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Hilton Head task force reviews Mitchellville zoning expansion, RM‑4 density and Forest Beach overlay; no votes taken
Summary
Town planning staff presented proposals to apply Mitchellville zoning across Mitchellville Road, replace RM‑4's sliding‑scale density with a flat 6 DUs/acre, and recalibrate the Forest Beach overlay; the task force heard extensive public comment and asked staff for more data and neighborhood outreach before any code changes.
Town planning staff presented a package of Land Management Ordinance amendments to a task force meeting, seeking direction rather than final votes. Staff described three linked topics: whether to apply the Mitchellville zoning district across both sides of Mitchellville Road (between Bagel and Fishhall Roads), whether to replace RM‑4's sliding‑scale density with a flat minimum of 6 dwelling units per net acre, and recalibration of the Forest Beach neighborhood overlay, including changes to the floor‑area‑ratio cap.
Staff warned that adopting the Mitchellville district in full would allow additional uses and greater height on the currently residential side of the road — including bed‑and‑breakfasts, hotels, interval occupancy (timeshares), expanded commercial services and a potential rise in maximum building height from 45 feet to about 75 feet. A staff chart also showed higher maximum impervious coverage (35% to 50% in some comparisons) and larger nonresidential gross floor‑area allowances if parcels were rezoned to Mitchellville. The presentation flagged cumulative stormwater impacts and roadway constraints (Mitchellville Road is currently a sub‑collector) as infrastructure concerns that would limit intensity without upgrades.
On RM‑4, staff presented data: about 2,551 RM‑4 parcels covering roughly 1,588 acres, with 358.8 acres vacant (about 22.6% of RM‑4) and an estimated 65% of parcels under 3 acres. The current sliding scale sets a 4‑DU/acre baseline, 6 DUs/acre for parcels of 3–5 net acres, and 8 DUs/acre for parcels of 5+ acres; the Gullah Geechee Community Development Corporation recommended replacing the sliding scale with a flat 6 DUs/acre to reduce inconsistent development patterns. Staff and task‑force members traded concerns: proponents said a fixed 6 could bring equity and predictable opportunities to smaller owners; skeptics said many vacant parcels are small and a flat 6 could produce denser development on small lots without master planning or infrastructure improvements.
For Forest Beach, staff described how the overlay's 5,000‑square‑foot cap on single‑family homes (FAR 0.45) has unintentionally encouraged subdivision of larger lots into smaller parcels with oversized homes. Staff proposed recalibration of FAR rules, covered‑porch exceptions and thresholds to better align building scale with lot size and reduce incentives to subdivide.
Task‑force members repeatedly urged more outreach: several members said the questions cannot be resolved in a single meeting and requested neighborhood meetings, more granular polling and additional data sharing. Staff put two live polling questions to attendees (QR code): early results on whether to apply the entire Mitchellville district to both sides of the road showed about 71% opposed, 24% in favor and 6% "can live with it." Members summarized the meeting as an input session and asked staff to return with maps, parcel‑level data and master‑planning options.
Public comment included residents of Forest Beach who warned against removing short‑term‑rental rights and urged lower building heights rather than blanket FAR changes; descendants of Mitchellville urged strong safeguards to protect the Gullah Geechee community and to avoid allowing hotels or timeshares that could alter longstanding cultural and family uses; a town council representative for Ward 6 asked for clarity on the parcels affected and offered to convene community meetings. Environmental commenters asked for clearer wetlands delineation, stronger buffer protections and a plan for cumulative stormwater impacts.
No formal votes or ordinance adoptions occurred. Staff said the next task‑force meeting will address subdivision regulations (May 7) and time‑share/short‑term‑rental issues (May 21); they will collect additional data, draft code language and return in the summer with proposed ordinance text and an executive summary for further review and eventual referral through the Gullah Geechee subcommittee, Planning Commission and Town Council for the required readings.
