The Hilton Head Island Town Council and Town Manager Marc Orlando held a public workshop on January 27 to review six-month progress on the FY26-28 Strategic Action Plan and to confirm the town’s highest priority actions for the year ahead.
The workshop aligned town council on the most pressing policy issues facing the island, confirmed progress to date, and sharpened focus on initiatives that balance island character, community needs, and economic vitality.
Guided by urgency, community benefit, staff capacity, and available funding, the discussion reaffirmed what unites town council: a shared responsibility to steward Hilton Head Island’s quality of life and long-term success.
It was an important alignment checkpoint. We confirmed where focus is needed now and for the next six to 12 months. But before we talk about what’s next, let’s celebrate the great work that’s taken place in just the first six months of implementing this plan:
• Health care access and economic development through a town-issued request for proposals for the redevelopment of town-owned land, which resulted in a competitive bid and contract with Novant Health to expand medical services on Hilton Head Island. This achievement furthers health care workforce attraction and retention, overarching economic stability, and meets the needs of island stakeholders.
• Workforce housing public-private partnerships, including Northpoint on Jarvis Creek (multi-family housing) and the issuance of a town request for qualifications for town-owned property on Bryant Road (single-family housing).
• Targeted town code amendments addressing short-term rental impacts and neighborhood compatibility.
• Groundbreaking and advancement of multiple park and recreation projects.
• Planning for a new, consolidated Fire Rescue Headquarters, Emergency Operations Center, and Dispatch Center.
• Expansion of local, small, and minority-owned business access to town procurement opportunities.
• Improvements to Accommodations Tax Grant and affiliated agency application processes.
• Long-term planning and funding strategies for beach renourishment.
• Adoption of South Carolina’s first municipal Integrated Pest Management Policy.
• Establishment of a new Destination Marketing Organization contract emphasizing transparency, performance, and alignment with community priorities.
These actions reflect an intentional approach to economic development with a focus on essential services, workforce support, infrastructure readiness, and quality-of-life investments rather than high-impact or incompatible growth.
During the next year or so, we’ve narrowed our focus within the overarching plan to the following priorities. This doesn’t mean that other action items in the plan won’t be addressed as planned; rather, it’s a matter of realistic expectations and understanding there are only so many hours in each day with the same group of professionals working on multiple projects.
Here’s where we’re leaning in:
• Land Management Ordinance updates to manage growth and address the most pressing development impacts.
• William Hilton Parkway Gateway Corridor Master Plan and funding strategy.
• Stormwater Master Plan.
• St. James Baptist Church relocation and mitigation.
• Implementation of the Gullah Geechee Historic Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation Strategic Plan.
• Completion of the workforce housing development at Northpoint on Jarvis Creek.
• Advancement of key capital park and recreation projects across the island.
These priorities will directly inform the FY27 budget process and ensure alignment among policy direction, staffing, funding, and timelines.
As we keep moving forward, I invite you to keep track of our progress in real-time through a new public-facing dashboard located on our website: hiltonheadislandsc.gov/strategicplan.
