Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Strategic Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Gullah Geechee CDC outlines five-goal strategic plan, seeks community input before September vote
Summary
At a July 15 strategic-planning workshop, the Gullah Geechee Historic Neighborhoods CDC reviewed five goals — from neighborhood stabilization to youth training — outlined recent accomplishments (Experience Gullah, design studio casework, Money Talks outcomes) and set a public input schedule ahead of a planned September adoption.
The Gullah Geechee Historic Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation held a strategic planning workshop on July 15, 2026 on Hilton Head Island to update its three-year plan and gather community feedback ahead of a planned September adoption.
"As we move into fiscal year 2027, it is time for us to consider updating our existing strategic plan," said Thomas Boxley, the CDC presenter, opening the discussion and announcing a drop-in community session on July 23 and an online survey at ExperienceGullah.org.
Boxley reviewed five goals the board has worked on since 2023: stabilizing and preserving Gullah Geechee neighborhoods, cultivating strategic partnerships, promoting cultural awareness on the island, expanding access to capital and financial education, and supporting training and employment opportunities for Gullah Geechee youth. He also listed recent accomplishments the CDC cites as groundwork for the update: forwarding a policy statement to the town council about the William Hilton Parkway expansion, launching the Experience Gullah website and app in 2025, incorporating a design studio to assist property owners, and renaming the Squire Pope Park rowing and sailing center the Hilton Head Island Fishing Cooperative Park.
The presentation included program metrics: Boxley said the design studio had 25 open cases with 11 completed as of June (cases range from mobile-home placements to roof repairs and small subdivision reviews). On financial services, he said the Money Talks workshop series and partners helped close business and personal loans in past years and supported $250,000 in small-business lines of credit and a $200,000 home‑equity line of credit through TD Bank partnerships.
Board members pushed for clearer measurement and governance. "We gotta be more deliberate with how we measure these outcomes," said a council member, urging key performance indicators that tie goals to the CDC budget. Several directors recommended forming committees — development, finance and governance were suggested — to execute strategy and align milestones with fiscal years.
Members also discussed outreach and fundraising tactics: use of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry to host donor funds, leverage relationships with the airport to increase the community's visibility, and pursue Federal Home Loan Bank grant opportunities through local CDFIs. Boxley agreed to work with the chair and board members to circulate a draft of the revised plan in August and seek formal adoption in September after closing public comment on Aug. 7.
Boxley closed by promising to incorporate tonight’s feedback into a draft for board review. The board scheduled additional opportunities for community input and signaled a preference to see the draft before a September vote.
