Talks of Hilton Head short-term rental moratorium to begin behind closed doors

A fuzzy suggestion regarding a hot-button issue for residents of Hilton Head Island is getting closer to becoming a real proposal.

Behind closed doors, the Hilton Head Town Council will discuss legal advice from the town attorney about a potential moratorium on short-term rentals at their meeting Tuesday.

The discussion will take place during executive session, a portion of the meeting that is closed to the public.

Ward 1 Council Member Alex Brown spoke on WHHITV Thursday to shed light on the upcoming agenda item.

“There’s a lot involved when it comes to talking about a moratorium,” Brown said. “There’s a lot of legal information that we’ll have to address.”

He clarified that a moratorium would have a time limit, and would include a “very detailed plan as to what you’re going to accomplish in that time period to fix your issue.”

If officially proposed, the moratorium could also include subdivisions and timeshares.

One of the ways town leaders are hoping to address issues brought on by the rapid rise in short-term rentals is by updating the town’s land management ordinance, a massive policy that lays out the rules for new development.

“We’ve changed it, I think, at least 19 times in the last three years,” Brown said.

In 2014, town leaders loosened restrictions for developers in response to a post-2008-recession lull in development.

Since then, development has boomed, but not all residents are happy. Some saw their neighborhoods rapidly transform into short-term rental hotspots. A number of “cookie-cutter” subdivisions have been built or are underway.

The island saw a “huge influx” of short-term rentals during the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown said.

Four amendments to the land management ordinance are on the council’s Tuesday agenda, including changes aimed at combating “excessive tree clearing, overly linear street layouts, architectural monotony, and inadequate open space.”

An online petition asking Hilton Head leaders to enact a moratorium on short-term rentals has garnered 648 signatures at time of writing.