Board of Zoning Appeals - Regular Meeting

Join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation indivisibley andice for all. Okay, we do have a revised agenda. The uh items with incorporating St. James Baptist and Hilton Head Prep have been removed from this agenda. Can I Can I have a motion to approve the amended agenda? So moved.

Second. All in favor? We're good to go. Okay. uh approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of November 19th. Uh may I have a motion to approve those minutes?

Approve. Second. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? Okay. Did staff have any amendments? Any additional amendments to the agenda? I forgot to ask. We're good to go. All right. Well, here we go. The first on that agenda is unfinished business. As you recall, we tabled this uh at last month's meeting. This is a public hearing that requires the planning commission to make a decision on this application. This is PPR 001 0352025. A public hearing request from Neil Ike with the town of Hilton Head Island for an application for public project review for the property identified on Bufort County tax maps as parcel R550 014763 0000 also identified as 30 Arrow Road for the development of a new pickle ball facility on a townowned parcel. Uh at this point we'll open the public hearing and ask Shea Ferrar uh principal planner uh for the presentation.

Good afternoon commission members. Um thank you uh Shay Ferrar, principal planner and community planning. Um also here we have Neil Ike in our capital from our capital projects division. Um and Brian Eber available if there are questions regarding development review. Today I'm presenting the application as uh chairman described. Um these applications are for a review of the compatibility with the comprehensive plan to consider whether the location, character, and extent of the proposed development is consistent with or conflicts with the plan's goals and implementation strategies. The purpose of the proposed pickle ball complex is to improve the recreational opportunities on the island and better align with national trends and the clearly identified need for additional pickle ball facilities that's been identified through our planning process. The proposed location, as we reviewed at the last meeting, is Crossings Park um along Arrow Road and you can see that here. So, for a little bit of additional background, the history of this project is extensive. Um, it began um in early 2023. Um, town council conducted workshops on February 14th and June 14th when this site was specifically evaluated for a pump track facility. Um, by January of 2024, um, in a town council workshop, the Arrow Road site was formally identified for pickle ball. Um, it was reviewed by the parks and recreation commission on March 14th and then again by town council on May 21st, further establishing the policy support for this

project. The project was then added into uh fiscal year 25 capital improvements program uh and FY26 budget cycle as well. Um on November 19th we presented the application to the planning commission and at that time it was tabled. Um, since that time, staff has been able to, uh, make positive progress on the project. But to get started, um, I'd like to just present you with what we initially brought forward to the commission. Our initial approval was a clubhouse facility, 20 total courts, 18 tournament size and two ADA elite size courts, 105 parking spaces, stormwater improvements, and pathway improvements along Arrow Road. Since that time, the project has been further refined. So, I'd like to introduce Neil Ike, who will come up and explain a little bit more details about the project. Um, on November, I'm sorry, December 12th, we met with the Palmetto Bay Villas board at their annual meeting. Um, and have made further modifications to our proposed project to incorporate requests from from that meeting.

Thank you, Shay.

Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Neil Ike. uh senior project manager with uh the town, specifically the capital uh projects department and I just wanted to speak to you a little bit today as as Shay noted about uh what we've done since the previous meeting uh the meetings that we've had with Palmetto Bay Villas uh residents, community at large and changes, refinements, uh design updates to the project based on that feedback to um try and keep this project moving forward and make everyone as happy as we possibly can. So, uh I think last go round a big point of discussion was uh community uh involvement in the design process, community feedback. Uh in this case, possibly a a lack thereof since some of these initial meetings that Shay touched upon back in 23 and 24 and what had really occurred since that time to get feedback from the surrounding community in the design of the project. So, our meeting with the Palmetto Bay Villas Group on Friday the 12th, uh this was at their their annual meeting was to review uh a few different concerns that had been raised at the previous planning commission meeting. Those specifically being uh noise, lighting, access, and uh just general uh planning removal, natural uh protection buffer in in that wooded area. uh abudding Palmetto Bay Villas and how we were going to sort of balance all of those factors together. So uh in I guess some of the the biggest developments to come out of that meeting I was discussing hours of operation there had been initial concern that this facility would run until well after dark uh even in the summer potentially uh to 1000 p.m. We discussed hours of

operation for the facility being from 9:00 a.m. to 700 p.m. and that uh if those hours were to be extended or uh even from say 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. the courts that are nearest to Palmetto Bay Villas, those those three or four courts would be shuttered so that the majority of the playing would be as far away from the uh residential complex as as possible. Uh we also discussed the uh concerns about security. Would there be access into the Palmeta Bay Villas complex via the the fence surrounding the uh the pickle ball complex? You know, how how would we control access? So, we discussed measures such as the the gate that will be closed every evening for access into the parking area. Uh the central entry and and exit access into the actual pickle ball courts facility itself through the facility. uh that will be closed and locked every day uh at the end of business hours. This is a managed facility, so there will be staff uh at all hours during hours of operation uh who will be overseeing what's happening and then locking down the the building and closing off access at 700 p.m. uh during those days. And seemed that those concerns were were satisfied with that discussion. And most importantly, it was uh discussion of the the buffer between the property line of this facility, the the fence line and the court line and the property line of Palmetto Bay Villas. So, um discussion with the with the residents and members that were there. Uh, one of the first points that we touched upon was removal of court one, which is the the court nearest to uh the property line and uh incorporating that design revision into the the pickle ball

complex. So, as you can see here, uh this I'll back up one more. This site layout that we're looking at here is the original uh facility design. So you can see that we have court one right against the the fence line, the buffer and then an easement for uh public service district that runs along the property line for Palmetto Bay Villas. Uh what we have moved towards and a design change that we're still refining is eliminating court one uh eliminating essentially a row of eight parking spaces that shifts the parking lot uh farther towards Arrow Road to sort of coincide with the removal of that court along the fence line and essentially increasing separation between the courts, the parking area and the Palmetto Bay Villas property. So, um, right now we have a a pretty substantial undisturbed natural buffer running along that easement, uh, between the Palmetto Bay Villa's property and the the Arrow Road property. And our goal with this is to leave that uh undisturbed natural buffer undisturbed and to allow that to be the most formidable buffer that we have for sound, light, um all of those things. And it seems that based on our feedback at the meeting when this idea was first put forth before we had really modified the the site layout plan to reflect this change that this change was agreeable. uh with all parties is a great sort of middle ground to you know keep as many courts as we could uh in the facility but also increasing that separation and providing a larger buffer for the residents at Palmetto Bay Villas.

Uh another discussion point was lighting. So, of course, not just sound, but um you know, we we're going to have light poles uh in the parking lot on the courts themselves. And, you know, what sort of light pollution would residents be dealing with if if any at all. So, uh one of the things that was reviewed was a phototric plan. Let me see if I can find that somewhere in here. And it's a little difficult to read on the uh PDF here, the the PowerPoint, but uh the the long and short of this phototric plan is to show that due to shielding on the lights, their positioning, uh the design of the lights themselves, that outside of the actual footprint of the fence line of the facility, uh that our our lumens were down to, you know, half a foot candle almost to the point of being a very low uh pathway lighting. So, centralized focus lighting on the courts themselves. Courts only operational until uh 700 p.m. which in the winter time you would have lights up and on for roughly an hour and a half. Summertime kind of a moot point since it stays light outside until 8:00 and then uh lights turned off. And I think between the design of the lighting and the the hours of operation that we've tried to mitigate the light pollution concerns as as much as we we possibly could and that seemed to be agreeable uh to everyone at the uh annual meeting as well. So that's sort of 30,000 foot view of what was discussed at the Friday meeting with the community members. Uh these are some of the updated exhibits that we brought to sort of explain more about uh the project and the design and then also touching on design changes made that are still being uh detailed but the the overarching idea of eliminating the court, shifting the parking lot and

increasing that separation and buffer between the two properties. And uh with that just wanted to open it up to any questions from all of y'all. Any questions? Initiative questions before

one of the things I saw and it was proposed installation of um sound attenuation matting. Sure. Tell me where is that matting going to go and what actual purpose is it for?

Okay. All right. So, and and thank you for reminding me about that. So, this uh exhibit right here, the fencing plan, it may be difficult for you to see, but this this uh purple fence line that's running along here, this was to or is to receive the sound attenuation mat, which there's there's a elevation of it here. Essentially hangs on the fence. Um all of the the literature and specifications that we've seen um say that it reduce it can reduce the decibb up to 35. Um this of course uh we brought this to the meeting this past Friday and since having those discussions and reducing the the court count and moving over this would almost be in our opinion supplemental to the buffer and sound attenuation properties of that undeser undisturbed excuse me uh natural planning buffer that we're going to maintain. So it's it's really more like an acoustic fence versus

Exactly. You know, I think of a mat, I think of something on the ground. Exactly. Typically does. So it's essentially a mat turned uh turn vertically. And it's designed exactly for this this type of installation to hang along the fence line and catch sound as much much as possible. How many feet will it be, sir? So our fence line is eight feet. And the height of the uh of the acoustic fencing. Yeah, it's a it's an eight foot section there. Yeah, eight feet high. So, again, I've learned everything I can from uh Google, right?

So, and and I'd like to think I did a little better than that. But I've noticed one of the comments I kept seeing was that acoustic fencing typically has to be tall enough. And one of the numbers I keep seeing repeatedly is at least 10 feet and sometimes 12. Um, is there a reason that this can't be higher? Uh,

so I I believe that we are constrained by the height of the fence that we are allowed to put on this property or else we we would like to make it taller because to your point that seems like a a simple obvious solution to increase the sound attenuation uh properties. Uh, but I do believe that we are constrained at 8 ft. Um, I will get with Brian uh Eber and some of the folks on the design team to explore that a little bit further to see if we do have some options for increasing the fence height even if it's just along that edge. Um, sort of that that U shape there to try and trap as much sound up against the the property line and sort of rebound that for lack of a better term. So, dy noted. want to know how does this um project spec specifically the number of pickle ball courts compare with other pickle ball courts in the town either public or private if you're aware of of those.

Sure. So, and Shay, correct me if I'm wrong, is one of the exhibits in here sort of a count or addresses uh pickle ball currently on the island?

That was it. Oh, clicking too fast. Okay. Now, of course, this doesn't seem to provide a uh a a court count per location, which I know is is kind of more of what you're you're interested in, but you know, here 86 courts across 17 location. So, if we do a a rough average there, um this would certainly feel like more more courts in a particular location than um some of these other spots. Um but you know I think between the uh the management of the the natural buffer and some of the other design changes that have been made to sort of reduce the impact on the surrounding neighbors as much as possible that this is this is certainly doable even though more courts than you might see some of the other locations on the island.

May I invite public comment before we have any more questions? Is it okay? That'd be all right. Okay. Let me invite the uh public uh anybody that wants to talk on this subject again uh try to hold your comments to three minutes. Um yes sir. Please introduce yourself to the

Thank you Mr. Chairman. Alex Crudin, resident of C Pines. I've appeared before you before. As someone who has uh worked for years representing pickle ball players uh working with the town toward this project, I first want to say I greatly appreciate the efforts that we've just seen here because we want to be good neighbors. Absolutely. Uh so appreciate the town's willingness to continue with this to make it better. Uh what's been outlined here looks great to me. I would like to add one thing about the the uh numbers that are before you now. The 42 public courts, many of them are open to the public for considerable fees. The ones that are low cost are the 12 that are administered by the Island Rec Center. And the Island Rec Center, as I understand it, would be administering what's been put before you here. There's a real distinction in that. It's an important one, I think. Um, so again, I thank you for your consideration for this. I really hope that we can go forward. It would mean a lot to a lot of people. Thank you.

Thank you. What else? Yes, ma'am.

Good afternoon, Beth Petro, a resident of Pemod Villas. Um, I just want to say thank you to Neil and his team. Um, Shay as well for coming to our annual meeting. I think the revisions that were put before you are are very much in line with what we discussed at that meeting. And I think it will benefit Palmetto Bay Villas. Um, one of our residents, if you see her front door is is right up against that fence line. So, eliminating court one would go a huge way to controlling that noise and light that could potentially come on. Uh, we were very uh we excited to hear that this is going to be a maintained facility. It's our understanding that the gate will be locked nightly and it's not going to be open to the public. Somebody will be manning it from the Island Rec Center at all times. um which does uh alleviate a lot of the the questions that we had as far as safety. So as long as all of that is as presented is what goes in. I think it could be a benefit to um the island as well as not interrupt villas terribly. So I'm encouraged by what we see here and appreciate the changes. Thank you.

Thank thank you very much. Other comments? Seeing none, we'll bring it back up to the dis. Um, Miss Huitt, I have a question about the pathway that you show. It starts at Palmero Bay uh road and goes around. My question is, is that just a sidewalk that connects um to an existing sidewalk or is that a sidewalk and a bike path?

Uh, so right now it is just a uh it would just be a paved pathway and that design is still u still being finalized. we've sort of had a a laser focus for for lack of a better term on the uh the pickle ball facility itself and sort of the surrounding structures, but um yes, long story short, it would be a uh a paved pathway connecting to Bristol Arena around the corner. So, one of the things I'd like for you to focus on is if if it is amanable to bikes, which any paved pavement in Hilton Head is amanable to bikes. We've all seen them going everywhere, is that you find a way because that sidewalk's going to end at one point. You find a way for them to to cross the street or something to get to another

tie into the crosswalk that's further down in Helmsman way. Okay. Thank you. All right. Joy noted. Thank you, Ko. Uh Neil, you mentioned that the operating hours are supposed to end at 7 o'clock and and that that seems very reasonable. Let's say four or five years down the road, uh court usage is so extensive that that they need to expand the amount of time that's available. What what thought has been given to if that should have to be considered to expand those hours beyond 7 p.m.?

Okay. Well, uh hopefully uh the the folks at Island Wreck will be prepared for a a spirited discussion uh about that topic at that time. But you know, you know, sort of kidding aside, um we understand that this 9 to7 this is this is our recommendation based on discussion with Palmetto Bay is that we think is is fair and reasonable to get the most use out of the courts without negatively impacting the quality of life of those nearby. And um I think that with most of the things that we build, the the capacity that it's serving is probably already met by the time we uh cut the ribbon on it and open it to the public. And then the the need and desire only grows um from that point. Um, so that's a long way of saying that's that's above my pay grade, I guess, to uh, you know, address those concerns, but I have, you know, the utmost faith that if that time does come and those discussions arise that they'll be handled in the same way that the design process up till now has been with, you know, a thoughtful balance between all parties. Of course,

thank you, Neil. I think that um glad that you spent the time with the Palmetto Bay people. Um and I think this looks like a great improvement. Thank you. So just a couple of things come to mind after uh

Bruce mentioned the operating hours. So while it's not directly in our purview, what I would recommend is that Palmetto Bay Villa uh owners association um it's clear how any changes to the operations would be made. For example, the operating hours that it's not just up to Island Rec. So typically this is kind of like a little bit different than the beaches because there's not a lot of input into the beaches when they open and close. So, this is a little bit new and I don't know how things operate at Chaplain, but who would make the final decision? I don't need to know that now, but I think Palmetto Bay should understand that and understand how they would be brought into the process that that's very clear. And the other thing in terms of process that I think I would recommend is that um we're taking our best shot here at hours of operating and lighting issues. And again, ove my pay grade about how the process would work to get input from Palmetto Bay. But it should not just be the pickle ball contingent sort of driving that. you do have residents uh there and when we have laid out the strategic plan for the town, we talk about intensity of use and if we're finding it's more than we envisioned. There should be a clear process before this is all open for public. But that's just just my two cents.

All right. Any other Thank you questions, comments. Frank, would you Frank would like to speak?

Those hours or operations are really fine sitting back there with our staff members looking at that and moving forward if there needs to be some type of agreement with a a villa. That that'd be great, too. Um, this is a luxury. We're going to get 17 courts. And so, I think that having those hours of operations will work just fine, I think. And we know even with the growth of the sport there's I think the capacity here we should be able to manage without going beyond those hours of operation. That's just my our opinion as we looked at it and adding staff and um closing the gates was one of our recommendations way early on. So I think that some of the things that the folks over at the villa recommended are certainly within the operation thoughts that we had from the beginning. So that's where we're at. So

thank you. For the record, that was Frank S, the director of Okay, Mr. Um, removing court one, Sean, what what now is a distance between two and and the nearest neighbor, please.

So, let's see. Of course, if I'm able to zoom in here the way that I want to. So, we're we're in the neighborhood of 150 feet. Uh, at this point, we've increased the buffer. We we have a a new distance between the edge of court 2 and the fence line with the uh acoustic mats and then to through the natural buffer, the 20 foot public service district easement and then the property line and buffer that exists, planning buffer, natural buffer on the Palmetto Bay Villa side. So, you know, we have a lot lot of different components comprising that large buffer. Yes, sir. Okay. Correct.

All right. Well, I would certainly like to thank the residents of Palmetto Bay Villas for um for your input with staff uh to make this a better project. So, thank you very much for that. And if I can get a a motion to approve the project as amended. Get a second. Second. Second, Mr. Redmond. Okay. Any further discussion? All in. Yes, Mr. Dub. I would just suggest that we approve the alternate plan with the one fewer court than the 20 courts. I think the 19 courts is more advantageous to the community as a whole.

That's is that the plan that's been presented? That's correct. Yeah. I'll motion

at 17 tournament and 288. That's correct. Okay. Thank you. Other items, discussions, all in favor raise your right hand. Opposed. Great. Thank you very much. Thank you audience. Um, next up is uh public comment for non-aggenda items. Do we have any?

No, sir. Uh, no public comment. Uh, commission business, we have none. Chairman's report, I have none. Happy holidays everybody and we'll see you next here.