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Committee forwards Cedar Woods road‑acceptance resolution to town council after POA plea
Summary
The committee voted to send a resolution to the town council to accept three private roads in Cedar Woods for municipal maintenance after hearing from the neighborhood association president and staff; members stressed the need for formal guidelines so the decision is not used as a precedent.
The Hilton Head Island committee voted to forward to the town council a resolution to accept three roads in the Cedar Woods subdivision — Song Sparrow Lane, Phoebe Lane and Goldfinch Lane — after hearing from neighborhood leaders and staff.
Jeff Messenger, the public projects/engineering staff member who presented the item, said the Cedar Woods Owners Association requested municipal acceptance of three private roads that have planned rights of way and that the committee had previously discussed the request. Leslie Ford, who identified herself as president of the Cedar Woods Owners Association, told the committee the POA has paid property taxes and stormwater fees for years and said the group has limited reserves and annual dues of about $400 per household. “If there came a time that we had to assess for roads, I would resign immediately because it would be an impossible job,” Ford said.
A committee member said municipal practice is generally to accept private roads only when they meet a first‑class condition standard and that staff should prepare written guidelines outlining when the town will accept road dedications. That member recommended proceeding in this case while clarifying the action “is not to be a precedent of any kind,” and moved that the committee send the resolution on to town council. The motion was seconded and approved by the committee; if the council approves the acceptance in the coming weeks, the town will assume maintenance responsibility.
Ford told the committee that the association is willing to contribute a portion of its limited reserves toward required work. Committee members and staff asked for contact information so association representatives could follow the council agenda and testify when the item is scheduled. Members also asked staff to develop the requested acceptance guidelines so the town can protect its fiscal interests in future petitions.
Next steps: the committee forwarded the resolution to the full town council for final action; staff and the POA were advised to attend the council meeting when the item appears on that agenda.
