Development Block Grant will be rolled over into the new project.
Prior to the vote, Councilman David Ames asked that a presentation of the project be given at the meeting so constituents could see what the Annual Action Plan included, and Hilton Head Senior Grants Administrator Marcy Benson gave a short review of the proposal.
Construction on the park will not start right away. The town has to send its action plan to HUD for review, and the agency must sign off within 45 days. An environmental review is also required before construction can begin.
In an interview with The Island Packet, Benson said an environmental review could take three to six months to complete. There are no drawn-up plans for the park, Benson said.
Building and preserving more green spaces is part of the Town Council’s vision for the island. The Taylor Family Property is part of the island’s Consolidated 2020-2024 Plan, which prioritizes giving low- and middle-income areas access to public facilities and services.
Taylor Park is also part of Hilton Head’s 2020-2040 plan for the island. Including the Taylor Family Property, the plan calls for three new parks to be added to the island and a fourth renovated.
The Town Council also appointed five members to the newly created Northpointe Public-Private Partnership Housing Advisory Committee. Councilmen Ames, Alex Brown and Tom Lennox will serve on the committee along with President and CEO of the nonprofit Community Foundation of the Lowcountry Scott F. Wierman and Founder and President of Asset Management Associates Kumar K. Viswanathan.
The appointments were approved 6-1 with only Councilwoman Tamara Becker voting no.
“The committee will have other responsibilities to fulfill such as proposing criteria to determine who is eligible for housing as part of this project,” Town Manager Marc Orlando said in a news release announcing the committee June 10. “We look forward to their recommendations as we continue making progress on this initiative.”
The project has received 10 proposals for the 12-acre plot of land.
“Providing affordable housing options for our workforce is critically important and is a major strategic priority for Town Council,” said Mayor John McCann in the news release. ”This public-private partnership will be the first of its kind for the Town and we feel this advisory committee will be crucial to help us successfully launch this initiative.”
This story was originally published June 22, 2022 at 12:20 PM.