Planning commission postpones 19 Iva Street subdivision after staff recommends denial and public record concern

The Hilton Head Island Planning Commission postponed a public hearing on a proposed subdivision at 19 Iva Street after staff recommended denial and a member of the public told the commission he had information suggesting the lot might already have been subdivided.

Trey Lyle, Development Services program manager, told the commission that the applicant proposes splitting the parcel at 19 Iva Street into two lots to allow construction of a second dwelling; a 4,981-square-foot home is currently under construction on the property. Lyle said the property falls in the RSF-5 zoning district and the Forest Beach overlay, which imposes a 0.45 floor-area-ratio (a 5,000-square-foot cap for single-family lots). He said a variance to exceed the cap was denied by the Board of Zoning Appeals in June 2024 and that staff’s analysis concluded adding one lot would “result in additional vehicle trips” and would decrease the utility of community rights-of-way — findings that led staff to recommend denial under the…