Letter: County turns against own policies

Beaufort County’s policy toward land use in the area around the Hilton Head National Golf Course has undergone an about-face. Why?

In recent years, the county invested many millions of tax dollars from the Rural and Critical Lands Program to prevent development in this area. At least four rationales supported that policy:

Avoiding ongoing operating costs for government (sheriff, schools, etc.) that accompany residential development.

Maintaining an aesthetically appealing approach to Hilton Head Island.

Avoiding the traffic snarl that development would bring to this area.

Preventing environmental damage, such as increased stormwater runoff.

A side benefit was helping to preserve the small-town flavor of Bluffton.

In the Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2014, county policy changed radically. The largest remaining undeveloped parcel in the area, Hilton Head National, which is currently zoned rural, is opened for re-zoning to much denser development.

When Anthony Criscitiello, the county director of planning, spoke at a public discussion on April 21, I asked him how many homes are allowed on that parcel under the current rural zoning. He answered, approximately 100. I asked why the new county plan envisioned almost 10 times that many residences. He answered, because no developer would touch the project for only 100 homes.

So our new county plan encourages high density development in the gateway to Hilton Head, wasting the millions of tax dollars that were invested to create the exact opposite.

Why?

This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 9:54 PM with the headline "Letter: County turns against own policies."