Planter’s Row tract on Hilton Head deserves a smart plan, not a sweetheart lease | Opinion

The Planter’s Row tract on Hilton Head Island deserves a smart plan, not a sweetheart lease.

The 102-acre tract of land that was formerly the Planter’s Row golf course was purchased by the Town of Hilton Head Island in 2013 for $5 million. The seller was the Heritage Golf Group, which continues to operate two other golf courses in Port Royal Plantation.

The land has remained fallow for the six years since its purchase. It has been leased back to the Heritage Golf Group for $1 per year, with the understanding that Heritage Golf would initiate planning for a potential executive golf course on the site.

Meanwhile, the town has initiated a long-term vision and planning process that has not considered other optimal public uses for this land.

Among reasons to undertake a town planning initiative:

▪ The public investment in this property is more than $300 for every taxpaying resident family in the town. An investment of that magnitude deserves a plan that carefully addresses the tract’s future possibilities.

▪ No commercial or residential uses of this tract are allowed or anticipated by the town, and that is absolutely appropriate. However, there are many public uses for which the land is ideally located, and no island residents would benefit more than those in nearby neighborhoods, including Port Royal Plantation.

The possible land uses should not be presumed before planning is undertaken, but they might include, for instance: preserved natural areas; walking and biking trails; a nature and environmental center; an arboretum; a sculpture garden; picnic groves; fishing ponds; a pavilion for family reunions and events.

▪ This tract is owned for the benefit of the entire island and its residents. A study of its possibilities should not be impeded by leases — without bidding and at a bargain rate — that prevent its planning for the public good.

▪ Hilton Head Island does not need additional golf courses. The lack of planning for another golf course on this tract over several years of leases has led to conjecture that the real purpose of the lease is to forestall any public use of the land, regardless of the potential benefit to island residents and their quality of life.

▪ Significant positive efforts have been made recently to develop a future vision for the town, and to then proactively plan toward that vibrant future. Planning for a large, attractive, centrally-located tract such as Planter’s Row is pivotal to making the town’s overall vision and plan succeed. It also makes perfect sense to include this property in the specific planning for the surrounding district that is now commencing.

Recommendations

The current lease of the Planter’s Row tract should not be extended, so that a serious and transparent discussion of the tract’s possibilities can take place.

Further, any lease to a for-profit organization should be the result of a publicly-advertised request for proposals and competitive bids, and any lease payment should reflect the true, market value of the underlying property.

A planning process should be commenced as soon as possible for the tract. That process should include public input, expertise from the town planning staff and other planning professionals, and coordination with the town’s approved vision and current land-use planning efforts.

Jack Alderman is the retired Union Camp land manager and planner that directed the company’s long-term plans for properties in Beaufort and Jasper counties, including land donations for parks, schools, USCB, and infrastructure. He is the former board chair for United Way, Greater Island Council, and Born to Read. The thoughts expressed are his alone, without input from any organizations with which he is affiliated.

This story was originally published December 1, 2019 at 8:19 AM.