[00:00:02]
[1. Call to Order]
AHEAD AND CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.THIS IS THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND, GULLAH GEECHEE, LAND AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION TASK FORCE MEETING JUNE 2ND, 2025.
[2. Adoption of the Agenda]
AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO CALL FOR, UH, A MOTION TO ADOPT, UH, THE AGENDA BEFORE US IF THERE ARE NO CHANGES OR REVISIONS.UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR RIGHT HAND? AYE.
[3. Approval of the Minutes]
OKAY.AND WE HAVE, UH, AN APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
UM, UM, NOW, VERONICA, YOU SAID WE CAN APPROVE THE ONES FOR FEBRUARY OR WE CAN APPROVE THE ONE FOR JANUARY.
UM, AND WE CANNOT ENTER, APPROVE THE ONES FOR FEBRUARY RIGHT NOW.
SO I'D LIKE TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR JANUARY THE SIXTH.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR RIGHT HAND? AYE.
UM, OKAY, SO WE'RE MOVING RIGHT ALONG, AND THAT SHOULD TAKE SOME TIME TO SAY, UH, EVEN WITH THOSE OF US WHO ARE PRESENT, AND IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE'VE HAD A MEETING, WE'VE ALLOWED STAFF TO DO SOME GOOD WORK.
AND, UH, WE'RE, UH, PROUD OF THE WORK THAT STAFF HAS BEEN DOING, AND I HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY COLLEAGUES WHO ARE HERE AND THOSE WHO ARE EVEN IN THEIR ABSENCE.
I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND YOUR EFFORT, AND CERTAINLY YOUR PATIENCE AND FLEXIBILITY AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK, UH, ON THIS TASK FORCE.
THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE IN THE PUBLIC, UH, WE APPRECIATE YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND INVOLVEMENT AS WELL.
SO, UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR, FOR TAKING THE TIME.
[4. Staff Report]
NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS STAFF REPORT, HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD PERMITTING AND DESIGNS DUE TO REPORT, UH, AND ALSO THE, UH, HOME SAFETY AND REPAIR PROGRAM.UH, THOSE UPDATES, MS. VERONICA STEWART, AND ALSO SHE'LL BE UP HERE FOR THE SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAM AS WELL.
VERONICA STEWART, PRINCIPAL PLANNER OF HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO I'LL BEGIN WITH OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS PERMITTING AND DESIGN STUDIO REPORT.
SO FROM THE LAST REPORTING PERIOD, WHICH WAS FEBRUARY 20, 25, 9, NEW REQUESTS WERE RECEIVED THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, UM, WITH FOUR OF THOSE CASES NOW COMPLETED TO DATE.
UM, THESE CASES INCLUDED INFORMATION AS WELL AS GUIDANCE REGARDING DENSITY ALLOWANCES AND THEIR IMPACT ON PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ALLOWANCES FOR PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT, UM, THE MANUFACTURE HOUSING PLACEMENT PROCESS, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND STATUS OF OUR ROW PAVING PAVING PROGRAM.
UM, TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE INSIGHT, UM, JUST REGARDING THE PROGRAM DATA OVERALL, FROM THE INCEPTION OF THIS PROGRAM IN OCTOBER OF 2021 TO MAY OF 2025, WE HAVE HAD A TOTAL OF 106 DESIGN STUDIO CASES.
NOW, OF THOSE ONE HUNDRED AND SIX, SEVENTY ONE OF THOSE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED CASES.
AND WHEN I SAY COMPLETED, MEANING WHATEVER THAT, UM, PROPERTY OWNER COMMUNITY MEMBER CAME IN TO RECEIVE GUIDANCE OR INFORMATION ON, I WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT TO THEM AS WELL.
AS MANY OF THEM HAVE GONE ON TO CLOSE OUT SOME OF THEIR SMALL RESIDENTIAL, UM, DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PLANS.
AS ANOTHER EXAMPLE, 27 OF THOSE CASES ARE CURRENTLY ACTIVE PROJECTS.
UM, YOU'LL SEE THAT THREE OF WHICH ARE ON HOLD, UM, AS WELL AS 24 OF THEM ARE CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS, ACTIVE UNDER REVIEW.
AND I'M WORKING WITH THAT APPLICANT IN SOME CAPACITY.
UM, OFTENTIMES, UM, I'M TALKING TO THEM EVERY, EVERY OTHER WEEK, SOME OF THEM MAYBE ONCE A MONTH.
HOWEVER, THEIR PROGRAMS, THEIR PROJECTS ARE STILL, UM, ACTIVE.
YOU'LL SEE HERE THAT WE HAVE ABOUT EIGHT PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN OR EITHER INACTIVE.
THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO THERE HAS BEEN NO COMMUNICATION WITH SO FAR.
AND DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS REPORT? YES, SIR.
I, I BELIEVE WE HAD MADE A REQUEST THAT WE SHRINK THAT WINDOW OF PROJECT SUCCESS.
IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE REPORTING NOW FROM 21 TO 25, AND SOME OF THOSE CASES IN THAT REPORT MAY GO BACK AS FAR BACK AS 21, YOU KNOW, FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR MORE ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW.
AND WE COULD SHRINK THAT WINDOW TO, YOU KNOW, CURRENT YEAR MAYBE, OR MAYBE MAYBE PAST YEAR THAT WOULD
[00:05:01]
GIVE US A MORE ACCURATE ASSESSMENT AS TO WHAT'S REALLY BEING DONE.SO I KNOW PREVIOUSLY, UM, THAT CAME UP IN CONVERSATION AND I PROVIDED YOU ALL WITH A BREAKDOWN ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.
WHAT I'LL DO MOVING FORWARD IS TAKE THIS REPORT AND PROVIDE IT TO YOU ONLY FOR THE CURRENT YEAR.
AND IF YOU ALL WANT OVERALL STATUS FOR THE PROGRAM DATA, I WILL THEN PROVIDE THAT SOUNDS GOOD.
YES, THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD SUIT MY INTEREST.
AND I DON'T WANNA BE THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE THAT INTEREST, BUT THAT WOULD, I MEAN, THAT WORKS.
YEAH, IT'S NOTED AND I'LL BE SURE IT'S DONE.
AYE, IF I MAY, MS. GAVIN, UH, OR I'M SORRY STEWART, EXCUSE ME.
UM, SOME OF THESE PROJECTS ACTUALLY, UM, GO DORMANT AND THEN REACTIVATE.
SO SOME OF THE DESIGN STUDIOS THAT VERONICA IS WORKING ON NOW ARE ONES THAT WERE INITIATED SEVERAL YEARS AGO, EVEN BY MYSELF WHEN I WAS A SENIOR PLANNER.
AND SO, UM, THEY DO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, INITIATE THEMSELVES, GO DORM IT FOR SOME TIME AND THEN REAPPEAR AS, UH, FROM AN ON HOLD BACK TO AN ACTIVE CASE.
AND SO, UM, WE HAVE BOTH THAT LONG TERM RECORD KEEPING OF ALL DESIGN STUDIO CASES THAT HAVE COME IN.
BUT YES, IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT WAY OF REPORTING THEM.
BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WERE ALL AWARE THAT, UM, A LOT OF THEM, YOU KNOW, FAMILY MEMBERS AREN'T READY TO MOVE FORWARD MM-HMM
UM, WHEN THE INITIAL REQUEST IS, UM, CONSIDERED OR INFORMATION IS GIVEN OUT, AND THEN AS TIME GOES BY, THE READINESS, UM, BECOMES, YOU KNOW, MORE RIPE AND THEY, UM, REACTIVATE WITH THE TOWN TO MOVE THEIR PROJECT OR IDEA FORWARD.
SO, UM, BUT, BUT THERE ARE SOME NOW THAT, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE HOPPER FOR QUITE SOME TIME THAT ARE, THAT ARE ACTIVE AGAIN.
SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU THAT HISTORY, UM, ON JUST KIND OF THE, THE LONG-TERM NATURE OF SOME OF THESE DESIGN STUDIO, UH, CASES.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS PERMITTING AND DESIGN STUDIO? THANK YOU.
WE'LL MOVE AHEAD TO OUR HOME SAFETY AND REPAIR, UM, PROGRAM UPDATE.
UM, JUST LIKE THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS PERMITTING AND DESIGN STUDIO, THE LAST REPORTING PERIOD FOR THIS PROJECT WAS FEBRUARY, 2025.
AND SINCE THAT TIME, MULTIPLE PROJECTS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED OUT, UM, POSITIVELY IMPACTING FAMILIES HERE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, OUR PROGRAM'S TEAM REMAINS FOCUSED ON COMPLETING THE REMAINING PROJECTS UNDER CONTRACT, WHILE OF COURSE RESEARCHING FUNDING AVENUES TO ENSURE THE PROGRAM'S SUSTAINABILITY AS WELL AS CONTINUED SUCCESS.
UM, IT HAS NOT BEEN MADE MANDATORY, HOWEVER, WE HAVE ASKED THAT ALL OF OUR CONTRACTORS FOR THE HOME SAFETY AND REPAIR PROGRAM CLOSE OUT ALL THEIR PROJECTS BY JUNE THE 30TH TO ENCOURAGE TIMELY COMPLETION AND REDUCE THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS CARRIED OVER.
UM, I AM FOR THIS PROJECT OVERALL, UM, KIND OF SIMILAR TO WHAT MISSY HINTED ON, UM, PREVIOUSLY WITH REGARDING THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD PERMITTING AND DESIGN STUDIO.
THIS PROGRAM DATA DOES REFLECT FROM THE TIME, THE INCEPTION OF THIS PROGRAM TO MAY OF 2025.
UM, AND WE HAVE RECEIVED ABOUT 162 APPLICATIONS.
OF THOSE 162 APPLICATIONS, NINE OF THEM DID NOT MEET INCOME QUALIFICATIONS.
FOUR OF THOSE APPLICATIONS WERE WITHDRAWN.
AND WHEN THEY TYPICALLY WITHDRAW THEIR APPLICATIONS, IT'S BECAUSE THEY HAVE WENT AHEAD AND ADDRESSED THOSE REPAIRS ON THEIR OWN OR FOUND ANOTHER AGENCY TO ASSIST THEM.
UM, WE HAVE RECEIVED CURRENTLY ARE AWAITING FUNDING FOR THE HOME SAFETY AND REPAIR PROGRAM, AND 22 OF THE APPLICATIONS NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
OFTENTIMES PEOPLE WILL TURN IN, UM, SEVERAL PIECES OF THE APPLICATION, HOWEVER, WE'RE MISSING ADDITIONAL PARTS.
MAYBE THAT'S THEIR INCOME VERIFICATION.
UM, WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THESE APPLICANTS.
WE HAVE VALID PHONE NUMBERS, WE HAVE CALLED THEM, AS WELL AS, UM, MAILED THIS INFORMATION TO THOSE APPLICANTS.
OVERALL, OF THAT 162 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED, 108 OF THOSE PROJECTS HAVE BEEN APPROVED, AND A HUNDRED OF FIVE OF THEM HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.
RIGHT NOW, WE CURRENTLY HAVE THREE PROJECTS THAT REMAIN UNDER CONTRACT.
UM, WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING, AS ALL OF YOU KNOW, FROM THE LAST TIME WE HAVE, UM, MET WITH YOU, UM, WE ARE PROVIDING INFORMATION TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE LOOKING FOR REPAIRS.
WE'RE PROVIDING THEM WITH INFORMATION TO OTHER HOME REPAIR PROGRAMS. UM, AND I'M ENSURING THAT WHEN I TALK TO THEM, I SHARE WITH THEM WHERE WE CURRENTLY STAND AS WELL AS THESE ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS. OKAY.
AND WE ARE ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
[00:10:02]
I SAID WE ARE ACTIVELY ATTEMPTING TO FIND ADDITIONAL FUNDING.THE, THE, HOPEFULLY WE CAN FIND SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THAT.
I, I SEE IN OUR MINUTES BEFORE, I KNOW WE HAD, UH, TALKED ABOUT THE TOWN HAVING SOME INVESTMENT IN THAT, BUT I, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT, UH, COUNCILORS LOOKING AT SOME OTHER RESOURCES TO HELP FUND THAT AS WELL.
UM, AND, AND THE FUNDING FOR THIS YEAR OR SEASON, UM, HAS, HAS RUN OUT, RIGHT? IS THAT THAT CORRECT? YES.
ALL THAT FUNDING HAS BEEN ALLOCATED WITH THOSE THREE PROJECTS REMAINING TO BE CLOSED OUT BY JUNE 30TH.
IS THERE ANY UPDATE ON, UH, WHERE, UH, WHETHER ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS GOING TO BE AVAILABLE OR WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE, UM, WHAT HAS BEEN THE PROCESS FOR GETTING, FINDING OR OTHERWISE FUNDED AT THIS TIME? WE HAVE LOOKED AT ADDITIONAL AGENCIES.
THE IDEA IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A CLEAR, UM, PRETTY MUCH I WOULD SAY, UM, PARTNERSHIP AND A CLEAR PATH FOR OUR RESIDENTS HERE ON HILTON HEAD.
UM, SOMETIMES WHEN WITH SOME AGENCIES THEY HAVE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS, AND I JUST HAD A CONVERSATION WITH MR. CAMPBELL EARLIER.
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT, UM, CERTAIN PROGRAMS DO REQUEST FROM PROPERTY OWNERS, WHETHER THAT'S THE AGE OF A HOME, UM, AND WE DON'T WANT TO DISQUALIFY OUR RESIDENTS IF WE CHOOSE TO, UM, PARTNER WITH AN AGENCY.
THAT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE AS TO ONE.
AND I WILL ADD THAT I DID SPEAK WITH, UH, COUNCILMAN BROWN AND HE SHARED WITH ME THAT THEY WERE CERTAINLY LOOKING FOR, UH, ANOTHER AGENCY, ANOTHER RESOURCE TO HELP, UH, EITHER FUND THE PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE OR MOVE OUR PROGRAM TO ANOTHER UMBRELLA.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS REGARDING THE HOME SAFETY REPAIR REPORT? NO.
I'LL MOVE ON TO THE SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAM UPDATE.
SO FOR THE LATERAL SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAM, WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED 35 CONNECTIONS, UM, AND TOWN STAFF CONTINUE TO ACTIVELY COLLABORATE WITH THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND PSD TO COMPLETE THE REMAINING PROJECTS.
UM, OVERALL PROGRAM IMPACT, WE HAVE HAD ABOUT 51 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED.
35 OF THOSE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED TO DATE.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE ONE PROJECT THAT IS UNDER CONTRACT.
WE HAVE FOUR PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE ESTIMATES FROM PSD.
UM, WE HAVE A FEW, ABOUT FOUR OF THEM THAT WERE WITHDRAWN TO THAT ARE NOT QUALIFIED.
AND THEN FIVE APPLICANTS THAT APPLICATIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY AWAITING FUNDING, UM, TO REQUEST ESTIMATES FROM PSD.
ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THE SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAM? IS THERE FUNDING FOR THAT? NO, THIS ONE REMAINS IN THE SAME BUCKET AS HOME SAFETY AND REPAIR.
MY QUESTION WOULD BE THE 51 APPLICATIONS THAT YOU HAVE HERE, ARE THESE JUST OVERALL PEOPLE THAT HAVE APPLY APPLIED OR PEOPLE THAT DID NOT FIT THE CRITERIA? UH, FOR PSD APPLICATIONS, WE HAVE TWO TIERS, RIGHT? WE HAVE THOSE FOLKS THAT GO TO PSD FOR, UH, FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, AND IF THEY DON'T MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS INCOME WISE, THEN THE TOWN HAS SUPPORT.
I'M JUST WANTING TO KNOW IF THIS NUMBER INCLUDES BOTH OF THOSE TIERS.
THIS IS FOR THE TOWNS PROGRAM OVERALL AND WITH THE TOWNS PROGRAM, IT WAS THE IDEA OF ESTABLISHING THE TOWN SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAM IS TO MEET THE NEEDS THAT THE OTHER PROGRAMS DID NOT.
THE IDEA FOR THE SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAM THROUGH THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD IS JUST TO GO AHEAD AND ADDRESS THOSE, UM, WHO ARE RENTERS.
SO IF A RENTER IS, IS HAS A LOT SOMEWHERE, THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO AHEAD AND APPLY FOR THE SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAM AND THEN HAVE THAT CONNECTION VERSUS OTHER PROGRAMS DO NOT PROVIDE THAT, UM, OPPORTUNITY FOR RENTERS.
IT IS BASED OFF OF THAT HOMEOWNER OR THE PROPERTY OWNER.
COULD WE, COULD I TALK ABOUT THE FIVE APPLICANTS AWAITING FUNDS? MM-HMM
NOW, DO THEY ALREADY HAVE A HOUSE SOMEWHERE? THEY ARE LOOKING TO PLACE A HOME SOMEWHERE? YES.
SO THEN YOU JUST BUY THEIR HOUSE AND THE HOUSE IS STILL ON THE LOT WAITING FOR A SEWER CONNECTION.
SO IF YOU TAKE, I SAY ON THE REPORT HERE, IT'S FOUR JOBS THAT ARE PENDING WITH ESTIMATES.
WE'VE ALREADY REQUESTED ESTIMATES FOR FROM PSD FOR THOSE FOUR PROJECTS BECAUSE WE'VE HAD THEM IN THE QUEUE LONGER.
AND THEN WE HAVE THOSE FIVE APPLICANTS THAT ARE WAITING FUNDS, UM, WAITING FUNDS TO REQUEST ESTIMATES FROM PSD.
SO IT'S A TOTAL OF NINE THAT ARE IN THE QUEUE HERE
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FOR THE SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAM.I WANNA MAKE SURE I'M, I'M CLEAR.
SO THE 51 APPLICANTS HERE ARE PERSONS THAT CAME DIRECTLY TO THE TOWN WITHOUT THAT, THAT DID NOT QUALIFY AT THE PSD LEVEL.
THE 51, THE, THE APPLICATION PROCESS STARTS WITH DEEP WELL.
SO DEEP WELL WILL THEN SEE WHETHER OR NOT THEY APPLY, THEY QUALIFY FOR THAT PROGRAM.
IF NOT, THEN THEY ARE PROVIDED TO THE TOWN TO MAKE SURE WE PROVIDE THEM WITH THAT.
SO THIS NUMBER IS A TOTAL OF BOTH OF THOSE THEN? THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING.
UH, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT QUALIFIED AT THE WELL, BUT ALSO THOSE THAT THE TOWN WAS ABLE TO ASSIST, IT WOULD BE THE ONES AT THE TOWN, THE ONES THAT THE TOWN ARE ABLE TO ASSIST? THAT'S CORRECT.
SO IT'S JUST THE ONES THAT DID NOT MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE, THE PROJECT SAFE THAT'S ADMINISTERED THROUGH DEEP WELL.
THE STARTING POINT FOR BOTH PROJECT SAFE AND THE TOWNS PROGRAM ARE AT DEEP WELL.
AND, UM, AND THE TOWNS PROGRAM BOTH FUNDS THOSE, THE RENTERS THAT ARE NOT FUNDED THROUGH THE PROJECT SAFE PROGRAM AND OR THOSE THAT ONLY RECEIVED PARTIAL FUNDING THROUGH PROJECT SAFE.
SO WE WOULD, WE WOULD TAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT WASN'T FULLY FUNDED THROUGH PROJECT SAFE.
SO THOSE ARE THE TWO KIND OF REFERRAL AVENUES THAT DEEP WELL, UM, WOULD SUBMIT THOSE APPLICANTS TO THE TOWN SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAM.
I DON'T MEAN, I DIDN'T MEAN TO, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET A STATE IN MY OWN HEAD.
ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE LATERAL SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAM? OKAY.
IF IT'S OKAY WITH YOU CHAIRMAN, I'LL GO AHEAD AND TRANSITION OVER TO OUR GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURAL PRESERVATION PROJECT REPORT UPDATE.
UM, AND I'M GONNA GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF A BACKGROUND JUST FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE LISTENING IN AS WELL AS INDIVIDUALS THAT MAY BE IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY, UM, THAT DON'T HAVE THIS BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
UM, SO A CENTURY AGO, HILTON HAD, ISLAND WAS DOMINATED BY THE GULLAH GEECHEE PEOPLE.
AND BECAUSE OF YEARS OF GEOGRAPHIC AND SOCIAL ISOLATION, THEIR DISTINCT CULTURE REFLECTS THEIR WEST AFRICAN ROOTS IN MANY WAYS.
THIS INCLUDES LANGUAGE CRAFTS, FOOD WAYS, STORYTELLING, FARMING, FISHING, AND ONE IMPORTANT PIECE, THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE LAND.
UM, NOW DUE TO, UM, AN EXTENSIVE LIKE LAND ACQUISITION BY NONGO PEOPLE AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BRIDGE IN 1956, A STEADY TREND HAS OCCURRED THAT HAS LED TO SIGNIFICANT LAND LOSS AND DETERIORATION OF THAT GULLAH CULTURE.
UM, NOW BECAUSE OF ALL OF THAT, THAT'S WHERE THE TOWN, UM, REALIZED THE NEED FOR YOU ALL, THE GULLAH GEECHEE LAND AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION TASK FORCE.
UM, NOW THROUGH THE TASK FORCE, YOU ALL IDENTIFIED RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OUR GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURAL PRESERVATION PROJECT REPORT.
37 RECOMMENDATIONS WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH THIS REPORT.
AND OF THOSE 37, YOU ALL, UM, HAD SOME PRIMARY PURPOSES FOR THIS REPORT TO ACTUALLY COME TO LIFE.
ONE WAS TO CREATE A BROADER STRATEGY FOR GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURAL PRESERVATION.
THE SECOND WAS TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL REVISIONS TO THE LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE AND OTHER LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT RELATED POLICIES.
AND THEN THE THIRD WAS TO IDENTIFY TOOLS FOR ADDRESSING THE HEIRS PROPERTY ISSUES.
AT THIS TIME, I'M GONNA TRANSITION TO A FULL ON PRESENTATION.
WITHIN THIS PRESENTATION, I'M GONNA WALK US THROUGH THOSE 37 RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, I PROVIDED YOU ALL A LITTLE BIT OF A BACKGROUND OF THE GALACHY TASK FORCE AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN GENERAL.
I WILL SHARE WITH US THE RECOMMENDATION CATEGORIES THAT YOU ALL IDENTIFIED WITHIN THAT GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURAL PRESERVATION PROJECT REPORT, I WILL HIGHLIGHT THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED TO DATE.
UM, I WILL SHARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS BY DISTRICT PLANS AS WELL AS OUR LMO PROJECT.
I WILL HIGHLIGHT THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL BE CARRIED FORWARD BY THE GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
I WILL CLOSE OUT WITH A SUMMARY OF OUR KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AS WELL AS OUR NEXT STEPS AND OUR CONTINUED COMMITMENT.
SO I HINTED, WELL, I SHARED WITH US, WITH EVERYONE REGARDING THE 37 RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED IN OUR GUAG GEECHEE CULTURAL PRESERVATION PROJECT REPORT FROM 2019.
ONE THING THAT I WANT TO TOUCH ON IS THAT THIS IS A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH, RIGHT, THAT DEMONSTRATES THE TOWN'S COMMITMENT TO PRESERVING THE GUAG GEECHEE CULTURE AND ADDRESSING CRITICAL CHALLENGES FACED BY THE COMMUNITY.
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THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH THE GULLAH GEECHEE TASK FORCE, AS WELL AS THE GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, AND EXTERNAL PARTNERS, UM, THE TOWN IS MAKING MEASURABLE PROGRESS TO, YOU KNOW, TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND ENSURING SUSTAINABILITY OF THE CULTURE.NOW, THROUGHOUT THIS REPORT, I AM GOING TO TOUCH ON THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO WE HAVE THREE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
THE FIRST IS OUR CULTURAL PRESERVATION, WHICH YOU WILL SEE THROUGHOUT THIS REPORT LABELED AS CP.
AND IT FOCUSES ON PRESERVING THE GULLAH GEECHEE IDENTITY THROUGH EDUCATION, STORYTELLING, HISTORICAL SITE INTERPRETATION, KEY EVENTS, YOUTH ENGAGEMENT, AS WELL AS HERITAGE TOUR EFFORTS.
UM, THE SECOND CATEGORY WILL BE PUBLIC POLICY, AND IT'LL BE LABELED AS PP THROUGHOUT THIS REPORT, UM, WHICH WILL FOCUS ON THE, IT WILL S PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION THAT SUPPORTS THE SYSTEMIC CHANGES TO PROTECT GULLAH OWNED LAND AND EMPOWER OUR RESIDENTS.
UM, THE LAST CATEGORY YOU WILL SEE THROUGHOUT THIS REPORT IS HEIRS PROPERTY, WHICH WILL BE LABELED AS HP, WHICH ADDRESSES THE GENERATIONAL LAND OWNERSHIP CHALLENGES BY PROMOTING LEGAL EDUCATION, PROMO, SUPPORTING TITLE CLEARANCES, AND ENCOURAGING FAMILY PLANNING.
AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THESE LABELS ARE NOT SOMETHING NEW TO YOU ALL.
SO FOR OUR ACTIVATED RECOMMENDATIONS, I DO WANT TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL, UM, JUST INFORMATION.
WHEN WE SAY ACTIVATED THROUGHOUT THIS REPORT, YOU WILL SEE SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED.
BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT ACTIVATED MEANS A RECOMMENDATION HAS BEEN PUT INTO ACTION AND IS NOW ACTIVELY BEING USED OR CARRIED OUT AS PART OF THE TOWN'S STANDARD PROCEDURES.
OKAY? UM, THIS IS NOT, THIS DOES NOT MEAN WE'RE DONE WITH ANYTHING.
IT'S MEAN THAT WE ARE IN MOTION, AND THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING, UM, OF OUR ACTIVATED RECOMMENDATIONS.
THE FIRST ONE IS CULTURAL PRESERVATION ONE, WHICH SPEAKS TO PROMOTING HERITAGE LIBRARY.
NOW, THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ESTABLISHED THE HEIRS PROPERTY FAMILY RESEARCH PROJECT WITH HERITAGE LIBRARY AS A PARTNER AND THE TOWN IMPLEMENTED A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNICATIONS PLAN TO INFORM OUR STAKEHOLDERS, CHURCHES AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS OF THE HERITAGE LIBRARY'S RESOURCES, AND OF THE FAMILY RESEARCH PROJECT.
UM, AND WHAT I'LL DO, IF THIS IS OKAY WITH YOU CHAIRMAN, I WILL GO THROUGH ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS ON A PAGE AND THEN WE CAN OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION IF NEED BE.
CULTURAL PRESERVATION TWO IS THE NEXT ONE, WHICH SPEAKS TO FUNDRAISING INITIATIVES FOR GULLAH CULTURAL PROGRAMS AND INTERPRETIVE SITES.
UM, SO PRIOR TO 2019, WELL, DURING 2019, A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS WERE NOT ESTABLISHED IN THE CAPACITY IN WHICH THEY ARE NOW.
UM, AND SO GULLAH FOCUSED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ON HILTON HEAD, I'M GONNA SPEAK TO LIKE THE HISTORIC MITCHELLVILLE FREEDOM PARK, THE GULLAH MUSEUM AS ANOTHER EXAMPLE.
THEY ARE ACTIVELY IMPLEMENTING FUNDRAISING EFFORTS TO EXPAND CULTURAL PROGRAMMING AND TOWN STAFF WORK CLOSELY WITH EACH ENTITY TO ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY AS WELL AS SUCCESS FOR THEIR PROGRAMS. CULTURAL PRESERVATION THREE SPEAKS TO ADAPTING THE GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR INTERPRETIVE THEMES FOR CONSISTENT GULLAH STORYTELLING ON HILTON HEAD.
SO JUST LIKE, UM, MAYBE WHAT THE GULLAH MUSEUM IS TODAY, OR THE ADVANCEMENTS OF THE HISTORIC MITCHELLVILLE FREEDOM PARK.
UM, IN 2019, THERE WAS NOT AN OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, AND SO THE OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS ASSISTS IN PROMOTING THE EFFORTS OF, OF ORGANIZATIONS FOCUSED ON GULLAH STORYTELLING, AS WELL AS INTERPRETIVE THEMES.
THE INTERPRETIVE STORIES OF THE GULLAH PEOPLE ARE BEING SHOWCASED THROUGH SEVERAL LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, I'M HINTED ON HISTORIC MITCHELLVILLE RECENTLY.
THEY HAVE ANNUAL EVENTS, THEY HAVE STORYTELLING INITIATIVES, THE SAME THING WITH THE GULLAH MUSEUM, UM, INCLUDING THEIR SUMMER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. UM, ONE KEY EXAMPLE THAT I DO WANT TO SHOWCASE WE'LL SHARE WITH YOU ALL TODAY, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO THE OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND SOME OF THE EFFORTS THEY ARE MAKING TO, UM, ACTIVATE CP THREE, IS THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ROWING AND SAILING DOCK PROJECT TODAY, RIGHT AT THE ROWING SELLING DOCK, THIS PROJECT IS A KEY EXAMPLE OF THE STRIDES OF THE OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING TO ENSURE ACCURATE AND CONSISTENT STORYTELLING.
THESE EFFORTS ARE PROMOTED THROUGH VARIOUS CHANNELS.
UM, THE OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, THEY HIGHLIGHT ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT, UM, GULLAH CULTURAL SITES AND ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE, THEIR E-NEWSLETTERS, UM, AND THEY WANT TO SUPPORT, THEY'RE THERE TO SUPPORT THE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY, AS WELL AS VISIBILITY OF THE GOLA CULTURAL INTERPRETATION ACROSS THE ISLAND.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST ON THIS PAGE FOR CULTURAL PRESERVATION IS CULTURAL PRESERVATION
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FOUR, WHICH SAYS IT SPEAKS TO CREATING A MULTI-FORMAT, SELF-GUIDED TOUR FOR GULLAH SITES.I'M GOING TO HINT BACK ON THE OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS FOR THIS ONE AS WELL.
FOR ITS ACTIVATION, THE OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS HAS DEVELOPED A CULTURAL TRAILS MAP FOCUSED ON GULLAH SITES, AND AT LEAST 15 OF THOSE GULLAH SITES ARE HIGHLIGHTED THROUGH THIS MAP.
THIS MAP IS AVAILABLE BOTH IN DIGITAL AS WELL AS PRINT FORMATS, AND THE PRINTED MAPS CAN BE COLLECTED FROM VARIOUS LOCATIONS ACROSS THE ISLAND, MAKING THIS INFORMATION ACCESSIBLE TO LOCALS AS WELL AS TOURISTS.
AND I'LL GO AHEAD AND SEE IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THE FOUR THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED HERE.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? ALL RIGHTY.
OKAY, I'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.
WE HAVE CULTURAL PRESERVATION FIVE, WHICH SPEAKS TO CONSISTENT WAYFINDING AND EXHIBIT SYSTEM FOR GULLAH CULTURAL SITES.
SO FOR CP FIVE, I'M GOING TO TOUCH ON OUR GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, WHO IS IN THE PROCESS OF LAUNCHING A WAYFINDING PROGRAM THAT HIGHLIGHTS SIGNIFICANT GULLAH SITES AND FEATURES, UM, AND WILL FEATURE A VIRTUAL REALITY COMPONENT.
UM, PHASE ONE OF THIS PROGRAM IS LOOKING TO BE LAUNCHED FAIRLY SOON HERE, UM, FOR CULTURAL PRESERVATION SIX.
IT SPEAKS TO A STUDENT LED ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM REGARDING GULLAH ELDERS.
AND THIS IS WHERE PARTNERSHIPS ARE SO IMPORTANT, JUST AS THEY ARE WITH THE HISTORIC MITCHELLVILLE FREEDOM PARK, UM, THE CDC, SO ON AND SO FORTH.
THE HERITAGE LIBRARY IS ACTUALLY LEADING THIS EFFORT TO PRESERVE OVER 50 INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED IN THE NINETIES BY HILTON HEAD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH GULLAH ELDERS CAPTURING LIFE BEFORE THE BRIDGE TO THE MAINLAND.
UM, THESE INTERVIEWS ARE CURRENTLY ON CASSETTE TAPES AND OWNED BY THE HERITAGE LIBRARY, AND THEY'RE LOOKING TO BE DIGITIZED TO ENSURE LONG-TERM ACCESS AND EDUCATIONAL USE.
UM, WHEN HERITAGE LIBRARY, THEY HAVE SUBMITTED A GRANT IN ORDER TO DIGITIZE THESE RESOURCES, UM, AND REQUESTED, UM, PRETTY MUCH SUPPORT FROM THE POSITION, MY POSITION AS A PRINCIPAL PLANNER FOR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS, AS WELL AS FROM THE CDC, SO SUPPORTING THEM IN ORDER TO, UM, GET THIS GRANT FUNDING TO TRANSITION THESE TRANSCRIPTS TO DIGITAL FORM.
WE WANT TO BE SURE WE SUPPORT AND WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT IT.
I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW SOME OF THE TRANSCRIPTS, UM, AND IT'S, IT'S FAIRLY INTERESTING, UM, AND GREAT INFORMATION AND DEFINITELY BE USEFUL MOVING FORWARD FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS AS WELL AS THOSE NOW CP SPT SEVEN SPEAKS TO OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM.
SO THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND HAS IMPLEMENTED THE GULLAH HISTORY AND CULTURAL AWARENESS PROGRAM FOR STAFF, WHICH INCLUDES THE REQUIRED GULLAH ONE-ON-ONE PRESENTATION, AND A GUIDED GULLAH HISTORY TOUR PROVIDED BY GULLAH HERITAGE TOUR TRAIL TOURS.
AS A PART OF THE ONBOARDING PROCESS FOR OUR STAFF, CP EIGHT SPEAKS TO ENCOURAGING YOUTH THROUGH INTERACTIVE CULTURAL INTERPRETATION.
SO THE GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION HAS COMMITTED, UM, HAS A COMMITMENT WHICH AIMS TO EMPOWER PRESENT DAY GULLAH GEECHEE DESCENDANTS, AND ENSURE THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED.
ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH HAS BEGUN WITH YOUNG GULLAH GEECHEE DESCENDANTS.
UM, ONE APPROACH IS THROUGH THE MONEY TALK SERIES, WHICH ACTIVATES THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT CPA AND IT SAYS ENGAGE YOUTH, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THIS IS NOT JUST YOUTH UNDER THE AGE OF 18, BUT MAYBE THIS IS SOMEONE A LITTLE OLDER, MAYBE THEY'RE 21, MAYBE THEY'RE 35.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE INCLUDED IN THIS TOO, AND WE DON'T MISS A MARK WITHIN A GENERATION.
ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS, THIS PAGE REGARDING CP FIVE? HMM.
YOU INDICATED THAT SOMETHING WILL BE COMING FAIRLY SOON.
HOW DO I INTERPRET FAIRLY SOON? TWO MONTHS, THREE MONTHS? I WOULD SAY BY THE END OF 2025.
UM, I, MY QUESTION IS, UH, ABOUT CP SEVEN, THE EDUCATION PROGRAM.
UM, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE COMPONENTS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THAT EDUCATION PROGRAM? I KNOW THAT THERE WAS ONE PIECE THAT WE WERE STILL TRYING TO COMPLETE, I BELIEVE, WITH THE VIDEO INTERVIEWS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM INCLUDES, THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM INCLUDES THAT GULLAH ONE-ON-ONE PRESENTATION, WHICH IS ABOUT AN HOUR TO AN HOUR AND A HALF.
UM, IT'S AN EDUCATIONAL COURSE THAT IS PRESENTED HERE WITHIN COUNCIL CHAMBERS TO OUR STAFF BY, UM, STAFFERS OVER AT LOW COUNTRY GULLAH FOUNDATION.
THEY PROVIDE HISTORY FROM THE, UM, VERY BEGINNING OF LIKE 1860, SO ON AND SO FORTH, FROM WHEN GULLAH DESCENDANTS WERE AT THE HISTORIC
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MITCHELLVILLE FREEDOM PARK ALL THE WAY TO PRESENT DAY.UM, THROUGH THAT PROGRAM, SHE TALKS ABOUT PRETTY MUCH THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING GULLAH CULTURE AND HOW TO ASSIST GULLAH RESIDENTS HERE ON THE ISLAND.
ONE KEY FACET OF THE PROGRAM IS SHE ENSURES THAT WE UNDERSTAND ALL STAFFERS GET A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING THAT EVEN THOUGH SOMEONE MAY TALK WITHIN A DIFFERENT DIALECT, THAT DOES NOT TAKE AWAY THEIR EDUCATION, UM, IN ANY CAPACITY.
IT'S JUST A PART OF THEIR CULTURE.
SO THE BIGGEST THING THROUGH THAT PROGRAM IS ADDRESSING, ALLOWING, PROVIDING STAFFERS WITH THE INFORMATION IN ORDER TO PROPERLY, UM, PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO OUR GULLAH RESIDENTS HERE ON HILTON HEAD AS THEY COME TO THE TOWN AND ASK FOR ASSISTANCE.
ANOTHER KEY COMPONENT OF THAT PROGRAM IS THAT GUIDED TOUR.
SO THAT GULLAH HISTORY TOUR IS PROVIDED BY GULLAH HERITAGE TOURS, TRAIL TOURS AS A PART OF THAT ONBOARDING PROCESS.
THIS IS ABOUT, UM, AN HOUR, MAYBE TWO HOURS WHERE, UM, OUR STAFFERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RIDE AROUND HILTON HEAD AND GET A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE HISTORY OF THE ISLAND.
UM, IT SHOWS THEM ALL OF OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS, WHAT WAS DONE WITHIN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND, UM, DEEP HISTORY AS TO WHAT HAS TAKEN PLACE AND WHAT CONSISTS NOW.
UM, CPA, YOU SAID NOT NECESSARILY, UH, YOUR YOUTH IS A VERY VAGUE TERM, UH, BUT YOU MENTIONED THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH OUR, UH, EDC.
THERE'S JUST NOT REALLY AN AGE LIMIT.
I MEAN, I KNOW WE SAY YOUTH, RIGHT? BUT IT IS FOR, IT'S FOR EVERYBODY, RIGHT? WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, WHEN I READ THIS, UM, RECOMMENDATION, ONE THING I WANTED TO ENSURE, AS SOMEONE WHO GREW UP HERE, UM, AND I'M INCLUDED IN THIS PIECE OF MAYBE THOSE 21 TO 45 OR WHATEVER THE AGE RANGE WE WANNA PLACE ON IT.
UM, I WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A KEY UNDERSTANDING OF, UM, PRETTY MUCH THE GULLAH CULTURE AND THE HISTORY OF WHAT HAS TAKEN PLACE, RIGHT? OFTENTIMES, WE KNOW THAT THE GULLAH CULTURE IS, UM, A SPOKEN LANGUAGE, RIGHT? WE'RE GONNA PASS IT DOWN THROUGH ORAL HISTORY, UM, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT MISSING ANY MARKS AND WE WANT TO ENGAGE THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
IF YOU LOOK AROUND HILTON HEAD, UM, YOU MAY NOT SEE IT THROUGH YOUR OWN EYES, BUT THERE ARE MULTIPLE, UM, YOUNG GULLAH GEECHEE BUSINESSES THAT ARE HERE.
AND WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THESE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS WITH THE TOOLS IN ORDER TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL.
THAT CERTAINLY WILL HELP, UH, IN SUSTAINING THE, THE CULTURE AND THE TRADING OPPORTUNITIES, AND ALSO ATTRACTING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO, TO GO INTO BUSINESS AND HELP MAINTAIN THE CULTURE FROM, FROM WHERE THEY ARE.
UM, ABSOLUTELY, BUT AGAIN, THE, THE TERM YOUTH IS, I, I, I LIKE THE TERM YOUTH, BUT WE KNOW THAT OUR POPULATION CAN BE 70, 80, OR EVEN 90 YEARS OLD.
SO I WOULD CONSIDER MYSELF A YOUTH
ALL RIGHTY, I'LL ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.
WE HAVE CULTURAL PRESERVATION 11, WHICH SPEAKS TO TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR BUSINESSES.
I'M GOING TO HINT BACK ON THE GULLAH GEEGEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD CDC, WHO IS, UM, WHO HAS THIS MONEY TALK SERIES, AND THIS IS A SERIES THAT TOOK PLACE LAST YEAR, AS WELL AS WILL BE TAKING PLACE AGAIN THIS YEAR THAT PROVIDES THOSE.
UM, IT'S A SERIES THAT INVITES LOCAL BUSINESSES TO PRETTY MUCH A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS DESIGNED TO HELP THEM NAVIGATE THE WORLD OF BUSINESS FINANCING, ACCESS ESSENTIAL CAPITAL, AS WELL AS MANAGE TO, AS WELL AS MANAGE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS EFFECTIVELY.
UM, WHEN WE SPEAK TO CULTURAL PRESERVATION 15, WHICH IS A COMPREHENSIVE INVENTORY OF THE GULLAH CULTURAL RESOURCES ON HILTON HEAD, I WILL SHARE WITH YOU THAT THROUGH MY POSITION, I CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS, UM, INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS WITH KEY GULLAH FOCUSED ORGANIZATIONS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND AND DOCUMENT THEIR STRENGTHS, THEIR OPPORTUNITIES, AS WELL AS THEIR CHALLENGES.
UM, PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDED THE HERITAGE LIBRARY, HILTON HEAD, MLK OBSERVANCE COMMITTEE.
I MET WITH LOW COUNTRY GULLAH FOUNDATION, THE NATIVE ISLAND BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS ASSOCIATION.
I MET WITH BINYA CONSULTING SERVICES, THE GULLAH MUSEUM, AND I SPENT SOME TIME WITH OUR VERY OWN MRS. CHOICE WRIGHT AS WELL.
UM, AND IT WAS A PLEASURE SITTING DOWN WITH THEM, GETTING A CLEAR HISTORY OF THEIR ORGANIZATIONS, WHERE THEY CURRENTLY STAND, WHAT IS, WHAT THEY PROVIDE TO THE ISLAND, AND WHAT THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, HOW WE CAN PARTNER TOGETHER AS ONE, PRETTY MUCH HOW ALL OF THEM CAN PARTNER.
UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT CP SEVEN, SO CULTURAL, CULTURAL PRESERVATION 17, EXCUSE ME, SPEAKS TO THE OUTREACH WITH GULLAH CHURCHES.
SO IN MY ROLE, I MAINTAIN ONGOING COMMUNICATION WITH OUR GULLAH CHURCHES
[00:35:01]
TO SHARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVOLVEMENT IN TOWN INITIATIVES.SO WHETHER THAT IS A SURVEY THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR THEM TO COMPLETE, WHETHER THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME IN HERE FOR A MEETING, UM, WHETHER THAT'S A COMMUNITY EVENT, WHATEVER IT MAY BE, I SHARE IT WITH, UM, THE CHURCH SECRETARIES FOR THE MOST PART, AS WELL AS THE LEADERSHIP.
UM, WHAT WE DID, WHAT I DID LAST YEAR WAS, UM, DID SOME CHURCH HOPS.
SO I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO AND SPEAK TO, UM, SOME OF THE CHURCHES, WELL, OUR GULLAH CHURCHES HERE ON THE ISLAND.
ONE THING I WANT TO DO THIS YEAR, WELL, I AM GOING TO DO THIS YEAR, IS CHANGE THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT.
NOT JUST GO AND SPEAK TO THOSE CONGREGATIONS, BUT ACTUALLY ATTEND SOME OF THEIR EVENTS.
ALL OF OUR CHURCHES HAVE SPECIAL EVENTS THAT TAKE PLACE ON CERTAIN WEEKENDS, WHETHER THAT'S A HOMECOMING CEREMONY.
UM, I WANT TO NOT JUST STAND UP IN FRONT OF THEM, BUT GET TO KNOW THEIR CONGREGATIONS.
UM, I'LL TRANSITION ON TO CULTURAL PRESERVATION 19, WHICH SPEAKS TO PRESERVATION AND RECOGNITION OF OUR GULLAH CEMETERIES.
SO THERE WE HAVE OUR GULLAH ASSOCIATED CEMETERIES, AND AT THIS TIME, THEY ARE CURRENTLY MARKED WITH SIGNAGE, JUST LIKE OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, AND OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZING THEM THROUGH SOME CLEANUP EFFORTS.
UM, AND THIS IS WITH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HISTORIC HILTON HEAD, MLK OBSERVANCE COMMITTEE.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH GALEN AND HIS TEAM IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE CLEANUPS WITHIN THOSE COMMUNITIES.
UM, ONE THING I DO WANT TO TOUCH ON IS THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR CULTURAL PRESERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS, THESE ARE, AND WE HAVE THEM IN THIS ACTIVATED STATUS, RIGHT? BECAUSE THESE ARE ONGOING EFFORTS, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO STOP.
THEY HAVE TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS ONE? OKAY.
I'D LIKE TO MOVE BACK UP JUST A LITTLE BIT TO THE, UM, TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, OTHER BUSINESSES, CP 11, UH, I KNOW THE TOWN HAS, UH, A PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT AS IN ANY OF THESE, UM, UH, ANY OF THESE, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU EDUCATE BUSINESSES, IS THERE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH PROCUREMENT WITH THE TOWN? I KNOW THERE'S A PROBABLY A WIDE RANGE OF FROM CONSTRUCTION TO SUPPLY AND WHATEVER ELSE.
SO I'M GONNA CALL MR. THOMAS BOXLEY, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, JUST TO SPEAK TO THAT TOPIC.
THOMAS BOXLEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GULLAH GEECHEE, HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
UM, IN REGARDS TO YOUR QUESTION, MR. SIMMONS, THERE WILL BE, LAST YEAR WE HOSTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT AND A PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT, A, A DROP IN DAY AT THE ISLAND REC CENTER FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE INTERESTED IN CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE TOWN BY WHICH THEY COULD GATHER INFORMATION AND, UH, LEARN ABOUT THE PROCESS.
WE WILL ALSO BE, AS PART OF OUR, UH, FINANCIAL EDUCATION SERIES IN THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER, WE'LL BE HOSTING A PROCUREMENT, UH, WORKSHOP, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY GEARED FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, UM, THAT ARE INTERESTED IN CONTRACTING WITH THE TOWN.
SO THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES, WE SEE THAT AS A VERY IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND GET THEM ALSO BUSINESS READY TO, UH, PROCURE WITH THE TOWN.
SO PART OF OUR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, UH, OR FINANCIAL EDUCATION SERIES WILL ALSO INCLUDE, UM, SOME, A SESSION WITH A CPA PRESENTING SO THAT WE BEGIN TO GIVE PEOPLE THOSE OP UM, THE EDUCATION NECESSARY, UM, TO BE IN COMPLIANCE AND READY TO DO BUSINESS WITH, UH, WITH LARGER ENTITIES.
SO, UH, SO YES, WE SEE THAT AS A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE MOVING FORWARD, AND WE WILL, WILL DEFINITELY BE CONTINUING THAT TYPE OF OUTREACH AND, UH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
AND IT'S, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD.
IF I MAY, MR. CHAIRMAN, THE TIME THAT YOU HAVE SCHEDULED FOR THAT PROCUREMENT EDUCATION, DOES THAT RUN IN A CERTAIN CYCLE WITH THE TOWN'S PROCESS? IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN DOES IT, WHEN DOES THE TOWN NORMALLY PUT OUT ITS ANNUAL BIDDING? VERY GOOD QUESTION, MR. MR. ABRAHAM.
UM, THERE, THERE'S, UM, THE TOWN KIND OF BASICALLY PROCURES DIFFERENT SERVICES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, UM, BASED ON NEED.
UM, THERE ARE ALSO VARYING SERVICES THAT, UM, THAT OCCUR ON AN ANNUAL BASIS THAT ARE NEEDED.
BUT, UM, LICENSING IS, IS ONE OF THE PIECES THAT WE'LL DEFINITELY BE COVERING.
UM, AND THAT IS THE ACQUISITION OF BUSINESS LICENSING AND THAT THAT KIND OF RUNS, YOU KNOW, ONGOING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
SO, SO THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO, WE ARE NOT TIMING
[00:40:01]
THAT WITH ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR OKAY.THAT THE TOWN, UM, UM, BY, BY ANY CYCLES PER SE.
BUT, UH, WE JUST, UM, BASED ON THE SCHEDULE OF THE OTHER WORKSHOPS, IT'S GONNA END UP FALLING IN NOVEMBER.
COULD I ASK A QUESTION THEN, AS A, AS A FOLLOW UP QUESTION, IF THERE'S A BUSINESS THAT IS ALREADY LICENSED AND QUALIFIED TO ENTER INTO THE PROCESS, IS THERE A, LIKE A DIGITAL PIECE OF INFORMATION THAT CAN BE SENT OUT? LIKE YEAH, IN THE, IN THE SHORT TERM FUTURE FOR THOSE PERSON WHO ALREADY QUALIFIED, WHO MAY BE IN A POSITION TO APPLY FOR A, AN UPCOMING BID, SOMETHING.
SO, SO THERE ARE, UM, THE TOWN, BASICALLY, WHEN THERE IS A RFP OUT, UM, IT'S AVAILABLE AND, AND VIEWABLE ONLINE.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE IS A, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW, THERE MAY BE A WAY FOR BUSINESSES TO REGISTER AND TO RECEIVE THOSE NOTIFICATIONS WHEN THE RFPS COME OUT MM-HMM
BUT IT WOULD BE UP TO THAT INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS OWNER TO REGISTER TO RECEIVE THOSE NOTIFICATIONS.
MY NEXT, UH, I, THE TOWN ITSELF, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AND USUALLY THERE'S A DEADLINE WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SET ASIDES OR SMALL BUSINESS, UM, OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, AND I, I GUESS TO PUT IT OUT BLUNTLY, UH, YOU KNOW, DOES THE TOWN AT ALL HAVE ANY TYPE OF SET ASIDE FUNDS OR SET ASIDE, BUT AS, UH, OPPORTUNITIES WHERE, UM, THEY'RE GEARED STRICTLY TOWARDS SMALL BUSINESSES AND DISADVANTAGED BUSINESSES WHERE, UM, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE SPECIFICALLY FOR SMALL AND DISADVANTAGED BUSINESSES? YEAH, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING THAT WE WILL BE CONTINUING TO WORK TOWARDS AND MONITOR.
I DON'T, MY ANSWER, MY ANSWER TO THAT IS I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY SET ASIDE IMMEDIATE IMMEDIACY SET ASIDE PROGRAM, BUT I KNOW THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE CONTINUING TO MONITOR AS WE MOVE FORWARD, SO THAT WE DO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME OF OUR BUSINESSES, LOCAL BUSINESSES, TO PARTICIPATE IN SOME OF THESE LARGER SCALE PROJECTS.
I KNOW THAT UPCOMING IN THE 26, IN THE ANNUAL BUDGET FOR, UH, FISCAL YEAR 26, THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT WILL BE IMPACTING OUR COMMUNITY, UH, PATTERSON AND TAYLOR PARK.
THOSE ARE ABSOLUTELY SOME OPPORTUNITIES, YOU KNOW, A AMONGST OTHER, ALL OF THE OTHER CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE TOWN AWARDS.
UM, THESE ARE PIECES THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH AND MONITOR.
SO I'M, I'M NOT IMMEDIATELY AWARE OF ANY PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY SET ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT WE WILL BE WORKING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES MOVING FORWARD.
MY AND MY LAST LITTLE TIDBIT IN REFERENCE TO THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IT COULD BE WHERE THERE ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE, SAY, A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OR LESS, MAYBE THAT'S CONSIDERED A SMALL PROJECT, OR IT DEPENDS MM-HMM
YOU KNOW, PROJECTS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO THAT, WHETHER IT'S SUPPLY CHAIN OR WHETHER IT'S CONSTRUCTION OR LANDSCAPING OR WHATEVER.
SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, SMALL, I GUESS, OR, OR PROJECTS THAT DISADVANTAGED BUSINESSES WOULD NOT EITHER HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BID ON, YOU KNOW, IF A PROJECT, YOU KNOW, SMALL BUSINESS COULD LIVE A YEAR ON A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS PROJECT, PROBABLY.
SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE TYPES OF THOUGHTS I JUST WANTED TO, TO PUT IN WHILE WE'RE HAVING THE DISCUSSION.
WE WILL DEFINITELY KEEP THAT, UH, KEEP THAT ON OUR RADAR.
UH, MR. BOXLEY, UH, I'VE ATTENDED ONE OF THOSE SESSIONS, I KNOW, MAYBE TWO, BUT, UM, AT THE, UH, THE REC CENTER.
AND IN RELATION TO CP 11, TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR GULL OF BUSINESSES, UH, WOULD YOU TALK MAYBE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE'VE HAD WITH SOME OF THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND, UH, IN PARTICULAR, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S BEEN DIRECTLY ADDRESSED, BUT THE COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT ACT, YOU KNOW, WITH SOME OF OUR BANKS AND FINANCIALS? VERY GOOD QUESTION.
AND SO YES, WE ARE, WE ARE DEFINITELY WORKING TO EXPAND THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH LENDING INSTITUTIONS, UH, AS PART OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITY, PART OF THEIR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITIES WITHIN WHICH THEY DO BUSINESS, WHICH IS THE, THE BASIS OF THE COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT ACT PROGRAM.
UM, LAST YEAR WE PARTNERED WITH TD BANK TO DELIVER THE CONTENT FOR OUR FINANCIAL EDUCATION WORKSHOP SERIES.
THIS YEAR, WE'RE TAKING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT OF AN APPROACH.
WHILE WE DO HAVE TD BANK DELIVERING SOME OF THE SESSIONS, SOME OF THE CONTENT FOR THE SESSIONS, WE WILL ALSO
[00:45:01]
BE, AGAIN, WORKING WITH THE TOWN HERE WITH PART WITH OUR CLOSE PARTNERSHIP.AND, AND THE WAY THAT WE WORK TOGETHER.
WE'LL BE UTILIZING OUR PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT HERE ON, IN THE NOVEMBER WORKSHOP, BUT WE WILL ALSO BE HOSTING IN SEPTEMBER A WORKSHOP THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF LAW, SO THAT WE BEGIN TO, UM, TO WORK WITH OUR BUSINESS OWNERS IN STRUCTURING THEIR ORGANIZATIONS APPROPRIATELY FOR THEIR FUTURE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.
WE'LL, ALSO AT THAT SESSION, UM, I DON'T HAVE, UM, THE SPEAKER IDENTIFIED JUST YET, BUT WE'RE WORKING TO IDENTIFY, UM, A CPA THAT CAN ALSO ASSIST WITH THE TAXATION AND, AND SO THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE SETTING UP THEIR BUSINESSES APPROPRIATELY FROM THE LEGAL PERSPECTIVE AS WELL AS FROM THE, THE TAX IMPLICATION PERSPECTIVE.
SO WE ARE DEFINITELY, UH, LOOKING AT OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, THE CONTENT THAT WILL BE NECESSARY, UH, AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
BUT, UM, WE ARE, WE ARE HIGHLY AWARE OF THE NEED, UH, FOR ACCESS TO CAPITAL.
UH, THAT WAS ONE OF THE, UM, ONE OF THE POINTS THAT WAS MADE, UH, DURING OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING EXERCISE BACK IN, UH, 2023 UPON MY ARRIVAL.
SO, UM, IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS, THAT IS I'M LASER FOCUSED ON, IS, IS LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN PROVIDE ACCESS TO CAPITAL AND UTILIZE THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN THIS COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT THE BUSINESS GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, AND THE OTHER PART OF THAT, AS IT RELATES TO NOT JUST BUSINESSES, BUT GOING EVEN BACK TO OUR, UH, DESIGN STUDIO WHERE THERE'S, UH, PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO DO THINGS WITH THEIR PROPERTY, UH, CERTAINLY NEED THAT KIND OF SUPPORT AND EDUCATION.
AND ALSO UNDERSTANDING HOW TO ACCESS, UH, UH, SOME FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IN, IN DEVELOPING THEIR PROPERTY OR DOING DIFFERENT THINGS WITH THEIR PROPERTY.
MOST OF US, AS WE KNOW, ARE, WE'RE NOT DEVELOPERS, RIGHT? YEAH.
BUT WE STILL NEED ACCESS TO, UH, FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
AND, UH, WE MAY NOT EVEN BE A REGISTERED BUSINESS, BUT WE STILL NEED ACCESS TO THOSE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
AND I HOPE THAT THE CDC WILL CONTINUE TO GIVE US THAT GOOD EDUCATION AND HELP, HELP GUIDE FOLKS ON HOW TO, UH, DEVELOP THEIR PROPERTY, WHICH IS A PART OF THE CULTURAL PRESERVATION.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE ARE HERE FOR.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.
DON'T GO ANYWHERE, HANG AROUND.
I JUST WANNA PAUSE RIGHT HERE AND, UH, UH, OPEN IT UP FOR ANYONE IN OUR PUBLIC OR IN ATTENDANCE THAT MIGHT HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WHAT WE PRESENTED SO FAR, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE STAYING ENGAGED AND ALSO NEED TO RECOGNIZE THE ATTENDANCE OF COUNCILWOMAN BECKER.
AND OF COURSE, NATALIE FROM MY OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS OF OUR SUPPORT GROUP.
UM, IT'S NOT ACTUALLY ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
IF I COULD GO BACK TO, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S ALREADY BEEN PRE PRESENTED.
UH, YEAH, I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT.
UH, ONE IS WITH THE, UM, DESIGN STUDIO, UH, WOULD LIKE TO, UM, MAKE A RECOMMENDATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, EDUCATION IS ALWAYS THE FIRST STEP WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO WORKING WITH OUR PEOPLE.
SO, UM, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY, AND I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE BECAUSE I PERSONALLY HAVE HAD IT, HAVE HAD IT DONE, IS WHERE, UM, WORKING WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT THAT CAN ACTUALLY LOOK AT A PARCEL OF LAND AND SHOW BUFFERS SETBACKS WHERE, UM, POTENTIAL BUILDING FOOTPRINTS CAN BE ON A PARTICULAR PIECE OF PROPERTY.
SO WHEN SOMEONE HAS THAT IN HAND, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT THEY CAN DO WITH THEIR PROPERTY, BECAUSE TALKING IS ONE THING, BUT WHEN YOU CAN SEE IT, YOU KNOW, IT, IT REALLY HELPS PEOPLE UNDERSTAND.
AND, UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN KIND OF ADVOCATING FOR.
UM, SO WE CAN HAVE THAT MOVING FORWARD.
UM, WHAT'S VERY CONCERNING RIGHT NOW IS, UM, SOME OF THE AMENDMENTS AND ORDINANCES THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED, SOME CHANGES.
UM, THAT'S, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY GOING THROUGH THE PLANNING COMMISSION NOW, AND THAT'S WITH, UM, THE DIFFERENCE WITH, UH, ELEVATION AND HOW BUILDING FOOTPRINTS ARE BEING CALCULATED, THE NEWLY PROPOSED, UM, AMENDMENTS AND HOW, UM, AGAIN, IT COMES DOWN TO EDUCATION.
YOU KNOW, HOW ARE THESE CHANGES GOING TO OUR, GOING TO AFFECT OUR CURRENT USE OF OUR PROPERTY? SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE, CURRENTLY YOU CAN DO X, Y,
[00:50:01]
Z, BUT IF WE CHANGE THE ELEVATION FROM HERE TO HERE, HOW IS THAT GOING TO AFFECT AS I BEGIN GOING UP ON TRYING TO BUILD MY PROPERTY? AGAIN, SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT BE THINKING ABOUT THE DEVELOPING OR BUILDING, BUT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW ARE THESE CHANGES TODAY GOING TO AFFECT HOW WE USE OUR PROPERTY IN THE FUTURE? BECAUSE IN SOME CASES, HEIGHT IS VALUE, YOU KNOW, SO, SO IF MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR GOT TO BUILD AT A CERTAIN HEIGHT, AND YOU'RE TELLING ME I CAN STILL BUILD AT THAT CERTAIN, AT THAT SAME HEIGHT, HOWEVER, WE'RE NOW CALCULATING YOUR ELEVATION, YOUR FLOOR LEVEL ELEVATION FROM A DIFFERENT HEIGHT THAT CAN IMPACT YOUR VALUE OF YOUR LAND AND WHAT YOU CAN DO AT YOUR PROPERTY.SO THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING.
UH, IT, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE UPDATES ON, YOU KNOW, HOW WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE, THE TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT WHAT'S VERY PERTINENT RIGHT NOW IS THE CHANGES THAT ARE HAPPENING OVERALL AND HOW THAT'S GOING TO AFFECT OUR LAND USE.
UM, I'M KIND OF CURIOUS, I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND, UM, WITH THE, UM, PUBLIC SERVICE DISTRICT AND THE SEWER AVAILABILITY WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO RENTERS VERSUS OWNERS.
SO IF SOMEONE IS A RENTER ON A PIECE OF PROPERTY WHO WAS, WHO IS CURRENTLY CONNECTED TO A FAULTY SEPTIC TANK, YOU KNOW, HOW DOES THAT AFFECT, OR WHAT APPLICATION PROCESS COMES INTO EFFECT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO CONNECTING TO SERVICES THAT MORE THAN LIKELY THE, THE OWNER CAN'T AFFORD OR THE RENTER CAN'T AFFORD? YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THAT PROCESS? DOES IT GO TO PSD OR DOES IT GO TO DEEP WELL, AND THEN THEY DO THE APPLICATION, IT COMES TO THE TOWN, YOU KNOW, HOW WAS THAT PROCESS? UM, WHAT'S THAT PROCESS? WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THAT? YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE MENTIONED PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE, IN THE PIPELINE WHO ARE GONNA POTENTIALLY RENT A LOT, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ONES WHO ARE CURRENTLY ON A PIECE OF PROPERTY, LIVING IN A HOME WITH THE FAULTY SYSTEM? HOW, HOW ARE WE WORKING WITH THAT? 'CAUSE PEOPLE HAVE A, HAVE APPROACHED ME THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN WAITING OR TRYING TO GET SERVICES, BUT APPARENTLY THERE'S NO FUNDS AVAILABLE.
SO DO WE CONTINUE TO HAVE SEEPAGE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S CONTAMINATING THE PROPERTY WHEN WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO TRY TO, UH, ATE THAT REMEDY THAT.
UM, AND AGAIN, UM, WE JUST GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT THE CHANGES THAT ARE BEING PRESENTED, UH, DON'T RESTRICT OPPORTUNITY.
I MEAN, WE'RE, WE'RE ALL, WE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT, WE ARE BUILT OUT, YOU KNOW, AND AS FAR AS THE GULLAH IS CONCERNED, YOU KNOW, WE ARE THE ONES WHO STILL HAVE DEVELOPABLE LAND, YOU KNOW, SO IF THERE'S GONNA BE QUOTE UNQUOTE RESTRICTIONS, THEN WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT COMPENSATION.
BECAUSE IF YOU'RE TAKING THAT OPPORTUNITY AWAY FROM US, HOW ARE WE GONNA SURVIVE? YOU KNOW? SO AGAIN, WE TALKED ABOUT TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS.
I MEAN, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE ON THE FOR FOREFRONT BECAUSE AGAIN, NO MORE DEVELOPMENT, TOO MUCH DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY, AND WE'RE THE ONES WHO ARE GONNA BE RESTRICTED TO THAT OPPORTUNITY.
THAT WAS VERY GOOD COMMENTS, AND I'M SURE THE STAFF WAS TAKING GOOD NOTES.
MR. CHAIRMAN, MAY I ASK? YES, SIR.
UM, WHAT DO WE DO WITH RESPECT TO THE COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE, UH, ALLOW STAFF TIME TO, TO ADDRESS? I, I WOULD, I MEAN, UNLESS, UH, SOMEBODY ON STAFF CAN ADDRESS THAT NOW, I'M NOT SURE THAT WE HAVE THE ANSWERS.
THERE WAS AT LEAST THREE QUESTIONS.
UH, BUT MS. MS. STEWART CAN KIND OF GUIDE US ON THAT IF SHE WANTS TO RESPOND, IF SHE WANTS STAFF TO TAKE NOTES AND COME BACK TO US.
WHAT I CAN DO IS, UM, I WILL GO AHEAD AND TOUCH ON, UM, HIS QUESTIONS.
WELL, THE COMMENTS REGARDING THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS PERMITTING AND DESIGN STUDIO PROCESS.
UM, ALSO GIVE YOU, UM, A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF WHERE YOU WOULD BEGIN FOR THE SEW CONNECTION PROGRAM, BUT I'LL ALSO FOLLOW UP VIA EMAIL.
THE SAME THING WILL BE DONE REGARDING, UM, YOU JUST MENTIONED ELEVATION THINGS THROUGH THE LMO, UM, AND DISTRICT PLANNING TO MAKE SURE WE ADDRESS THAT AS WELL.
UM, AND I'LL DO THAT VIA EMAIL.
I'LL HIT ON SOME POINTS RIGHT NOW THOUGH FOR YOU.
UM, I KNOW I HAVE WORKED WITH MR. SCOTT PREVIOUSLY ON, UM, SOME PROJECTS, UM, SHOWING THAT FULL ON BUILDABLE, UM, FOOTPRINT.
SO WE WILL ENSURE, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD THROUGH THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD PERMITTING AND DESIGN STUDIO, MAKING SURE THAT THAT IS ANOTHER PIECE OF AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR OUR PROPERTY OWNERS.
UM, IT'S ONE THING TO SAY YOU HAVE A 10 FOOT SETBACK, RIGHT? BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO THEM? SO I WILL TAKE THAT COMMENT AND ENSURE THAT, UM, THAT IS A PART OF THE
[00:55:01]
EDUCATIONAL PROCESS AS WELL AS THE GRAPHIC VIEW FOR THEM WHEN WE'RE DOING THAT CONCEPTUAL SITE PLANNING.UM, ANOTHER THING IS WITH THE SEWER CONNECTION, IF SOMEONE IS, UH, UM, IF THEY ARE CURRENTLY ON A LOT, AND YOU MENTIONED, UM, SO SORRY, UM, WAS MY THOUGHT PROCESS HERE.
UM, THE BASIS OF THE TOWNS PROGRAM WAS TO THOROUGHLY PROVIDE, UM, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE RENTERS.
AND I THINK MISSY, MISS LU TOUCHED ON THIS EARLIER REGARDING, UM, A PARTIAL FUNDING WHEN IT COMES TO SOMEONE, UM, GOING THROUGH PSD, SO ON AND SO FORTH.
WHERE THEY BEGIN WOULD BE AT PS, I MEAN, WILL BE AT DEEP, WELL, THAT'S WHERE ALL APPLICATIONS SHOULD BEGIN FROM DEEP WELL, THEY THEN FILTER THEM OUT WHETHER THEY CAME TO THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD OR WHETHER THEY WENT TO PSD FOR PROJECT SAFE.
UM, AS OF RIGHT NOW, THEY WILL START WITH DEEP WELL AND THEN QUALIFICATIONS THROUGH PSD.
WHAT I WILL DO FOLLOWING THIS MEETING THOUGH, IS PROVIDE YOU WITH A FULL ON OVERVIEW OF HOW THAT WORKS.
OKAY, MR. CHAIRMAN? YES, MRS. UH, SHAVAN, MAY I ASK JUST FOR MY OWN LACK OF UNDERSTANDING, BEING PRIVY TO THE RESPONSE REGARDING THE DENSITY, UM, PROBLEMS, THE FIRST, THE FIRST COMMENT THAT MR. SCOTT MADE, COULD I BE A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION SO I CAN BE EDUCATED? OH, YES, ABSOLUTELY.
FOR ACTIVATED RECOMMENDATIONS, WE ALSO HAVE PUBLIC POLICY TWO, WHICH SPEAKS TO FAST TRACKING THE FAMILY COMPOUND AND FAMILY SUBDIVISION APPLICATIONS.
THIS IS CURRENTLY BEING DONE, UM, THROUGH THE TOWN'S, UH, PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
ANYONE COULD GO ONLINE AND THEY COULD SEE PRETTY MUCH THE TIMEFRAME OF GETTING SOMETHING APPROVED FOR FAMILY COMPOUND AND FAMILY, UM, SUBDIVISION APPLICATIONS.
SO WHEN THEY COME IN, THE PLANNING STAFF IMMEDIATELY WORKS ON THEM.
UM, I'LL STEP OVER TO PP THREE PUBLIC POLICY THREE, WHICH SPEAKS TO OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS PERMITTING AND DESIGN STUDIO, WHICH WE'VE TOUCHED ON, UM, A LITTLE BIT HERE TODAY.
UM, SO THAT IS FULLY ACTIVATED AND IT HAS BEEN ACTIVATED SINCE OCTOBER OF 2021, PROVIDING THOSE PROPERTY OWNERS WITH A FULL ON, UM, PRETTY MUCH GUIDANCE AND EDUCATION AND INFORMATION, WHETHER THAT'S FOR LAND DEVELOPMENT, LAND USE, OR WHETHER IT'S FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT.
PUBLIC POLICY FOUR SPEAKS TO ESTABLISHING AN OVERLY DISTRICT, AND THIS ONE IS PLACED WITH AN ACTIVATED BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN REVIEWED.
UM, AND THE RESULT OF WHEN THIS WAS INITIALLY REVIEWED, THIS IS WHERE WE CAME UP WITH THE FAMILY COMPOUND AND FAMILY SUBDIVISION TO ENSURE THAT, UM, WE DID NOT HAVE ANY UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.
UM, WE HAVE ALSO ACTIVATED THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS PERMITTING AND DESIGN STUDIO OUT OF THIS RECOMMENDATION AS WELL, UM, JUST TO ADDRESS HOW THE CURRENT LANDOWNERS IN OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS ARE NOT LAND DEVELOPERS.
AND MR. CHAIRMAN STEVENS, YOU JUST TOUCHED ON THIS EARLIER AS WELL.
UM, AND THROUGH THAT PROGRAM FOR THIS AS WELL, WE HAVE FOUND WAYS TO REMOVE THOSE BARRIERS FOR DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDING THEM WITH THE EDUCATION, THE TOOLS, AS WELL AS, UM, THE GUIDANCE TO KIND OF MOVE THEIR PROJECTS FORWARD.
PUBLIC POLICY FIVE SPEAKS TO THAT FAMILY COMPOUND AND FAMILY SUBDIVISION AND TOWN COUNCIL ADOPTED FAMILY COMPOUND, AND THE FAMILY SUBDIVISION, LMO AMENDMENTS IN JULY OF 2021.
BEFORE YOU, UM, SORRY, MOVE ON.
UM, I THINK IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT, UH, WHEN WE CAME UP WITH THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, CERTAINLY O OVER TIME, UM, A LOT HAS CHANGED AS FAR AS, UH, THE TERMS AND LANGUAGE THAT WE USE AND THE DEFINITIONS EVEN.
SO IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING NOW THAT PPP FOUR, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, WE USE THE TERM OVERLAY DISTRICT, BUT NOW WE HAVE, UH, CONSULTANTS THAT ARE WORKING ON DISTRICT PLANNING.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO TRANSITION INTO DISTRICT PLANNING.
UM, AND THIS IS MORE OF A COMMENT THAN A QUESTION, UH, BUT ALSO UNDERSTANDING THAT, UH, THOSE CONSULTANTS WORKING WITH THE, UH, CURRENT LMO REWRITE, THAT THIS GROUP WILL STILL BE INVOLVED AS STAKEHOLDERS.
SO WE WILL HAVE, MAKE INPUT AND, UH, MAKE OBSERVATIONS AND ASK FOR, UH, ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE, SUCH AS THE QUESTIONS THAT MR. SCOTT HAD.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT, UH, A QUICK POINT OF CLARIFICATION, UH, MR. CHAIRMAN? YES, SIR.
UH, SO THE ESTABLISHED OVERLY DISTRICT THAT'S GONNA BE REWORDED YOU SAID? I, I'M,
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I'M SAYING THAT, I MEAN, I, I DON'T KNOW IF WE ARE USING THE TERM OVERLAY DISTRICT NOW WITH THE CURRENT CONSULTANTS.UH, STAFF CAN PROBABLY TELL ME THAT.
I, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT CLARIFICATION.
'CAUSE I HEAR DISTRICT PLANNING MORE NOW THAN I DO OVERLAY DISTRICT, AND I DON'T WANT US TO BE CONFUSED BY, UH, WHAT WE THINK AN OVERLAY DISTRICT IS.
YEAH, I WOULD DEFINITELY, BECAUSE I MEAN, YOU KNOW.
UH, MR. STEVEN C OVERLAY DISTRICT IN THE PROJECT REPORT WAS A CONSTRUCT FOR, UM, SOME ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS THAT COULD BE APPLICABLE WITHIN OUR ISLANDS HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND, UM, WHEN, WHEN THE OVERLAY DISTRICT WAS PURSUED, UM, IT ULTIMATELY, UM, EVOLVED INTO NOT AN OVERLY DISTRICT ENACTMENT, BUT IN THE TWO APPLICATION PROCESSES OF FAMILY COMPOUND AND FAMILY SUBDIVISION.
AND THEN FURTHERMORE, IN THE SUMMER OF 2023, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU RECALL, BUT WE HAD A SERIES OF MEETINGS WHERE WE MET WITH THE TASK FORCE MEMBERS TO DISCUSS THOSE BARRIERS THAT WE SEE WITH BOTH, UH, THE FAMILY COMPOUND, FAMILY SUBDIVISION, EVEN AS THOSE ARE RECENTLY ADOPTED APPLICATION RESOURCES, UM, AS WELL AS SOME OF THOSE BARRIERS THAT WE STILL CONTINUE TO FIND IN OUR, UM, DESIGN STUDIO, UH, CASE STUDIES AND EXAMPLES.
AND THAT WE HAVE COMMUNICATED THAT INFORMATION TO THAT CODE CONSULTANT TEAM TO, UH, FURTHERMORE EXAMINE BOTH THE FAMILY COMPOUND AND FAMILY SUBDIVISION APPLICATION TYPES, BUT OTHER, UM, DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT MAY EXIST WITHIN OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND YES, IT MAY BE THAT IT'S MORE LIKELY THAT IT WOULD BE APPLIED THROUGH A BASE ZONING DISTRICT AS OPPOSED TO AN OVERLAY DISTRICT.
UM, BUT EITHER WAY, UM, THE GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF EXAMINING OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS IS WHAT WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING WITH THAT CODE CONSULTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE UNIQUE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS TO DEVELOPMENT THAT EXIST IN THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS ARE EXAMINED DURING THIS COMPREHENSIVE LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE REWRITE.
SO THE NOMENCLATURE OF, UM, THE SPECIFICS OF AN OVERLAY DISTRICT, IF YOU READ ACTUALLY WHAT THE POLICY RECOMMEND POLICY RECOMMENDATION WAS IN NPP FOUR, IT WAS REALLY TO LOOK AT THAT SCOPE.
AND SO THAT SCOPE OF, UH, WHAT'S BEING EXAMINED IS STILL THE, THE SCOPE THAT'S BEFORE US, THE MECHANISM MAY OR MAY NOT BE AN OVERLAY DISTRICT.
SO, YES, THAT'S THE NOMENCLATURE PIECE.
GREGORY, THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
DID THAT HELP YOU? YEAH, I MEAN THAT'S, THAT'S I GUESS, UH, WHOLE EXPLANATION AND, AND I GUESS ALWAYS THE CONCERN IS, IS THAT WHEN YOU START, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A REDEFINING OR NOT, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE CORRECT WORD OR NOT, BUT WHEN YOU START CHANGING FROM THE ORIGINAL THOUGHT, AND MAYBE, MAYBE I ALSO HEARD YOU SAY THAT IT REALLY DIDN'T.
I, I FIND THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU OFTENTIMES LOSE THE ORIGINAL GOAL WHEN YOU START TO SHIFT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S ALMOST LIKE, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING TO MOVE THE GOALPOSTS BACK EVERY TIME YOU GET READY TO PUNT.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU KEEP CHANGING DEFINITIONS, TERMINOLOGIES ALONG THE WAY SOMEWHERE, YOU LOSE THAT ORIGINAL THOUGHT.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE IF YOU WHISPER ONE THING TO A PERSON AND BY THE TIME IT GETS DOWN TO THE END, IT'S SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
AND I, I THINK THAT HAPPENS, WELL, MAY, UH, MAY HAPPEN OR COULD HAPPEN IF YOU LOSE FOCUS OR IF THE FOCUS IS NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, KEPT FROM, FROM WHAT THE ORIGINAL THOUGHT WAS.
BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE I HEAR YOU SAYING THERE'S AVENUES TO PROTECT WHAT THE ORIGINAL THOUGHT WAS, THAT YOU DON'T LOSE THAT THERE.
AS MR. SIMMONS AND AS, AS CHAIRMAN STEVENS, UM, IDENTIFIED THAT, UM, WE'VE IDENTIFIED THAT THE GLA TASK FORCE IS GOING TO BE THAT MAIN STAKEHOLDER BODY TO ASSIST WITH THE REVIEW OF THE FULL CODE.
SO THAT KEEPS THAT FOCUS, UM, WITHIN THE CODE AMENDMENT PROJECT, UM, WITHIN THIS BODY, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THE, THE FULL CODE OVERHAUL, UM, NOT ONLY MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE WHOLE COMMUNITY, BUT THAT, UM, IT'S REVIEWED UNDER, UNDER THE LENS THAT THIS, THIS TASK FORCE PROVIDES.
UM, AND I THINK THAT WILL MAKE SURE THAT, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS PROJECT REPORT, THAT ALL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE PROJECT REPORT, UM, ARE GOING TO REMAIN TO BE REALIZED.
THOSE THAT RELATE TO DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OR, UH, POLICY INITIATIVES THROUGH EITHER DISTRICT PLANNING OR THE LMO PROJECT, WHICH IS THE NEXT, UH, SET OF, UH, RECOMMENDATION, UH, THAT, THAT MS. VERONICA WILL GO THROUGH.
BUT, UM, BUT YES, THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO UNDERSTAND THAT YES, SOME OF THE NOMENCLATURE MAY HAVE CHANGED, UM, BUT THE, THE, THE OVERALL SCOPE OF WHAT THAT PARTICULAR RECOMMENDATION AIMED TO ACHIEVE IS STILL RIGHT AT THE FOREFRONT.
AND THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
I'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH,
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MEET WITH STAFF AND TALK WITH THEM ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SOME ITEMS LIKE THAT.AGAIN, THAT MIGHT HAVE CHANGED SINCE WE CAME UP WITH THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND MR. SIMMONS, HOPEFULLY WHAT WE ARE DOING IS CERTAINLY NOT TO LOSE THAT FOCUS, BUT MAYBE TO IMPROVE UPON WHAT WE HAVE.
AND I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT IT MAY NOT BE EXPLAINED AS AN OVERLAY DISTRICT, BUT, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE YOU, UH, STAYING ON TOP OF THAT AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ACCOMPLISH WHAT WE SET OUT TO INTEND FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
MR. TIM, VERY MUCH, IF I MAY ADD YES, SIR.
I BELIEVE THE LANGUAGE OF HAVING AN OVERLAY DISTRICT WOULD'VE RESTRICTED SOME OF WHAT WE MAY HAVE NEEDED IN OTHER AREAS OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, BECAUSE IT'S THE IDEA OF AN OVERLAY MEANT THAT YOU HAD TO HAVE KIND OF, SORT OF BLANKET APPLICATION OF, OF CERTAIN GUIDELINES.
AND WE WANTED FLEXIBILITY, RIGHT? WE ALWAYS SAID WE WANTED FLEXIBILITY, AND NOT THAT EVERY PARCEL OF LAND HAD TO HAVE THE HAD TO BE MANAGED BY THE SAME DICTATES.
I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE, THAT WAS A RESTRICTION WHEN REGARD TO THAT PARTICULAR LANGUAGE, RIGHT.
THAT WE ADDRESSED SOME TIME AGO.
AND I BELIEVE THERE WAS SOME, UH, LEGAL DISCUSSION.
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WERE CHALLENGES OR NOT, BUT YOU KNOW, WE, TO YOUR POINT, TO SEE IF THAT WAS ACTUALLY THE BEST WAY TO PROCEED WITH THAT.
SO AGAIN, STAFF HAS BEEN LOOKING VERY CLOSELY AT ALL THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT THOSE LIKE THAT ARE VERY SENSITIVE, AND THAT'S WHY I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T GET HUNG UP ON THE WORD RIGHT THERE.
IF THERE'S A WAY TO MAKE TP FOUR HAPPEN, UH, IT MAY NOT BE CALLED AN OVERLAY DISTRICT, BUT THE END RESULT IS WHAT WE'RE AFTER.
THEN WE HAVE PUBLIC POLICY SIX, WHICH SPEAKS TO ALLOWING SITE DESIGN FLEXIBILITY.
UM, AND FOR THIS ONE, I JUST WANNA TOUCH ON, TOWN COUNCIL ADOPTED THE DIRT ROAD LMO AMENDMENTS IN NOVEMBER OF 2020, UM, WITH KEY PROVISIONS FOR THIS, WHICH INCLUDED LAG DENSITY, PRESERVATION, SETBACK, ADJUSTMENTS, BUFFER REQUIREMENTS, AS WELL AS RIGHT AWAY WITH FLEXIBILITY.
UM, WHEN WE SPEAK TO PUBLIC POLICY 11, THIS IS, THIS SPEAKS TO HAVING A FUND FOR DELINQUENT TAXES.
SO A FUND TO HELP PROPERTY OWNERS AVOID LOSING THEIR PROPERTY TO DELINQUENT TAX SALES IS CURRENTLY IMPLEMENTED THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP, UM, WITH THE TOWN BEAUFORT COUNTY TAX OFFICE, AS WELL AS THE LOW COUNTRY GULLAH FOUNDATION.
UM, PP 12, PUBLIC POLICY 12 SPEAKS TO EDUCATIONAL MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS, AND THROUGH A CONTRACT WITH THE TOWN AND THE LOW COUNTRY GULLAH FOUNDATION, UM, THE LOW COUNTRY GULLAH FOUNDATION HOSTS ANNUAL WORKSHOPS FOCUSED ON, HES PROPERTY WILLS, PROPERTY TAXATION, AS WELL AS LAND USE.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST ON THIS PAGE IS PUBLIC POLICY 13, WHICH IS, IT SPEAKS TO PROMOTING THAT COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT ACT COMPLIANCE TO EXPAND FINANCIAL ACCESS IN HISTORIC GULLAH NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND MR. BOXLEY KIND OF SPOKE ON THAT EARLIER, UM, AND THROUGH THIS ACTIVATION PIECE IS ACTUALLY HIS WORK EFFORT, HIS WORK EFFORTS WITH THESE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO MOVE IT FORWARD.
ANY QUESTIONS HERE? QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? ANYONE IN OUR PUBLIC QUESTION OR A COMMENT? OKAY.
UM, AND THEN FOR OUR LAST THREE ACTIVATED RECOMMENDATIONS, WE HAVE HEIRS PROPERTY ONE, WHICH SPEAKS TO, UM, HAVING AN HEIRS PROPERTY FAMILY RESEARCH PROJECT.
SO THE TOWN ESTABLISHED THE HEIRS PROPERTY FAMILY RESEARCH PROJECT BY PARTNERING WITH HERITAGE LIBRARY AS WELL AS USCB HILTON HEAD.
UM, AND THIS PROJECT AIMS TO IDENTIFY HEIRS USING GENEALOGY RESEARCH.
PLEASE KNOW, AS PROPERTY OWNERS COME THROUGH THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS PERMITTING AND DESIGN STUDIO, THEY ARE PROVIDED WITH INFORMATION REGARDING HERITAGE LIBRARY.
UM, NOT ONLY ARE THEY PROVIDED WITH THIS INFORMATION DURING THOSE INITIAL MEETINGS THROUGH THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD PERMITTING AND DESIGN STUDIO, THEY ARE FLAT FLYERS FOR THE HERITAGE LIBRARY REGARDING THESE EFFORTS ARE ALWAYS WITHIN THE LOBBY HERE AT TOWN HALL AND ARE CONSTANTLY REPLENISHED.
UM, HP TWO SPEAKS TO COORDINATE WITH HEIRS PROPERTY ORGANIZATIONS, UM, AND THE TOWN ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS, RELATIONSHIPS WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE HEIRS PROPERTY SERVICES AND, AND CREATE AN ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY RESOURCE.
AND WE HAVE CREATED, EXCUSE ME, AN ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY RESOURCE PAGE ON THE TOWN'S WEBSITE TO PROVIDE THIS ACCESS TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT THEIR OWN, UM, LEISURE.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE THE HEIRS PROPERTY THREE, UM, WHICH SPEAKS TO CREATE HAVING THAT CENTER FOR HEIRS PROPERTY PRESERVATION
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SATELLITE OFFICE.NOW, THIS ONE HAS BEEN EXPLORED.
UM, SO THE TOWN EXPLORED ESTABLISHING A SATELLITE OFFICE FOR THE CENTER FOR HEIRS PROPERTY.
HOWEVER, THE REQUEST WAS DECLINED AT THAT TIME AS THE CENTER DETERMINED IT WOULD BE FEASIBLE TO PRIORITIZE OTHER COUNTIES, UM, WITHIN SOUTH CAROLINA THAT HAD HIGHER VOLUMES OF HEIRS PROPERTY.
UM, SO REGARDING THIS, WE, YOU KNOW, UM, WE'RE THANKFUL FOR OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH HERITAGE LIBRARY AS WELL AS LOWCOUNTRY GULLAH FOUNDATION BECAUSE WE'RE ABLE TO ASSIST THEM.
AND THEN WHAT WE DO IS WE, UM, AFTER EFFORTS HAVE BEEN, UM, MADE WITH BOTH OF THOSE ENTITIES, WE STILL THEN TRANSFER THEM OVER TO THE CENTER FOR AIRS PROPERTY, WHICH PROVIDES NOT ONLY IN-PERSON MEETINGS WITH THEM, BUT ALSO VIRTUAL MEETINGS FOR THOSE PROPERTY OWNERS HERE ON THE ISLAND WHO CAN'T MAKE IT TO CHARLESTON.
AND THEY'VE ALSO ASSISTED WITH SOME OF THE EDUCATIONAL PIECES TOO, LIKE THE WORKSHOPS AND PRESENTATIONS.
EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE A SATELLITE OFFICE HERE, WE STILL HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM AND HAVE ACCESS, UH, TO THEIR RESOURCES WHERE THEY CAN BE HELPFUL.
THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS, EVERYBODY DON'T ALWAYS FIT INTO THAT, YOU KNOW? RIGHT.
AT THIS TIME, WE WILL THEN TRANSITION INTO THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE IN PROGRESS BY OUR DISTRICT PLANS AND OUR LMO PROJECT.
SO, UM, THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS THROUGH BOTH OF THESE PROJECTS ARE PUBLIC POLICY SEVEN, WHICH IS TO IMPLEMENT TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS IN OUR HISTORIC GOAL AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND THEN PUBLIC POLICY EIGHT, WHICH IS TO PRESERVE GULLAH LAND OWNERSHIP OWNERSHIP THROUGH DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS PURCHASE.
UM, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE PUBLIC POLICY NINE, WHICH SPEAKS TO THAT DESIGN REGULATION AMENDMENT TO REFLECT THE GULLAH CULTURAL TRADITIONS.
AND ALL OF THESE ARE IN EFFECT THROUGH BOTH OF THESE PROJECT PLANS.
ANY QUESTION REGARDING THESE AT ALL? UH, CURRENT, SORRY.
SO THESE THREE ARE CURRENTLY BEING PHASE INTO THE, THE ANIMAL REWRITES? YES.
AND I'M GONNA, THIS IS LU IS GONNA COME UP AND SPEAK TO THESE AS WELL.
UM, SO I'LL WAIT FOR HER TO GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN.
SO, YES, UM, SOME OF THESE, UH, POLICIES ARE, WELL, ONE, UM, PP SEVEN, UH, IMPLEMENT A TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS, UM, INITIATIVE OR POLICY, UH, THAT IS A RECOMMENDATION THAT'S CURRENTLY IN OUR ADOPTED MID ISLAND DISTRICT PLAN.
UM, IT MAY BE, UM, ONCE WE'RE THROUGH WITH THE OTHER DISTRICT PLANS THAT IT IS A POLICY THAT IS, UM, ADOPTED TOWN WIDE.
UM, RIGHT NOW IT IS JUST A RECOMMENDATION WITHIN AN ADOPTED DISTRICT PLAN.
UM, AND, AND IT WOULD NEED TO BE ACTIVATED FURTHER IF THAT WAS THE DESIRE OF, UM, OUR ELECTED LEADERS.
UM, IT IS ONE AS, UM, AS YOU JUST HEARD FROM MR. SCOTT, WHICH, WHICH IS AN OPPORTUNITY POTENTIALLY TO, UM, HAVE AN ABILITY TO, IF, IF AS A RESULT OF THE LMO OVERHAUL, UM, AS A RESULT OF THAT VISION WITHIN THESE DISTRICT PLANS, IS TO CHANGE SOME OF OUR DEVELOPMENT ENTITLEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE ISLAND.
AND THERE ARE AREAS WHERE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL MAY BE INCREASING AND AREAS WHERE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL IS DECREASING.
A TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS PROGRAM OR A DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS PURCHASE PROGRAM, UM, WOULD ALLOW FOR, UM, TRANSACTIONS TO OCCUR WHERE, UM, WHERE THERE CAN BE SOME COMPENSATION, UH, TO THOSE PARTIES THAT ARE, UH, BUYING OR SELLING THOSE, THOSE DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS, UM, OR TRANSFERS.
SO, UM, THOSE ARE AREAS WHERE YES, IN THESE OTHER PLANNING INITIATIVES, THAT IS HOW THESE RECOMMENDATIONS COULD BE ACTIVATED.
UM, IF, IF THEY, UH, ARE A RESULT OF BOTH OF THOSE PLANNING EFFORTS, BOTH THE DISTRICT PLANNING PROJECT AND ULTIMATELY POTENTIALLY IN, UH, THE LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE.
UM, SOME OF THEM MAY BE A POLICY INITIATIVE THAT NEEDS TO BE A SEPARATE POLICY THAT GOES THROUGH, UH, REVIEW AND APPROVAL BY, BY COUNCIL ITSELF.
UM, AS IT RELATES TO PUBLIC POLICY, NINE DESIGN REGULATIONS, AMENDMENT TO REFLECT ALL OF CULTURAL TRADITIONS.
UM, SOME OF THAT IS REALIZED WITHIN THE FAMILY COMPOUND, UM, APPLICATION TYPE THAT WE HAVE THAT PRESERVES THE ABILITY TO HAVE MULTIPLE HOME SITES ON ONE PARCEL.
UM, THERE IS, UH, AT OUR NEXT MEETING OF THE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD, GOING TO BE AN EXERCISE THAT GOES TO THE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD TO LOOK AT, UM, THE DESIGN GUIDE RIGHT NOW, AND IF IT IS CURRENTLY MEETING ISLAND CHARACTER, UM, NOW, AND THEN THINKING FORWARD INTO, UH, THE NEW CODE, UM, AND, UH, AND HOW THE ISLAND IS EVOLVING OVER TIME.
UM, AND PART OF WHAT'S, UM, IDENTIFIED IN PP NINE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE DESIGN GUIDES, UM,
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THAT REFLECT THE, THE CULTURAL TRADITIONS OF, OF GULLAH FAMILIES.AND SO, UM, THAT CAN BOTH BE REALIZED EITHER IN THE DESIGN GUIDE, IF THERE'S A COMMERCIAL COMPONENT THAT APPLIES TO PROPERTIES WITHIN HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS AND OR IN THE DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS THAT APPLY, UM, IN THE LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE OVERHAUL PROJECT.
SO THAT'S HOW ALL OF THESE CAN BE REALIZED WITHIN BOTH THE DISTRICT PLANNING PROJECT AND THE LMO.
UM, IT'S ALSO WHY, UM, THESE PROJECTS ARE UNDERWAY.
WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING ON, ON BOTH THE DISTRICT PLANNING INITIATIVE AND THE LMO OVERHAUL.
UM, AND SO THESE, THESE ARE INITIATED FAR FROM COM FROM COMPLETED, UM, BUT WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING ON THESE CONCEPTS.
YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M HEARING, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BE, BUT I'M HEARING LANGUAGE LIKE CAN BE INITIATED OR CAN BE IMPLEMENTED MM-HMM
WHEN IN FACT THESE ARE, THIS, THESE CAME FROM FEEDBACK FROM THAT INITIAL CONSULTANT THAT WE SAT DOWN WITH, AND THIS IS WHAT THE
SO I WOULD, I WOULD FEEL MUCH MORE AT EASE IF THE LANGUAGE WAS MORE, THESE ARE THINGS THAT, THAT THAT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED VERSUS, YOU KNOW, WELL, WE DON'T THINK YOU WANT, IT IS GONNA, WE DON'T WANNA PUT IT HERE.
SO NOW IT'LL BE, IT WON'T, IT WON'T HAVE THE HIGHEST CONSIDERATION THAT IT MAY NEED BASED ON THE INTEREST THAT THE COMMUNITY HAD.
THAT'S, THAT'S JUST A CONCERN WE HAVE.
AND, UM, I, I CAN SAY THAT TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS IS IN AN ADOPTED DISTRICT PLAN.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT THOSE OTHER DISTRICT PLANS BEING IN FINAL FORMAT OR BEING, YOU KNOW, AT A STAGE WHERE THEY'RE READY FOR REVIEW MM-HMM
UM, BY COUNCIL, UM, BUT JUST KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE UPDATES ON BOTH THE DISTRICT PLANNING INITIATIVE AND OF COURSE, THE CODE PROJECT TO THE TASK FORCE AS, AS IT MOVES FORWARD, THERE IS A PLANNED, UM, WORKSHOP OF COUNCIL FOR THE DISTRICT PLANNING PROJECT AND THEN THE CODE PROJECTS THAT WILL OCCUR IN THE FALL.
SO THERE'LL BE TWO SEPARATE WORKSHOPS WHERE BOTH OF THOSE INITIATIVES WILL BE MUCH FURTHER ALONG, UH, FOR, UM, FOR THAT LEVEL OF REVIEW.
UM, AND SO, BUT YES, THE, THOSE PLANNING PROCESSES DO TAKE BOTH, UM, THE PRIOR ADOPTED PLANS SUCH AS THE PROJECT REPORT THAT WE'RE REPORTING OUT ON TODAY, AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF OTHER TOWN PLANS AND LEGACY PLANNING DOCUMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ADOPTED, UH, TO, TO EVALUATE IF THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN ALL OF THOSE PLANS, UM, ARE RIPE FOR BEING INCLUDED IN THIS CURRENT PLANNING PROJECT, UH, THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE UNDERWAY WITH THIS DISTRICT PLANNING INITIATIVE.
UM, AND SO, AND THEN, AND THEN WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT TOO, THE ADDITIONAL INPUTS THAT WE HEARD THROUGH THE MORE RECENT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS WITHIN, UH, THE DISTRICT PLANNING ENGAGEMENT SERIES THAT WE HAD IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY.
AND WE'RE PUTTING ALL OF THAT TOGETHER, UM, IN, IN THE DISTRICT PLAN, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, IN THESE, UH, ADDITIONAL SEVEN DISTRICT PLANS THAT ARE BEING WRITTEN.
AND, AND IF I MAY, MISSY, I GUESS, AND I'M, IN MY HEAD, I'M THINKING, WELL, YOU HAVE THE MID ISLAND THAT HAS BEEN REZONED AND IT HAS THIS PROVISION THERE NOT REZONED A PLAN HAS BEEN ADOPTED.
AND IT HAS THIS ALLOWANCE, IT, IT HASN'T INCLUDED AN ADOPTED PLAN, UM, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE'S AN ACTIVE POLICY OR PROGRAM THAT'S BEEN ADOPTED OKAY.
SO I GUESS THE REAL QUESTION I HAVE IN MY HEAD IS IN THAT PARTICULAR DISTRICT THAT WHERE THIS IS BEING POTENTIALLY ADOPTED, HOW MANY GOLER FAMILIES COULD BENEFIT FROM THE TRANSFER OF DENSITY RIGHTS IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA? WELL, RIGHT NOW, JUST LIKE, UM, IT IS A RECOMMENDATION IN THE GULLAH PROJECT REPORT, IT IS A RECOMMENDATION IN THE MID ISLAND DISTRICT PLAN, AND A POLICY WOULD HAVE TO BE, UM, STOOD UP AND APPROVED BY COUNCIL TO ACTIVATE A TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS PROGRAM.
THERE ALSO IS, UM, WITHIN THE STATE, THERE'S, UH, WE FOLLOW A NUMBER OF, UH, BILLS, UM, BOTH BY THE SENATE OR THE HOUSE.
AND THERE IS A HOUSE BILL THAT'S PROPOSED TO, UM, OFFER SOME, UM, ADDITIONAL, UM, SUPPORT FOR ENACTING TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS PROGRAMMING WITHIN SOUTH CAROLINA.
UM, AND IT'S ONE THAT WE'RE AS A TOWN ACTIVELY MONITORING.
UM, AND, AND WE'VE DONE SOME INITIAL, UH, RESEARCH WITHIN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT ON, UH, VARIOUS COMMUNITIES TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS PROGRAMS. AND SO AS A DEPARTMENT, WE'VE BEEN DOING SOME RESEARCH, UM, BEHIND THE SCENES AS WE ARE AWARE THAT, THAT, THAT IS A RECOMMENDATION, UM, THAT HAS, UH,
[01:20:01]
UH, SHOWED UP IN MULTIPLE PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN ADOPTED.AND JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON, UH, MR. MALIK'S QUESTION, I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS SOME CONCERN, AND WE'VE SAID IT BEFORE, THAT WE WILL BE INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS AT SOME POINT, RIGHT.
UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA, UH, WHEN WE COULD EXPECT UPDATES ON THAT PROGRESS OR STATUS? AND NOW YOU SAID THERE'S SOME WORKSHOPS, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT JUST FOR THOSE OF US HERE AT THE TASK FORCE LEVEL.
UM, WELL, THOSE, UM, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT EVENTS WERE IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY.
UM, AND THOSE WORKSHOPS ARE COMING UP.
THEY'RE GONNA BE WORKSHOPS WITH COUNCIL IN THE FALL.
UM, AND, UH, AS FAR AS ADDITIONAL UPDATES, UM, TO THE TASK FORCE, UM, I WOULD REFER TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE INFORMATION THAT'S BEEN VETTED PROPERLY BEFORE WE, UM, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATE WHERE WE ARE WITH DRAFTED DISTRICT PLANS OR INITIATIVES, UM, AND WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE READY FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PUBLIC TO WEIGH IN ON.
UM, SO I DON'T, ASIDE FROM THOSE, UM, TIMETABLES THAT WE ALREADY ARE AWARE OF, THAT THERE WILL BE A TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP IN THE FALL, UM, AND THAT WE KNOW THAT WE'LL BE WORKING WITH THE TASK FORCE ON THE LMO PROJECT, UM, WHEN WE HAVE CONTENT THAT'S READY FOR REVIEW.
UM, BUT WHEN THAT COMES SPECIFICALLY, UM, I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO TELL YOU EXACTLY WHEN, AND I JUST CANNOT AT THIS TIME.
IT'LL BE, UM, SOMETIME I WOULD IMAGINE IN, UH, LATE SUMMER.
MY QUESTION IS, UH, THE, THE TOWN CURRENTLY HAS, I, I GUESS I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TRANSFER DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS TO THE HISTORIC DISTRICT, REALLY, THE, THE, THE, THE TOWN CURRENTLY HAS A-A-T-D-R PROGRAM OR HAS A AVENUE FOR TDR.
SO WHERE'S THAT AS A REFERENCE TO YOU IN REFERENCE TO THE IMPLEMENTATION HERE? THERE, THERE IS A CURRENT TDR PROGRAM IN PLACE FOR THE TOWN.
I'M, I'M ACTUALLY NOT AWARE THAT THERE IS AN ACTIVE TDR PROGRAM WITH THE TOWN.
I'M AWARE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME, UH, TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS ON CERTAIN PROPERTIES THAT HAVE OCCURRED.
UM, BUT, UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT EXISTS IN THESE PLANS AS A POLICY RECOMMENDATION, UH, TO BE, TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD.
IS, IS THE, THE TOWN DOESN'T HAVE A-A-T-D-R PROGRAM IN AND OF ITSELF, BUT IF YOU HAVE PROPERTY THAT'S IN A PD TWO OVERLAY DISTRICT, THEN THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF SHIFTING DENSITIES AROUND.
BUT ONLY ON THOSE PARCELS THAT ARE IN THAT, THAT PD TWO OVERLAY DISTRICT, DISTRICT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T RIGHT NOW UNDER THE TOWN'S CODE SHIFT DENSITY FROM THE CHAPLAIN AREA TO THE STONY AREA.
AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT THE CONSULTANTS ARE LOOKING AT.
THE CONSULTANT WILL BE LOOKING AT ALL OF THE MECHANISMS WITHIN THE CODE.
UM, AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF OUR USE TYPES, ALL OF OUR EXISTING APPLICATION TYPES.
UM, IT'S AN ANALYSIS OF BEST PRACTICES.
UM, AND, AND THEN WE HAVE SPECIFIC AREAS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT.
UM, AND SOME OF THOSE ARE RELATED TO SOME OF THESE ITEMS, INCLUDING ANALYSIS OF DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS IN OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS TO MEET THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE FROM THIS, UH, PRO PROJECT REPORT.
WELL, MR. CHAIRMAN, I, I GUESS THIS ONE STRIKES ME A LITTLE DIFFERENT BECAUSE I HAVEN'T SORT OF INVESTIGATED SOME OF THIS FOR MYSELF.
UM, I, I'M JUST CURIOUS IF WE GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS EXERCISE, UM, I, I, I GUESS IT IS SORT OF PRESENTING ITSELF FOR ME AT THIS POINT, A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
UM, I MEAN, I HEAR, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, ATTORNEY WILLIAMS SAID THAT THE TOWN ONLY DOES IT IF IT'S AN OVERLAY OF WHATEVER HE'S DESCRIBED THE DISTRICT WAS.
BUT, UM, AND I I, SO I'M CURIOUS AS TO HOW WILL THIS BE A BENEFIT TO THE GULLAH PROPERTIES, BECAUSE SOME OF THAT COMES WITH SOME RESTRICTIONS AS TO SIZE OF PROPERTY AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
SO I, I, I MEAN, IT'S, IT IS ONE THAT JUST SORT OF STICKS OUT TO ME, UH, UH, AND PARTICULARLY, SO, UM, UM, IT LENDS ME TO BELIEVE THAT HOW IS THE REST OF THIS IS GOING TO REALLY BE, UH, UH, A MAJOR PLUS FOR OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE SOME OF, FOR THE TDR COMES WITH SOME,
[01:25:01]
SOME HIGH RESTRICTIONS.UM, THE, THE BIT OF HOMEWORK THAT I'VE DONE AND IN THE GULER COMMUNITY, I, I THINK THOSE RESTRICTIONS ARE GONNA BE, UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO OVERCOME UNLESS THERE'S GONNA BE SOME, SOME NEW LANGUAGE THAT COMES ALONG WITH THAT IMPLEMENTATION.
WELL, THE, WHAT THESE ARE, ARE JUST, UM, BROAD RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND IF WE WERE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF A PURCHASE OF, OR TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS PROGRAM, UM, IT WOULD BE TAILORED TO HILTON HEAD ISLAND, AND IT WOULD INCLUDE ALL OF THE PARAMETERS AND SCOPE THAT WOULD GO INTO SUCH A PROGRAM, HOW IT APPLIES, WHO CAN APPLY, UM, HOW IT FUNCTIONS, ALL OF IT.
AND, UM, I'VE SEEN COMMUNITIES, UH, THAT HAVE VERY SUCCESSFUL PDR AND TDR PROGRAMS THAT ACHIEVE THE INTENDED OUTCOMES THAT ARE SET BY THAT PARTICULAR COMMUNITY.
AND SO, UM, BUT IT IS A SEPARATE POLICY INITIATIVE.
UM, AND RIGHT NOW WHAT THIS IS, IS A JUST A, A RECOMMENDATION AND A PLAN AND, UM, AND IT WOULD REQUIRE, UM, A ADDITIONAL RESEARCH, UM, AND MEETINGS BOTH THROUGH THE, THE TASK FORCE, UM, AND, UH, COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL AND COUNCIL TO MOVE IT THROUGH TO ADOPTION.
UM, BUT RIGHT NOW, UM, AGAIN, THESE ARE INCLUDED AS RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE PROJECT REPORT, AT LEAST ONE COMPONENT OF THIS IS, UM, WITHIN ANOTHER ADOPTED PLAN IN THE MID ISLAND PLAN.
UM, AND, UH, AND SO AS WE'RE WORKING WITHIN BOTH THE DISTRICT PLANNING INITIATIVE AND THE CODE OVERHAUL, WE KNOW THAT THESE ARE ACTIVE, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE GULLAH GEECHEE COMMUNITY, UM, AND THAT WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THEY STAY AT THE FOREFRONT DURING THESE PLANNING PROCESSES.
UM, AND I WAS GONNA FOLLOW UP WITH THAT.
UH, AND I THINK THAT'S WHY IT'S GONNA BE VERY IMPORTANT, MR. SIMMONS.
THOSE ARE VERY GOOD QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS, AND I HOPE THAT YOU AND OTHERS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO, UH, PUT THAT IN FRONT OF OUR CONSULTANTS OR WHENEVER THEY COME AND SPEAK WITH US, THAT WE MAKE SURE WE ASK THOSE VERY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.
BUT AS I UNDERSTAND, AS MS. LU IS SAYING, THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE, HAVE IN FRONT OF THEM NOW, BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED.
AND WE KNOW THAT OUR CONCERN IS ALWAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T GET OVERLOOKED OR IS AFTER THE FACT IN SOME WAY OF SOME SENSE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CONCERNS ARE, ARE ADDRESSED.
AND MR. CHAIR, I, I GUESS I, I, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO ADD, I, YOU KNOW, WHEN I, I I GO BACK IN THIS PARTICULAR ONE, LIKE I SAID, IS, AND I, I, I COMPLETELY HERE AND UNDERSTAND YOU'RE SAYING IT'S, IT'S ALL A MATTER OF A RECOMMENDATION, BUT, UM, IT'S ALL A PRETTY BROAD STROKE AT THIS POINT, YOU KNOW? UM, SO I'LL JUST LEAVE IT THERE.
I MEAN, THIS IS, MAKE THOSE CONSULTANTS WORK.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT IS, WELL, I, AND I, I DON'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THE POTENTIAL LMO OVERHAUL AND THE IDEA THAT IT'S, IT'S FEASIBLE THAT WE MAY END UP WITH A DIFFERENT ZONING MAP.
UM, SO ADOPTION OF A NEW ZONING MAP AND A NEW CODE AT THE SAME TIME, THAT ADOPTION PROCESS, NOT ONLY THE JOURNEY GETTING TO THE PLACE WHERE WE'RE READY TO, TO DISCUSS NEW ZONING CHANGES THAT AFFECT REAL PROPERTY AND REGULATORY CHANGES TO REAL PROPERTY, THERE IS BUILT INTO THE CONSULTANTS CONTRACT, A VERY ROBUST, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
SO, UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THE TASK FORCE ITSELF WILL BE INVOLVED WHEN THAT CODE IS BEING WRITTEN.
AND I, I MENTIONED IT ONCE BEFORE, THAT CODE TESTING IS PART OF, UH, THE CONTRACT AS WELL.
IT'S BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL, UM, IN HOW, UH, THE, THE CODE WRITER THEMSELVES HAVE, UM, MADE SURE THAT THE INTENDED OUTCOMES ARE REALIZED WHEN CODE IS DRAFTED.
IT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY WERE SELECTED, UH, AMONG THE OTHER FIRMS THAT WERE CANDIDATES, UH, BECAUSE THEY HAD THAT BUILT INTO THEIR CONTRACT.
AND THEY, HAVE, THEY SHOWCASED IN THE INTERVIEW HOW THEY'VE DONE THAT SUCCESSFULLY.
I THINK I CAN HEAR TODAY UP AT THE DIOCESE THAT THERE'S CONCERNS MAKING SURE THAT THE INTENDED OUTCOMES, THEY'RE BOTH UP ON THE SCREEN AND SOME OF THE OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS THAT HAVE TO BE BROUGHT TO LIFE THROUGH THE DISTRICT PLANNING AND LMO REWRITE ARE TRULY BROUGHT TO LIFE WITH THE INTENDED OUTCOMES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED WHEN SOME OF THESE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS WERE DRAFTED IN THIS, IN THIS PLAN FROM 2019.
AND SO, UM, THEY ARE THE RIGHT FIRM TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY GET
[01:30:01]
THROUGH THIS, THIS PROCESS, UM, AND, AND HELP US MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ACHIEVING THOSE INTENDED OUTCOMES FOR OUR COMMUNITY.SO, UM, EVEN THOUGH I, I WILL NOT BE HERE FOR THE REST OF THE REMAINDER OF THE PROJECT, I HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE IN THE TEAM, UM, THAT UNDERSTANDS, UH, THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF OUR COMMUNITY, AND TO BRING THOSE FORWARD AND TO MAKE SURE THAT AS A BODY, THE TASK FORCE, UM, WILL REVIEW, UH, THE, THE FULL CODE.
UM, AND THEN JUST WHEN YOU GET FURTHER ALONG, WHEN THERE'S AN ACTUAL CODE THAT'S READY FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION, THAT THERE'S A VERY ROBUST WAY THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN INTERACT THROUGH, UH, THROUGH AN ONLINE, UM, TOOL, UM, LOOK UP THEIR PROPERTY, UNDERSTAND THE ZONING TODAY AND WHAT IT IS TOMORROW WITH THE PROPOSED CHANGES SO THEY TRULY UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS.
SO THAT LEVEL OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND, UM, TECHNOLOGY IS PART OF THE CODE PROJECT AS WELL.
SO, UM, SO THESE CHANGES SHOULD BE ONES THAT ARE, UM, MEETING COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES ARE ONES THAT THERE'S AMPLE OPPORTUNITY FOR PROPERTY OWNERS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE CHANGES ARE AND WHAT THEY MEAN.
AND THEN I UNDERSTAND THAT IF THERE ARE CHANGES THAT, UM, THAT ALTER SAY THE DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS THAT, UM, THIS TRANSFER OF OR PURCHASE OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS PROGRAM IS GOING TO BE A VERY IMPORTANT COMPONENT OR TOOL, UM, THAT'S PART OF THE OVERALL CONVERSATION.
BUT AGAIN, UM, WE HAVE ONE DECISION MAKER IN THE ROOM BEHIND ME.
UM, THOSE ARE THE DECISION MAKERS ON ALL OF THESE POLICY INITIATIVES, HOW THEY ROLL OUT BOTH IN THAT DISTRICT PLAN, UH, UH, REPORT, UM, THAT THEN ARE STOOD UP THROUGH, UH, POTENTIAL STRATEGIC ACTION PLANS AND WITH, UH, WITH THE ADOPTION OF A NEW LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE AND, AND ZONING MAP.
SO, UM, THE PROJECT IS, IS VERY LARGE IN SCALE, BUT ULTIMATELY DISTRICT PLANNING AND LMO IS ONE OF THE LARGEST IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS OF A LOT OF RECOMMENDATIONS AND A LOT OF PLANS AND, AND LEGACY PLANNING DOCUMENTS THAT WE HAVE.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE, THE REWRITE OF THE CODE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S SETTING THE RULES FOR, YOU KNOW, HOW THE ISLAND DEVELOPS OVER THE NEXT 50 YEARS.
IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PROJECT, UM, AND, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S A GREAT TEAM WORKING ON IT TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT IT'S DONE WELL AND IS RESPECTFUL OF ALL VOICES ON THE ISLAND.
I'D LIKE TO THANK MISSY FOR ALL OF OUR GOOD WORK.
WE'RE GOING TO TRANSITION INTO THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL BE CARRIED FORWARD BY THE GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
UM, WHEN THIS REPORT WAS CREATED IN 2019, THERE WAS NO CDC.
AND WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IS THAT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT DO REMAIN, ARE BETTER HOUSED UNDERNEATH THE CDC.
I'M JUST GONNA READ THROUGH THEM.
UM, THERE ARE PROBABLY ABOUT 10 OR 11, I BELIEVE.
UM, WE HAVE CULTURAL PRESERVATION NINE, WHICH SPEAKS TO PARTNERING TO PROMOTE GULLAH CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS.
REGIONALLY, WE HAVE CULTURAL PRESERVATION 10, WHICH SPEAKS TO INTEGRATING GULLAH CULTURAL INTO ISLAND WIDE TOURISM MARKETING.
WE HAVE CULTURAL PRESERVATION 12, UM, WHICH SPEAKS TO A GULLAH AUTHENTICITY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM, CULTURAL PRESERVATION 13, WHICH SPEAKS TO LEVERAGING ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDIES TO STRENGTHEN GULLAH HERITAGE TOURISM CULTURAL PRESERVATION 14, WHICH SPEAKS TO THE ESTABLISHING THE OPEN AIR GULLAH MARKET CULTURAL PRESERVATION 16, WHICH SPEAKS TO A COMPREHENSIVE CULTURAL PRESERVATION PLAN WITH A FOCUS ON GULLAH HERITAGE.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE CULTURAL PRESERVATION 18, WHICH SPEAKS TO A LAND OWNER SLASH DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPER PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM FOR HISTORIC GULLAH NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE HAVE PUBLIC POLICY ONE, WHICH SPEAKS TO THE DEVELOPMENT FEE WAIVERS AND GRANT ASSISTANCE FOR GULLAH NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE HAVE PUBLIC POLICY 10, WHICH SPEAKS TO REDUCING TAX BURDEN THROUGH CURRENT USE VALUATION IN HISTORIC GULLAH AREAS, PP 14, WHICH SPEAKS TO TEMPORARY SIGNS, TEMPORARY AND SEASONAL SIGNS.
AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, IS HEIRS PROPERTY FOUR, WHICH SPEAKS TO A FUND TO CLEAR THOSE PROPERTY TITLES.
ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING QUESTIONS? MR. MALIK? YOU HAVE QUESTION? I'M SORRY.
I'M, I'M JUST CURIOUS AS TO KNOW, UM, IF WE CAN GET ANY KIND OF INSIGHTS ON WHERE WE ARE WITH ANY OF THESE ITEMS, CP
[01:35:01]
NINE THROUGH CP 17 OR SIX 18.IN OTHER WORDS, LET'S LOOK AT CP NINE.
PARTNERING TO PROMOTE GULLAH CULTURAL ACTIVITIES REGIONALLY.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S BEING DONE? THESE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT, THAT WILL BE DONE.
NOW, THE ONES THAT WERE SPOKE TO, I THINK IT'S ABOUT 23 OF THEM BEFORE.
THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE CURRENTLY ACTIVATED.
THESE ARE ONES THAT ARE TO BE CARRIED OUT THROUGH FUTURE PLANNING.
AND THESE ARE ALL BE GONNA BE DONE THROUGH THE CDC? YES, SIR.
SO I GUESS MY QUESTION WOULD, SHOULD BE DIRECTED MORE TO MR. BOSLEY, UM, WITH RESPECT TO IF THERE IS A TEMPLATE OR TEMPLATE AS TO WHEN THESE, UM, ITEMS WILL POTENTIALLY STOP BEING, YOU KNOW, ONLINE ACTIVE OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
UM, JUST BEFORE MR. BOLEY SPEAKS THOUGH, UM, I JUST WANNA REMIND YOU THAT, UM, UM, BUT MR. STEWART SAID WAS THAT THESE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE BEING MOVED OVER TO, TO THE CDC.
AND THEN PART OF YOUR ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS THAT SOME OF THESE I FEEL LIKE HAVE, UH, HAD SOME ENERGY MOVING FORWARD.
THEY'RE NOT IMPLEMENTED, BUT, UH, I MEAN, THE FIRST ONE, CP NINE, PARTNERING TO PROMOTE GULLAH CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS REGIONALLY, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE DOING SOME OF THAT ALREADY, YOU KNOW? OKAY.
BUT THESE ARE THINGS THAT JUST BEING MOVED UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THE CDC, AND, UH, I THINK THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING THAT WE WANTED TO POINT OUT HERE, BUT THAT, THAT THESE THINGS WILL BE MOVED FORWARD THERE.
I'LL LET MR. BOLEY SPEAK TO AS TO WHAT HE THINKS A TIMELINE IS.
WELL, I THINK YOU COVERED IT FAIRLY WELL THERE.
CHAIRMAN STEVENS, UM, A, A MAJORITY OF THESE ITEMS, UM, WHILE THEY MAY NOT BE ACTIVE PER SE, RIGHT NOW, THEY ARE IN THE WORKS AND THERE ARE, UM, THERE IS MOVEMENT MOVING TOWARDS THAT GOAL.
SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT, AGAIN, YOU JUST MENTIONED, UH, CP NINE, UM, BOTH MS. UH, BOTH MS. STEWART AND MYSELF ARE ACTIVELY IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE HERITAGE CORRIDOR TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, UM, WORKING ON THAT REGIONAL TOURISM PROMOTION.
WE'RE ALSO HAVING CONVERSATION WITH FOLKS IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, FOR EXAMPLE, CHARLESTON, SOME OF THOSE, UM, SOME OF THOSE, UH, ITEMS THAT WERE MENTIONED A MOMENT AGO INVOLVED, UM, THE HERITAGE, UH, THE HERITAGE LIBRARY, AS WELL AS THE, UM, THE CENTER FOR HEIRS PROPERTY.
SO, SO THESE PIECES ARE BEING DISCUSSED ON A REGIONAL BASIS, INTEGRATING GU GULLAH CULTURE INTO ISLAND WIDE TOURISM AND MARKETING.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WILL DEFINITELY BE WORKING ON AS WELL AS, UH, OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR WAYFINDING APPLICATION.
SO THESE, THESE PIECES ARE BEING WORKED ON.
I DON'T HAVE A DEFINITE DATE FOR COMPLETION AT THE PRESENT TIME.
UM, THE GULLAH AUTHENTICITY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM IS SOMETHING THAT MS. STEWART AND I WERE JUST DISCUSSING, DISCUSSING THIS PAST FRIDAY, DEVELOPING THE CRITERIA FOR THAT.
SO THESE THINGS ARE IN MOTION, UH, MORE TO COME, UM, AS, AS THEY ROLL UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THE CDC, BUT THEY ARE BEING ADDRESSED.
IF I MAY, AND WOULD IT, WOULD IT BE APPROPRIATE FOR US TO ASK FOR UPDATES DURING OUR MEETING REGARDING THESE ITEMS? SURE.
UM, AND ONE, ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT REALLY, REALLY, I THOUGHT FELT LIKE, I FELT LIKE WHEN IT WAS BROUGHT UP FROM THE COMMUNITY, HAD A LOT OF INTEREST, AND THAT WAS THE GULLAH OPEN AIR MARKET.
UM, AND I MEAN, IT IS BEEN SEVERAL YEARS NOW SINCE WE'VE BEEN TALKING, AND I UNDERSTAND YOU JUST CAME INTO THAT, THAT, THAT DISPOSITION.
UM, BUT I JUST, I'M, I'M JUST WANTING TO, I GUESS, GET SOME ASSURANCE THAT AT SOME POINT WE'LL ACTUALLY HAVE A PHYSICAL MARKET OR A HYBRID OR SOMETHING.
MAYBE IT'S, IT'S NOT JUST ONE, ONE SPOT.
MAYBE IT'S, YOU KNOW, A A, UM, A LOCATION AT THE AIRPORT.
UH, MAYBE IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING SIMILAR ELSE.
BUT, BUT A HYBRID IS SOMETHING WE CAN SEE THAT GULLAH FOLK WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BENEFIT FROM THE MANY PEOPLE THAT COME TO THIS ISLAND.
THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE INTEREST THERE.
SO I JUST, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST HOPING THAT WE COULD AT LEAST HAVE SOME SORT OF IDEA.
YOU KNOW, IF IT'S TWO YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, THEN THAT'S, SAY IT'S TWO YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, AND LET'S HAVE A, MAYBE A TEMPLATE FOR HOW SOMETHING LIKE THE DOLLAR MARKET WOULD LOOK LIKE.
[01:40:01]
THAT TYPE OF THING.I GOT, UM, I, I'LL CAN LET YOU RESPOND, BUT I WANT TO HELP YOU OUT AS WELL.
UH, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, MR. FOXY JUST KIND CAME INTO THIS POSITION A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO NOW.
WE ROLLING UP ON TWO YEARS IN NOVEMBER.
UH, AND THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO POINT OUT AGAIN, IS TO CELEBRATE THE FACT THAT, UH, WE DO HAVE THE EXISTENCE OF A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION NOW, GULLAH GEECHEE.
SO THE THOUGHT PROCESS WAS THAT, THAT MOVING DID SOME OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS OVER TO THE CDC, THE, THE CDC HAS, UM, MORE ACCESS, BETTER ACCESS, OR TO RESOURCES FINANCIALLY, YOU KNOW MM-HMM
WE'RE JUST A SUBCOMMITTEE THAT CAN MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
SO THE EXCITEMENT, OR WHAT I'M CELEBRATING WITH THE WORK WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH STAFF IS THAT WE'RE PUTTING THESE THINGS IN A PLACE WHERE WE CAN GET SOME MOVEMENT OUT OF THEM, YOU KNOW, AS, AS FAR AS MAKING THEM, AS YOU SAY, COME TO FRUITION AND HAVING A BETTER CHANCE THAN THERE'S THIS A RECOMMENDATION, YOU KNOW, ON A PIECE OF PAPER.
BUT YES, SIR, UNDER THE CDC, UH, MR. BOSTER WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE BEST WAY TO, TO IMPLEMENT THESE AND MOVE, UH, UH, MORE OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS FORWARD.
SO I'M JUST TRYING TO CELEBRATE THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH STAFF, AND CERTAINLY WITH OUR TASK FORCE MM-HMM
AND ALSO THE PROGRESS THAT WE HAVE BY ESTABLISHING THE CDC TO HELP US KINDA CARRY THE BALL OVER THE GOALPOST.
AND, AND WITHOUT DUE RESPECT, MR. CHAIRMAN, I'M RIGHT THERE WITH YOU ON THAT.
UM, BUT I GUESS I'M AT A POINT NOW WHERE WE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE AN ADMINISTRATOR IN PLACE, WE HAVE RESOURCES IN PLACE, UH, FINANCIAL RESOURCES IN PLACE, AND WE HAVE LAND RESOURCES IN PLACE BY, BY WAY OF A PARTNERSHIP WITH A TOWN THAT COULD BE UTILIZED, YOU KNOW, TO, TO, YOU KNOW, BRING TP 14 INTO SOME TYPE OF ACTIVE PRESENTATION.
SO I'VE GONE THROUGH THOSE THAT WILL BE CARRIED FORWARD BY THE GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
I LOVE CHAIRMAN STEVENS, YOU JUST, YOU JUST TOUCHED ON SOME OF THE SUCCESSES.
UM, I'VE BEEN IN MY POSITION A LITTLE OVER A YEAR NOW, AND TO HAVE A BULK OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ACTIVATED TO DATE, WE DO WANNA CELEBRATE WHAT THE MOVEMENT THAT IS TAKING PLACE.
UM, SO NUMEROUS OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED SINCE ADOPTION OF THAT PRESERVATION REPORT.
WE HAVE STRONG COMMUNITY AND INTER-AGENCY COLLABORATION IN PLACE.
UM, WE HAVE MEASURABLE IMPACTS ON CULTURAL PRESERVATION, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, AND SOME POLICY REFORM.
UM, AND WE HAVE, WE HAVE LAID THAT FOUNDATION FOR CONTINUOUS PROGRESS.
AND NOW HAVING THAT CDC IN PLACE THAT WILL HELP US MOVE THINGS FORWARD.
UM, OUR NEXT STEPS AND CONTINUED COMMITMENTS.
SO WE WANT TO SUPPORT ACTIVATION OF THOSE REMAINING RECOMMENDATIONS.
LIKE MR. IBRAHIM HINTED ON CP 14.
UM, WE WANT TO CONTINUE OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND INPUT FOR THAT CULTURAL PRESERVATION PLANNING.
WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN OUR PARTNERSHIPS, NOT HERE JUST ON THE LOCAL LEVEL, BUT STATE AS WELL AS, UM, AND NATIONAL PRESERVATION AND WITH NATIONAL PRESERVATION ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE WANT TO ADVANCE LAND PROTECTION STRATEGIES.
RIGHT? UM, WE WANNA SUPPORT THAT, THE HEIRS PROPERTY RESOLUTION EFFORTS, AND WE WANT TO EXPAND OUR PROGRAMS TAILORED TO THE NEEDS OF THOSE WITHIN OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE OUT ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR, THANK YOU.
OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MR. STEWART PRESENTATION? NO QUESTIONS.
UM, I JUST WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, UH, THE GOOD WORK THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING IN THE SHORT TIME THAT YOU'VE BEEN HERE, UM, AS WE ALWAYS SAY, IT'S LIKE DRINKING WATER FROM A FIRE HOSE, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, IT'S A LOT TO TAKE ON.
AND AGAIN, WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CDC, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, UH, KIND OF GET SOME HELP AND SUPPORT AND, UH, THANK THAT, UH, HAVE TO ALSO RECOGNIZE THE WORK OF THIS TASK FORCE FOR, UH, AFFECTING SOME CHANGES IN, UH, CREATING SOME, UH, RESOURCES AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UH, MIGHT NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF WE WERE NOT HERE IN PLACE.
SO I, I, I APPRECIATE THE, THE GOOD WORK THAT WE ARE DOING AND, UH, ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS AND, UH, KIND OF BEING THE, UH, THE
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WATCHDOG, IF YOU WILL, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT BEING OVERLOOKED OR NOT OVERLOOKING THINGS.AND AGAIN, I I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DO CELEBRATE THE SUCCESSES THAT, THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE TIME THAT THIS TASK FORCE HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY FROM STAFF WANTS TO SPEAK ABOUT SOME OF THE CURRENT CHANGES.
WE MENTIONED IT, UH, ALREADY THAT MOVING SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS UNDER THE CDC, BUT, UH, YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW THAT, UH, MISSY LU IS GOING TO BE LEAVING US.
AND, UH, HER AND OTHERS WHO'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE HER HAVE PUT IN SOME REALLY GOOD HARD WORK.
AND I FEEL LIKE SHE'S HEARD A LOT OF WHAT WE'VE SAID.
UH, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FROM OUR PUBLIC.
UH, THERE'S BEEN SOME OTHER CHANGES IN STAFF, AND I KNOW THAT'S GONNA CHANGE PROBABLY SOME OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES THAT EVEN, UH, MISS VERONICA HAS.
UH, BUT AGAIN, THE WHOLE POINT IS THAT WE SEE SOME POSITIVE CHANGES AND WE SEE SOMETHING POSITIVE AS FAR AS PROGRESS GOES, WHERE SO MANY YEARS AND MONTHS AND WEEKS THAT WE'VE ALL BEEN AGONIZING OVER A LOT OF THESE THINGS THAT WE SEE.
UH, I FEEL LIKE MAYBE OUR VOICES ARE NOT BEING HEARD.
WE KNOW THAT THIS TASK FORCE IS JUST ONE PLACE THAT PEOPLE CAN COME AND THE VOICES CAN BE HEARD.
AND WE, AGAIN, HOPEFULLY ARE AFFECTING SOME CHANGE.
SO I JUST WANT TO COMMEND, UH, VERONICA STEWART ON THE WORK SHE'S DONE IN HER NEW POSITION.
THANK YOU, MR. BOXLEY, FOR BEING HERE AND OFFERING YOUR SUPPORT, UH, UH, FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE.
AND AGAIN, THE, THE STAFF FOR WHAT THEY'VE DONE, AND SOME OF THOSE NAMES AND FACES HAVE, HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME.
BUT, UH, WE APPRECIATE THE GOOD WORK THAT THE STAFF HAS DONE WORKING WITH, UH, THIS TASK FORCE.
AND, UH, ALSO NEXT MONTH I WILL BE MAKING A REPORT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND HOPEFULLY, UH, SOME OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT HERE, NOT HOPEFULLY, DEFINITELY ALL OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT HERE TODAY, I'LL BE SHARING WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
I SPOKE WITH, UM, BRUCE SIEBEL.
WE'VE BEEN IN CONTACT ANYWAY, AND HE'S JUST VERY ANXIOUS TO KNOW, UH, ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING AND, UM, HOW HE CAN SUPPORT, UH, AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION LEVEL.
SO, AGAIN, I THINK OUR VOICES ARE BEING HEARD.
UH, THE DISCUSSION IS ALWAYS GOOD.
IT'S NOT THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE TO AGREE, BUT THAT'S HOW WE GET PROGRESS A LOT OF TIMES AS WE HAVE TO KIND OF PUT THINGS THROUGH THE WASHER AND, UH, GO BACK AND FORTH AND TEAR 'EM APART AND THEN BUILD THEM BACK UP INTO HOPEFULLY A BETTER PRODUCT.
AGAIN, I WILL REEMPHASIZE, THAT'S WHY YOU MAY HEAR SOME OF THE LANGUAGE CHANGE.
YOU MAY SEE SOME OF THE RESOURCES HAVE CHANGED.
SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE NAMED INITIALLY IN THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, THERE MAY BE A BETTER PATH FORWARD, AND I'M ANXIOUS TO SEE LIKE THE, THE GULLAH, UH, MARKET GET GOING TOO.
BUT THERE MAY NOT BE JUST ONE GULLAH OPEN AIR MARKET, SO TO SPEAK.
AS YOU SAID, WE WANNA SEE OPPORTUNITIES ALL OVER THE ISLAND.
UH, CERTAINLY THINGS LIKE DOWN IN SEA PINES DURING THE GOLF TOURNAMENT, BUT WE HAVE THAT EXPOSURE, UH, WITH NCA AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.
BUT WE WANNA SEE THAT SPREAD ALL OVER THE ISLAND AND ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, NOT JUST DURING THE GULLAH CELEBRATION OR TIMES LIKE THAT.
AND I THINK THAT, THAT WE'RE DOING A LOT OF THAT.
I, I SPEAK AS YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE, THE GULLAH MUSEUM BOARD.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES AND ACTIVITIES OUT THERE WHERE WE'RE PROMOTING THE CULTURE AND PEOPLE ARE BEING MORE ATTRACTED TO THIS ISLAND NOW AND EXPERIENCING THE TOURISM BECAUSE OF THE EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE THROUGH OUR VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS.
SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO PRESS FORWARD AND, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE.
BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DO CELEBRATE, UH, SOME OF THE PROGRESS THAT, THAT WE'VE MADE.
UM, MR. SCOTT, DID YOU HAVE YOUR HAND UP? YES, PLEASE.
UH, I WANTED TO JUST, UH, THANK YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW, FOR WHAT YOU DO.
UM, BUT I NEED TO SAY FOR EVERYBODY TO UNDERSTAND THE TASK FORCE IS THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY.
THAT'S A BIG BURDEN THAT'S ON YOU GUYS, BECAUSE WHEN ALL THIS COMES TO FRUITION, PEOPLE GONNA POINT THE FINGER.
HOW DID Y'ALL LET THAT HAPPEN? OKAY.
I MEAN, BASED ON JUST HOW THE CONVERSATIONS TODAY WENT IS EDUCATING, EDUCATING, EDUCATING.
AND WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE CHANGES ARE GOING TO AFFECT US.
AND IF Y'ALL DON'T UNDERSTAND IT, HOW ARE WE GONNA UNDERSTAND IT? 'CAUSE Y'ALL ARE OUR VOICE NOW, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT'S WHAT EVERYBODY GONNA SAY.
SO WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO PLANS
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AND PARTICIPATION, WE CAN SEE IT DISTRICT PLANS.HOW MANY OF US WAS TRULY IN THOSE PLANS? BECAUSE WE GONNA SAY, WE SPOKE.
Y'ALL GOT Y'ALL WATCHING ORDERS, DID Y'ALL DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? I MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT WHEN THESE PRESENTATIONS COME, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE SCALES, PICTURES.
THESE IS WHAT THESE CHANGES, THIS IS HOW THESE CHANGES ARE GOING TO LOOK, WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR PROPERTY.
SO WHEN YOU HAVE THE CODE RIDERS COMING IN, I MEAN, WE NEED PLANNERS, CODE WRITERS WHO WILL BE ABLE TO STAND UP HERE AND SHOW Y'ALL WHAT'S HAPPENING AND HOW IT'S GOING TO AFFECT US.
ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT, YOU FORGET ABOUT IT.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE GONNA BE POINTING THE FINGER AND SAY, WELL, THEY DIDN'T LISTEN.
AND THEN EVERYBODY ON THIS SIDE GONNA SAY, WELL, THAT WAS Y'ALL VOICE.
WE GAVE THEM THE PRESENTATION.
AND IT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING.
SO WE, WE NEED A THROUGH Z, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT AND UNDERSTAND IT.
AND EVERYBODY'S GONNA BE POINTING A FINGER AND SAY, WELL, THEY JUST DID IT.
JUST ANOTHER PLAN MADE CHANGES.
I MEAN, EVEN WITH THE OVERLAY, THAT LANGUAGE, WITH THE OVERLAY, THE REASON WHY THAT CAME ABOUT WAS THAT PD TWO ZONING, DISTRICT OVERLAY DISTRICT, WHERE WE SAID, OKAY, LET'S LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND THE ISLAND.
TY, BASICALLY EVERY AREA ON THE ISLAND PUDS ARE OVERLAY DISTRICTS.
THAT'S HOW THAT LANGUAGE CAME UP.
WE WANTED TO HAVE OUR OVERLAY DISTRICT SO WE CAN TAKE THE ZONINGS AND WE CAN MOVE 'EM AROUND AND WE CAN SHUFFLE 'EM AROUND.
WHAT CAME OUTTA THAT WAS THE DISTRICT PLANS.
SO WE CAN'T DO THE OVERLAY BECAUSE WE CAN'T TARGET A CERTAIN GROUP OF PEOPLE.
THAT WAS THE, THAT WAS THE REASONING BEHIND THAT.
BUT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND, EVEN WITH THE TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS, PEOPLE NEED TO BE EDUCATED.
WELL, THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE NOW.
AND IF WE TAKE SOME OF THAT ZONING, THAT DENSITY, AND WE MOVE IT OVER HERE, WE'LL BE ABLE TO UTILIZE IT IN THE DIFFERENT AREAS.
SO EDUCATING, EDUCATING, EDUCATING IS, IS PERTINENT THAT WE DO THAT.
AND AGAIN, IF Y'ALL DON'T UNDERSTAND IT, HOW ARE WE GONNA UNDERSTAND IT? WE SPOKE ALREADY.
THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE THERE.
THE BURDEN IS GONNA BE ON Y'ALL.
I MEAN, I, I, I, Y'ALL KNOW OUR PEOPLE.
I DO WHAT I CAN FROM THE OUTSIDE
YEAH, I APPRECIATE YOU TY SCOTT.
AND, UH, AGAIN, YOUR VOICE IS IMPORTANT IN, IN THE COMMUNITY AS YOU WELL KNOW.
AND YOU, YOU ALWAYS, UH, GIVE US SOME GOOD KNOWLEDGE AND, UH, AGAIN, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE.
WE ARE THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY.
UM, I'VE BEEN ASKED ON MANY OCCASIONS OVER THE YEARS, UH, WHY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE COME AND TO THESE SETTINGS, WHETHER IT'S A MEETING OR A PLANNING COMMISSION OR EVEN TOWN COUNCIL, UM, WHY DO WE SPEAK IN OUR VOICES A LOT OF TIMES WITH SUCH ANGER? AND I HAVE TO ADDRESS THAT, JUST LIKE MR. SCOTT IS SAYING, BECAUSE WE HAVE PARTICIPATED IN WORKSHOPS, WE'VE HAD CONSULTANTS, WE'VE DONE REPORTS, WE'VE DONE THAT OVER THE YEARS, AND PEOPLE ARE SOMETIMES WEARY BECAUSE WE DON'T FEEL LIKE OUR VOICES ARE BEING HEARD.
UH, SO I, I APPRECIATE THE ADDED EXTRA PRESSURE, BUT I TRY TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT WHEN I SPEAK, HOPEFULLY I AM SPEAKING FROM WHAT I HEAR IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND MR. SCOTT IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
IF WE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT, THEN UH, WE'RE GONNA BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE LOOKING AT US.
SO I AGAIN, APPRECIATE THE DIFFICULT QUESTIONS FROM MY COLLEAGUES HERE ON, ON THE TASK FORCE.
MR. MALIK AND CERTAINLY MR. SIMMONS ARE ALWAYS VERY THOUGHTFUL AND THEY HAVE EXPERIENCE IN THE COMMUNITY AS WE SEE, UH, SOME OF THESE THINGS.
NOT JUST AS RECOMMENDATIONS AGAIN, OR AS WORDS ON A PIECE OF PAPER, BUT WE NEED TO SEE HOW THAT LOOKS IN MOTION.
AND WE TALK ABOUT CASE STUDIES ALL THE TIME.
WE TALK ABOUT DATA AND WE TALK ABOUT, UH, THOSE BENCHMARKS, YOU KNOW, TO SEE WHERE WE ARE NOW AS OPPOSED TO A YEAR AGO OR FIVE YEARS AGO.
AND CERTAINLY WHEN WE LOOK BACK 10 OR 15 OR 30 YEARS AGO, UH, HOPEFULLY WE CAN SEE THAT WE'VE, WE'VE MADE SOME, SOME INROADS ALONG THE WAY.
AND I HAVE TO LOOK TO MY RIGHT, ALSO TO, UH, MR. CAMPBELL, WHO IS ONE OF OUR REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO APPRECIATE HIS, HIS GOOD WORK AND, UH, HIM BEING HERE AS ONE OF OUR YOUNGER ENTREPRENEURS, UH, IN THE CULTURE, AND CERTAINLY DEEP IN THE CAMPBELL FAMILY, UH,
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AND FOR, FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS AS WELL.AND I HOPE THAT HE WILL CONTINUE TO, UH, BE A VOICE AS, UH, MR. SCOTT SAID AND REPRESENT, UH, THE PEOPLE AND THE QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE AND THE CHALLENGES THAT WORKING WITH STAFF THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO ADDRESS IN, UH, IN THE WORDS OF MARTIN LUTHER KING AND OTHERS, WE SHALL OVERCOME, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT GONNA STOP.
SO AGAIN, I CELEBRATE A LOT OF THE POSITIVE, UH, ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT WE'VE MADE TO THIS POINT.
I DO BELIEVE THAT IS THE END OF OUR AGENDA.
ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT FOR NON AGENDA ITEMS? DO WE HAVE ANYBODY THAT WAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK? NO, SIR.
WITH THAT, WE FIND OURSELVES AT THE END OF OUR AGENDA.
MS. STEWART, GOOD TO SEE YOU IN THE HOUSE.
I HOPE THIS WAS SOME GOOD INFORMATION FOR YOU AND FOR US.
AS YOU, AS YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THIS IS PERTAINING TO THE WORK THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO I HOPE THAT YOU BEING HERE TODAY CAN GO BACK AND SHARE WITH PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, YOUR FAMILY AND OTHERS.
OKAY? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE, CHET, AS ALWAYS, APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR PRESENCE AS WELL.
AND WITH THAT, UH, AGAIN, UH, I'M GONNA CONGRATULATE THE STAFF ON THEIR HARD WORK.
AND, UH, MISSY, WE ARE GOING TO MISS YOU FOR SURE AND APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE TO HELP US GET TO THIS POINT.
WITH THAT, UH, WE FIND OURSELVES AT THE END OF THE AGENDA.
I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.