Principal planner Sharonica Stewart details progress on Gullah Geechee preservation plan; task force presses on TDR and implementation

Sharonica Stewart, principal planner for Historic Neighborhoods, told the Town of Hilton Head Island Gullah Geechee Land and Cultural Preservation Task Force on June 2 that the town has activated many recommendations from the 2019 Gullah Geechee Cultural Preservation Project report and is moving others to a newly formed Gullah Geechee Historic Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation (CDC).

The presentation outlined that the report contains 37 recommendations grouped into cultural preservation, public policy and heirs' property approaches, and highlighted activated items such as a heritage-library family research project, an Office of Cultural Affairs–led wayfinding map that highlights at least 15 Gullah sites, digitization efforts for oral-history interviews, and youth and business education programs. “This is a comprehensive approach that demonstrates the town’s commitment to preserving the Gullah Geechee culture,” Stewart said.

Why it matters: the recommendations aim to address long-term land loss, heirs' property complications and economic barriers that community members say have eroded Gullah land ownership and cultural continuity. Task force members repeatedly pressed staff for concrete timelines, funding sources and clearer visuals showing how proposed land-use changes would affect individual properties.

Details from the presentation and follow-up discussion

• Program metrics: Stewart reported that the Historic Neighborhoods permitting and design-studio program has handled 106 cases from October 2021 through May 2025, with 71 completed, 27 active (three on hold), and about eight withdrawn or inactive. The town’s home safety and repair program has received 162 applications to date, with 108 approved and 105 completed; three projects remain under contract and contractors were asked to close out by June 30. The lateral sewer connection program reported 51 applications with 35 connections completed and several projects awaiting Public Service District (PSD) estimates; DeepWell is the initial intake point for many applicants and refers cases to either PSD or the town depending on eligibility.

• Activated cultural initiatives: staff described work that has already begun or been integrated into routine town procedures — for example, a heritage-library family research partnership and communications plan to support heirs’ property research, digitization grant applications for interviews recorded on cassette in the 1990s, a student-led oral-history program, and a planned Gullah-authenticity certification and cultural-trails wayfinding system supported by the CDC.

• Business and technical assistance: Thomas Boxley, executive director of the Gullah Geechee Historic Neighborhoods CDC, said the CDC will continue procurement outreach and offer workshops (including a November procurement workshop and a September session with the University of South Carolina School of Law) to help local businesses become eligible for town contracting. “We see that as a very important opportunity to provide for our small businesses and get them business-ready to procure with the town,” Boxley said.

• Transfer-of-development-rights (TDR) and code changes: several task force members raised concerns about how proposed Land Management Ordinance (LMO) updates and district planning might change elevation calculations, building footprints and development entitlements, potentially affecting property value and owners’ rights. A staff representative said a TDR recommendation appears in the adopted Mid Island district plan but would require a separate policy, additional research and council approval to activate. Staff also said the town is monitoring a state House bill that could support local TDR programs. The staff response emphasized that any TDR or code changes would be tailored to Hilton Head Island and involve robust community engagement and code-testing before adoption.

• Items moving to the CDC: staff listed about 10–11 recommendations that will be administered or advanced under the CDC umbrella, including regional promotion of Gullah cultural attractions, an open-air market concept, fee waivers and grant assistance for historic Gullah neighborhoods, tax-burden reduction measures, and a fund to clear heirs’ titles.

Public questions and staff follow-up

Members and attendees repeatedly asked for clearer visuals (buildable-footprint maps, scale diagrams) and more immediate timelines for items that affect land use. A public commenter, identified in the record as Mr. Scott, urged the task force to ensure residents can “see” what zoning changes will mean for their lots; staff said they will incorporate graphic tools into the educational process and will follow up by email with more detail on procedures and the design-studio footprint examples. Staff committed to returning with vetted information and to provide annual and project-level updates to the task force.

Next steps and closing

Staff said district-planning workshops and LMO rewrite work are underway and that council workshops on those projects are planned for the fall; staff expects additional updates for the task force and will coordinate with the CDC on items it will carry forward. Chairman Stevens noted upcoming reporting to the planning commission and thanked staff; the meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn.