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Hilton Head task force advances Land Management Ordinance rewrite, centers —island character—
Summary
Town staff and consultants briefed the task force on a multi-year rewrite of the Land Management Ordinance, reviewed recent code changes (short-term rentals, subdivision standards, tree protection) and focused discussion on defining "island character," how district plans relate to zoning, and which LMO chapters will apply across planned-unit developments and the rest of the island.
Mark Orlando, town manager, told the Hilton Head Island Land Management Ordinance task force that the rewrite is part of the town's strategic plan and intended to protect "island character" while managing growth. Orlando said the rewrite will produce a future land-use map and zoning changes informed by district plans and a multi-year schedule of edits.
The meeting on the LMO began with staff and consultant introductions. Michelle Miller, community planning manager for the Town of Hilton Head, introduced the code-writing team and consultants who will provide technical drafts for the task force to review. Denise Grabowski, facilitator with Symbiosis, set ground rules for discussion and said the group will use a consensus-based process with occasional formal votes.
"Keep an open mind," Grabowski said, urging members to actively listen and use a written "bike rack" to table items for later discussion. That facilitation approach framed the meeting and the task force's role: review draft chapters and recommend changes to the planning commission and town council.
Orlando reviewed recent, already-adopted code changes and the reasons behind the rewrite. He said the town had addressed short-term rental impacts with a new ordinance, gained administrative authority to cite abandoned vessels and parking violations, eliminated some variances and staff waivers, strengthened subdivision open-space requirements, revised traffic-impact study timing and increased tree-protection measures.
"We established a brand-new short term rental ordinance and program to address the impacts of 3,000 short term rentals going to 7,000 plus short term rentals," Orlando said, summarizing the scale of the issue staff addressed in recent code work.
Christy Dodson, an architect with Code Studio, explained the LMO's three core elements—the rules and regulations, the zoning map, and the procedures that govern review and enforcement. Dodson described organizing the rewrite to make the LMO more usable: a clearer table of contents, consolidated natural-resource rules, and chapters that place the technical "meat" (zoning districts, site and subdivision standards) in predictable sections.
Task force members pressed consultants and staff for a concise definition of "island character." Staff said the town's design guide (an appendix to the LMO) currently contains language about character and that the Design Review Board is revising it. Members said character should include the island's natural environment, historic culture and the voices of long-standing communities such as the Gullah Geechee community.
Shay, a town planner, said the district-planning work will capture local identity and inform how zoning districts are applied on the map. Consultants clarified that a district plan's character areas can be implemented through multiple zoning districts when appropriate.
Several members asked whether the LMO overhaul would apply to planned-unit developments (PUDs) inside gated communities. Staff and consultants said the LMO applies island-wide but that many PUDs have master-plan agreements or covenants that preserve certain, contractually established standards; some chapters (notably natural-resource protections and site standards) are expected to apply broadly, while land-use and some density provisions tied to PUD master plans may remain governed by those prior agreements.
A task force member asked whether notes taken during the process are subject to public-records requests. The town attorney advised that documents created in the course of town business are likely subject to FOIA and recommended members treat task-force records as potentially public.
The group discussed scheduling: staff said the next draft of LMO chapters would arrive late February and recommended cancelling an interim meeting to give staff time for internal review. The task force agreed to skip Feb. 5 and hold the next meeting on Feb. 26.
Procedural actions at the meeting included adoption of the meeting agenda and approval of the Jan. 6, 2026 amended minutes; both were moved, seconded and the chair called them approved. The chair later called for adjournment and the task force voted to adjourn.
The task force will review the forthcoming draft chapters (zoning districts, uses, site and subdivision standards, natural-resource protections and administrative procedures) and advise staff before the town advances amendments through the Gullah Geechee Task Force, planning commission and town council for readings and adoption.
Next procedural steps are the staff's internal review of the draft amendments in late February and reconvening the task force on Feb. 26 to review those chapters.
