Hilton Head to add pickleball courts, sand to beaches, road updates and more in 2025
The Town of Hilton Head will add sand to its beaches to counteract erosion, install and update pathways and improve roadways as part of its $166.94 million 2025 budget. About 45%, of the budget, or $74.4 million, is set to go toward long-term projects — called capital improvement projects — such as roads, pathways and beaches, shaping what the island will look like for years to come.
The $36.99 million budget increase from 2024’s $129.95 million budget comes with no millage increase to Hilton Head Island residents, meaning they will continue to pay the same rate of municipal property tax.
The town council approved the budget for the 2025 fiscal year June 4 in a 5-1 vote. The fiscal year is different than the calendar year. The town will implement this budget July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
What’s happening with Hilton Head beaches?
The town plans to add sand to beaches to combat erosion; improve beaches with paving, landscaping, and lighting; replace boardwalks and monitor endangered species.
It marks a major spending increase from last year with: 346.1% or $16.8 million increase from $4.82 million to $21.6 million.
Over half of the beach-related budget expenses are $16.5 million toward beach renourishment, a process where sand is added to eroding beaches to maintain their form.
“Peak season we would be really mobilizing,” town manager Marc Orlando said, explaining in a budget meeting that the town anticipates starting mid-summer 2025. The town submitted permits to state and federal agencies earlier this year and are waiting for approval.
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Once approved, the town will begin to move 2 million cubic yards of sand from four offshore “borrow areas” and onto Hilton Head Island beaches. It will be the fourth major renourishment since 1990 with projects planned every eight to ten years. Orlando said they are still working on dates and a communication strategy for residents and rental companies that will be impacted. Two million cubic yards is a substantial amount of sand. It roughly translates into a football field sized area covered up to 200 ft high.
The second most costly budget beach-related budget item is $3.75 million toward Islanders Beach Park improvements, which will fund a new playground, new beach access, and new crosswalks. It will also add 80 new parking spots. Construction is slated to start in October 2024.
There is 600K in the budget to assist with the dredging of Harbour Town Yacht Basin and Braddock Cove Creek. There is 99K in the budget for wheelchair storage at Coligny, Driessen, Islanders, Folly Field and Fish Haul Beach Parks. Currently, wheelchairs are locked up outdoors, but with the new storage units, with the new system “they’re not hot when you go pick ‘em up,” Orlando said. “They’re not all dirty and rainy.”
Where is the island getting new pathways?
The town is budgeted to spend $5.5 million to repair and expand its 65 miles of existing pathways. Major projects include new pathway segments on Jonesville Road, William Hilton Parkway, Dunnagan’s Alley and Cordillo Parkway at Pope Avenue.
What roadwork is to be done?
The town is budgeted to spend $10.31 million on roadways, including dirt road acquisition and paving, William Hilton Parkway enhancements, stoplight maintenance and landscaping.
Of that amount, $2.73 million is set to be spent on the dirt road acquisition and paving program, where street owners will donate right-of-way access to the town, which will then be responsible for maintaining the following roads:
- Mitchelville Lane
- Horse Sugar Lane & Alice Perry Drive
- Freddie’s Way
- Alfred Lane
- Benjamin Drive
- Pine Field Road
The town budgeted $2 million to be put into Main Street, which it took ownership over in 2023 after years of private ownership left it ridden with potholes and cracked curbs. The street is near Hilton Head Plantation and drivers use it to get to Hilton Head Hospital, the island’s public schools and shops in the Main Street Village such as Harris Teeter and Burke’s Pharmacy.
What’s happening with affordable housing?
The town is budgeting $4 million towards affordable housing, up from $3.35 million in 2024.
Of this cost, $1.5 million is set to go towards creating and adopting a “Muddy Creek Neighborhood Stabilization Plan” to improve the neighborhood’s infrastructure. Similarly, $1 million is budgeted to create a request for proposal for workforce housing construction on the 7.19-acre parcel on Bryant Road the town purchased in May 2023.
What happening with pickleball and parks?
By the end of 2025, Hilton Head residents can expect construction for 18 pickleball courts on Arrow Road to be underway, and Taylor and Patterson Family parks will be close to completion, according to Assistant Community Development Director Bryan McIlwee.
It’s part of the town’s $19.82 million budget for parks.
Other interesting items:
- The town includes a $550 per month stipend for Beaufort County Sheriffs Officers living on the island, about $135K a year.
- For the first time, there will be a town-wide litter patrol, and it’s not a 90-year-old grandma picking up the trash. “We haven’t had that traditionally in the past,” Orlando said. “We’ve kind of side hustled that, while we were picking up trash we were also cutting grass and limbs this year.”
- The town will pay $48.1K to have 110 meetings broadcast a year, adding on the William Hilton Parkway Corridor meetings, which weren’t previously broadcast
There is $36K to purchase a public safety boat to expand abandoned boat enforcement
What is the millage?
The Town of Hilton Head’s millage rate is the same as last year at 21.4 mills. This compares to the Town of Bluffton’s 38.5 and the City of Beaufort’s 73.9.
The millage rate is used to calculate property taxes with the formula: Appraised property value multiplied by assessment ratio multiplied by millage rate
Homeowners whose primary residence is in the county have a 4% assessment ratio; for those with secondary residence, it’s 6%.
The millage is the amount per $1,000 used to calculate taxes on property. One mill equals 1/1000 of a dollar or 1/10 of a cent. For example, Hilton Head Island’s tax rate is 21.4 mills, multiply .0517 by the assessed value (property value multiplied by assessment ratio) to determine the amount of property tax due.
If a home’s assessed value were $500,000 and it was a primary legal residence, the equation to determine how much tax a homeowner would pay to the town of Hilton Head Island would be:
.0214 X 500,000 X .04 = $428
If a home’s assessed value were $500,000 and it was their second home, the equation would be:
.0214 X 500,000 X .06 = $642
This story was originally published June 6, 2024 at 9:53 AM.
