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KICA
Services to Move Off-Island?
Summering in Vermont keeps me sensitive to the difficulty
non-resident property owners have staying in touch with
happenings on Kiawah. The upcoming vote KICA has scheduled on
acquiring property off-island is a good case in point.
The lead article on the front page of the August issue of Digest
is “Members to Vote on Property Purchase.” The article goes on
to say the Board of Directors has appointed a subcommittee “to
pursue the availability of off-island land for boat storage and
commercial pass operations.” At the special meeting called for
September 23, members will “vote on generic permission to move
forward.” (Digest, August 2007, p 1) In actuality, the vote is
to extend the Covenants to off-island property purchased by KICA
and to classify that property as “Common Property” as defined in
the Covenants. According to information mailed to property
owners, the “authorization only applies to a one-time purchase
of land in the vicinity of Kiawah Island” which may be used for
these purposes.
KPOG does have a number of concerns regarding the decision
property owners are being asked to make. To begin with, what are
the implications of extending the covenants to off-island
property? The Covenants (Article II, Section 2d – see p 6)
indicate that any such properties “can be referred to as a part
of Kiawah Island.” Some property owners may have no strong
feelings about considering a small parcel along Bohicket Road as
part of Kiawah Island, but may have reservations about applying
our “address” to a portion of the old “Little Pig” complex.
An email from KICA to members dated August 3, 2007 sought
reactions to several possible off-island boat storage locations.
The least expensive option suggested was “a site on River Road
near Betsy Kerrison within approximately 5 or 10 miles of the
Kiawah roundabout.” The email also asked for feedback on a
possible concierge service to deliver and return boats from
Rhett’s Bluff or Eagle Point. One possible parcel with deepwater
access in that approximate location is Mullet Hall, which is
owned by KRA, Kiawah’s developer. How would we feel about
extending our address to that parcel? While this parcel might
have definite advantages for boat storage, would a “yes” vote
now open the door to extending the covenants to the remainder of
this 2000+ acre parcel, nearly 1100 acres of which is high
ground and probably suitable for building?
Extending the covenants to any piece of property is a serious
step. The property will take our name and further define our
Island identity. How each of us chooses to vote may, indeed,
depend on the parcel in question.
And why is an issue of such import being vetted and decided
within a short period of time toward the end of the summer,
around a major holiday, when many resident property owners are
off-island and many non-resident property owners have left the
Island to return to their permanent homes?
Whenever property owners have been faced with important
decisions, KPOG has provided a thorough analysis of the pros and
cons of the issues. As TALK goes to press, KPOG does not have
sufficient information to conduct such an analysis, thus making
this column difficult to write. The questions below are just a
starting point. We know property owners are already feeling they
need more information to understand fully the issues involved
here because they’ve started to ask us for our insights. There
is one thing of which we are certain - there are probably other
questions of equal import which are not included here.
The loss of the land on Kestrel Court for boat storage was noted
at a KICA Board meeting in early March after KRA announced the
land would be used by its subsidiary, Kiawah Island Utility.
While this decision may have come as a surprise to some,
according to KICA’s August 10 letter to property owners, the
“decision has been expected for some time.” And while KICA may
have lost the income generated by boat storage on Kestrel Court,
KRA is continuing to write new contracts with property owners
for boat storage there “into the foreseeable future.”
Only a few months ago KICA’s new Strategic Planning Committee
began to study the Island’s need for expanded amenities and
specifically asked property owners how they feel about locating
some of them off-Island. With the current sluggish real estate
market and no significant upturn anticipated soon, is it
premature to make decisions about boat storage and commercial
pass operations before the Strategic Planning Committee has
completed its work and made its recommendations regarding the
full complement of amenities and services? Could the Board
negotiate a contract during the interim with a stipulation that
it is subject to property owner approval to extend the
covenants? Why the rush to purchase property? How does this
initiative fit into the overall long-range planning process?
The problems with commercial pass operations should come as no
surprise to anyone. At the time the new gatehouse was
constructed several years ago, a number of property owners urged
the creation of a third lane for commercial vehicles, but this
concept was not supported by the KICA Board. As the Island has
continued to grow, we have all experienced increased congestion
getting through the Main Gate when large commercial vehicles are
frequently parked on the right shoulder.
What will be required to successfully divert commercial traffic
new to the Island and without passes to an off-island facility
before it reaches our Gate? Vehicles making u-turns at the Gate
would likely create as many problems as vehicles parked on the
shoulder. What would it take to acquire additional property to
add a third lane at the Gate? Is there any way this could be
done without the Town’s condemning the property? If condemnation
is the only option, is a third lane at our Gate a more or less
satisfactory solution to the problem?
With no land available on-island for the stated purposes, what
are the pros and cons of contracting with an independent source
to provide these services off-island? As Association needs
expand, what services do we move off-island, how far are they
moved, and how do we finance the project(s)?
The funds for the proposed land purchase would come from surplus
operating funds, which are expected to be $3 million for 2007.
Based on the information provided to date, it does not appear
there would be a need for a special assessment of all property
owners now. Are there any plans for a segment assessment or user
fee to offset any capital investment or other ongoing costs, for
example, to provide boat storage or other related services to a
small subset of property owners?
If additional services or amenities are to be moved off-island,
what are the advantages to co-locating them rather than
distributing them across multiple parcels? A boat storage
facility and commercial pass operations are both “business”
applications and in that sense, are complementary. If we needed
to build another recreational, Sandcastle-type facility, would
we be happy sitting at the pool with tractor trailers parked in
an adjacent lot? If co-location is desirable, these issues
should be an important factor in site selection.
Is there sufficient commercially zoned acreage close enough to
Kiawah to meet our needs or would KICA consider purchasing a
parcel and seeking a use variance? What will happen to the
demand for services/amenities and willingness to pay as they are
moved off-island and further from home? If the cost and location
of property owner boat storage, for example, is no longer
competitive and is less convenient than it is now, might current
users be likely to move to commercial facilities that offer a
variety of services?
KPOG expects that additional communication from KICA between now
and the September 23 meeting will address these questions, as
well as the myriad of others likely to be raised by property
owners. We urge all property owners to review the information in
the member packets, to familiarize themselves with whatever
additional information is posted to the KICA website, and to
attend the August 21 Open Forum. As noted earlier, an audio link
will be provided for members who would like to attend the forum
but are unable to do so in person. Since ballots or proxies are
not due before September 19, property owners who still have
unanswered questions have time to contact KICA before voting.
Diane Z. Lehder |
