Letter: Get involved on major development plans

The members of the League of Women Voters of Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Area have asked Beaufort County Council to move with extreme caution before approving a development as large as Scratch Golf LLC is proposing for the Hilton Head National golf course property.

We urge concerned citizens to let their views be known by contacting council members and showing up at meetings of the council’s Natural Resources Committee’s Development Agreement Subcommittee chaired by Tabor Vaux that are expected to be held in March. Contact information for council members can be found in the league’s “Guide to Elected Officials,” available at libraries, town halls and at www.lwvhhi.org.

The impact on the natural environment would be huge — new demands on our regional water supply, possible pollution of air and water, destruction of green space and wildlife habitat. The impact on the built environment would also be huge — long lines on roads and bridges, greater use of energy, expansive impervious surfaces leading to erosion and water pollution and trapping of heat. We are also concerned the development, as currently proposed, would overburden services provided by government, including schools, the sheriff’s department and fire protection.

As stated by the League of Women Voters of South Carolina, we believe in promoting “an environment beneficial to life through the protection and wise management of natural resources in the public interest by recognizing the interrelationships of air quality, energy, land use, habitat preservation, waste management and water resources.”

Let’s hope concerned citizens will make a difference.

This story was originally published February 23, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Letter: Get involved on major development plans."