Hilton Head's Compass Rose Park opens today
By TIM DONNELLYtdonnelly@islandpacket.com 843-706-8145
Published Saturday, April 26, 2008
Hilton Head Island's grand experiment in park design will be introduced to the public for the first time today.
The town will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Compass Rose Park, located on the corner of Pope Avenue and New Orleans Road.
The project symbolizes a new era in parks for the island, diverging from the usual ball fields or passive open space to a more urban design.
Here are some park facts:
B. What is it?
A mix of urban architecture and natural beauty. The park transitions from terraced plazas with several art installations down to a path leading into the marshland, with a waterfall and reflection pool along the way.
The name and planned art installations are an homage to Sea Pines. The compass rose was the first emblem of the island's first modern development.
Other art pieces will pay tribute to the history of the community and its founder, Charles Fraser.
How much did it cost?
The work has cost just more than $1 million thus far, and could be up to $1.3 million when everything is complete.
What are some of the highlights?
The park includes a variety of plants, but they won't be saplings. The town has purchased several large live oaks 8-12 inches in diameter instead of 1- to 2-inch young trees, urban designer Ed Drane said.
"We wanted it to look like the landscaping had matured for a while," he said. "We didn't want it to look brand new."
Two art fixtures also have been installed at the park: a partially rotating fountain and a bronze cast compass rose that was used at the entrance to Sea Pines when it first opened. The fountain also contains a compass rose symbol, which will always point north, Drane said. The fountain itself weights more than 22,000 pounds, he said.
Two more pieces of art are planned: a story wall showing the history of Sea Pines and a statue of the iconic image of Charles Fraser "walking" an alligator.
The story wall will be installed once the statue is complete, Drane said. Savannah sculptor Susie Chisolm has been selected to create the statue, which will take about nine months.
When is the ribbon-cutting?
A ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. today to officially open the park.
Speakers include town manager Steve Riley, Mayor Tom Peeples and Joe Fraser III.
Parking is limited at the site, but the town has permission to use bank parking across the street for the event.
Fraser's vision missing in Compass Rose park
Published Monday, April 21, 2008
Charles Fraser inspired a generation of architects and planners to create communities that reflected the natural beauty of the environment. Open spaces would retain their natural beauty and require little maintenance.
Fast forward: Although Town Council talks of finding the proper balance between development and environmental protection, trucks slowly filled the corner of New Orleans Road and Pope Avenue with a maze of masonry walls, which are just high enough to intimidate the visitor from entering and preventing the breeze from flowing. Pets will leave their odors and constant maintenance will be required for its pools and concrete surfaces.
What was a simple open space has now been replaced with a sea of concrete, where those who miss urban pocket parks and blight can bask (and bake) within this concrete sanctuary. Add some graffiti and when visitors are turned off by the beach and nature's beauty, they can visit this shrine to the wonders of concrete. Mayor Tom Peeples was right about the need for security cameras.
A prediction: Within a few years the storms will blow the white canvas off the tented roofs; accidents in the wading pools and maintenance costs will cause them to be drained and filled with dirt and plants; gates will be erected to keep nighttime visitors away; and the walls will be lowered or removed to create a secure and user friendly environment -- the type of open space that Charles would have enjoyed. It is now too late, but let us remember his legacy in future "open space" designs.
Harvey Geiger
Hilton Head Island
Charlie Fraser, President, CHARLES FRASER REALTY GROUP is the nephew of Charles Fraser and son of Joe Fraser. He has a team of real estate agents that are profesional and honest in there comimitment to the finding the right real estate for our clients. Give them a call or visit our website.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Island Packet Articles About Compass Rose Park
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
What Makes A Place Desireable to Live?
The brick and mortar do not make a home, but the "Lifestyle" associated with an area do make a home or for that matter a great retreat from your primary residence. Hilton Head Island started buying land to preserve over ten years ago. The residents agreed to a 1/4% transfer tax to go towards buying property. Over the years the twon has bought and kept off the market numerous homes and commercial space from being developed. Along with a strong Land Managment Oridance the Town of Hilton Head has made strides in making Hilton Head a great place to live and vacation. It is a "Lifestyle" of combing the beach, watching birds, playing golf or tennis, miles of leisure trails for walking and biking. One of the islands greatest assett are the surrounding estuaries and sounds either for fishing, sailing, kayaking, or simple enjoying a day on the water. A number of the properties bought have turned into either passive parks or active parks. Little league sports is alive and well on Hilton Head Island. As towns across America struggle with growth control, we on Hilton Head and now beaufort County have been putting our money where our mouth is. We cannot ask the government to buy property without taxing the residents who will benifit from the purchase, and ultimate protection of the land. Part of the vision of Charles Fraser and Sea Pines Company was an eco friendly community. The term was not used when the company was started, but that is what was done. Covenants placed on the land to instill a harmonious balance between nature and man was the goal. Today it is called "Eco-Friendly". The purchase of properties by our local government and our county governement are keeping that vision alive. The brick and mortar of a home are where we stay to enjoy the "Lifestyle" that has been created in the Low Country. Those bricks can cost millions of dollars or a few hundred thousand, whatever your level, it all comes down to the vision to create a "Lifestyle".
copyright @ Charlie B Fraser Feb 27, 2008
Charlie is president and Broker in Charge of the Charles Fraser Realty Group. He can be reached at: charlie@fraserrealty.net or visit his website www.fraserrealty.net
Recent articles in the Island Packet about the open space programs:
Strike while iron hot on land preservation
Published Friday, February 1, 2008
It is great news to learn that Beaufort County is quickly spending the $50 million voters approved for land acquisition in November 2006.
Beaufort County Council this week approved borrowing a second round of $20 million for its land preservation program. It approved the first $20 million last year, shortly after the bond referendum gained voter approval.
The money should be put to use as fast as possible, especially when a slow real estate market might make a conservation easement or government land purchase more attractive to property owners.
And we shouldn't worry that our money is being spent profligately. The county's Rural and Critical Land Preservation Board and the Trust for Public Land vet these purchases to make sure they fit into the overall goals set out for the program.
From 1997 to 2007, the program preserved about 11,000 acres through donations and the purchase of land or development rights. That acreage is set to increase to about 16,000 acres when a pending deal closes.
It would be even better news if state lawmakers would follow Gov. Mark Sanford's lead and approve an additional $50 million for the state's conservation program. The one-time appropriation would be added to $15 million raised for the program through a share of the state's documents fee.
The state Conservation Bank has spent about $71 million to preserve more than 134,000 acres from its inception in 2004 through 2007. In Beaufort County, the state has spent $2.87 million to help preserve 1,475 acres, according to the Conservation Bank's Web site.
Sanford reiterated the message he delivered at Palmetto Bluff in December in his State of the State address earlier this month: South Carolina needs to preserve what makes this state special if we are to stay competitive in the long run.
"Keeping what is special won't just happen, though. It will require foresight, vision and action given that over the next two decades, one million people will be moving to South Carolina, making us the tenth-fastest growing state in the nation.
"... think about how rare this opportunity is given the real estate market slowdown and once in a lifetime timberland sales by the big timber companies," he urged state lawmakers. "In life, some opportunities only come once, and I believe this is one of them."
We urge the Beaufort County Legislative Delegation to push hard for the governor's funding request. Married with local efforts, it would strengthen our hand immensely in that once-in-a-lifetime chance to preserve what we love about the Lowcountry.
There's nothing passive about passive parks
By JEREMY HSIEHjhsieh@beaufortgazette.com843-986-5548
Published Saturday, February 9, 2008
BEAUFORT -- Beaufort County's land preservation efforts have ramped up in recent months, opening up limited public access to thousands of acres as passive parks.
Passive, unfortunately, doesn't mean maintenance-free -- or free to maintain.
Buying land for parks takes property off of tax rolls while piling more maintenance responsibilities onto county workers.
"We saw this train wreck coming down the road," said Slade Gleaton, South Carolina director of the Trust for Public Land, at a Jan. 17 preservation meeting. The trust is a nonprofit organization that the county hires to handle preservation deals.
The preservation program is paid for through bonds earmarked for buying land and development rights. Since the program was created in 1997, voters authorized borrowing $40 million in 2000 and another $50 million in 2006. The bonds are repaid over time with a small property tax.
The bond money cannot be used for maintenance or park development, so the responsibility falls to Eddie Bellamy, county director of public works.
The workers cutting the grass at ball fields are the same ones tasked with cleaning up the passive parks, Bellamy said. Nothing has been added to his budget to maintain the passive parks.
The county contracted landscapers to maintain some preservation sites, but it was too costly, said County Council Vice Chairman Skeet Von Harten.
"Something has to be done. We keep acquiring more land without putting in more dollars. If we let all this land become an eyesore, then the whole program tanks," he said at the January
meeting.
There is limited public access to the preserves, "But not to the degree we'd like," said Glenn Stanford, a trust project manager that works in Beaufort County. "You've got to open them up as well."
For example, the county bought the historic Fort Fremont on St. Helena Island from private owners in 2004 for $5.4 million. Decades of overgrowth and neglect left it looking like the setting for an Indiana Jones adventure instead of a family outing.
The overgrowth and refuse at the fort has been cleared, but "we can't man the fort so people can actually look at it," Bellamy said.
Stanford said adding trails, wildlife viewing areas and interpretive signs are desirable developments for passive parks that would improve access.
One source of revenue for that type of development comes from the land preservation deals themselves. The trust sometimes negotiates with land sellers for cash gifts for the preservation program. Unlike the bond money, gift money isn't legally bound to pay for
preservation.
Another part of the eventual solution, trust officials said, is creating a corps of volunteers to help with maintenance and fundraisers. Trust officials have been referring to the concept as "Friends of the Parks."
"It's been something we've been chewing on and passing back and forth in-house for some time," Stanford said, emphasizing that the idea is purely conceptual.
"It hasn't really gone beyond, 'Do you like the idea?' " said Steve Riley, chairman of the County Council's Rural and Critical Lands Preservation Board.
Gleaton said the volunteer corps couldn't shoulder the entire maintenance load for the county's passive parks and that some new revenue stream must be identified. He suggested charging modest user fees, as does the Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission.
The commission's executive director, Tom O'Rourke, said the fees it collects at its marinas, fishing piers, beaches, campgrounds and water parks pay for new parks.
Less than 45 percent of the commission's operating budget comes from taxes, according to the commission's Web site.
County Council OKs spending $20M to save land
From Staff Reports
Published Tuesday, January 29, 2008
BEAUFORT -- Beaufort County property owners are likely to face a small tax increase later this year to pay for the quickening pace of land preservation.
On Monday, the County Council unanimously voted to authorize borrowing an additional $20 million for its preservation program. Two additional votes are required to make the authorization final. This follows a similar authorization the council made last year, also for $20 million.
To repay that $40 million, county controller Tom Henrikson said he estimates needing a tax increase in the next budget year that would cost the live-in owner of a $200,000 home roughly $16 more per year.
In terms of dollars spent and land protected, the pace of land preservation in the county has picked up dramatically in the last year.
"The last six months, really," Henrikson said.
From 1997 to 2007, the program had preserved about 11,000 acres through donations and the purchase of land or development rights. The acreage total today is closer to 16,000, when including a major deal that is currently pending.
While the need for the extra $20 million isn't immediate, land preservation officials said more preservation deals are coming soon that warrant the additional borrowing.
COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR TO GET RAISE
The council unanimously agreed Monday to give county administrator Gary Kubic a pay increase.
Chairman Weston Newton said council members would determine how to raise Kubic's pay at their next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 11.
Newton said the increase could come through a combination of a salary raise, a bonus, a retirement fund contribution or an increase in his car allowance.
Kubic currently receives an annual salary of roughly $164,000.
$16.5 MILLION IN PUBLIC PROJECTS
The council initially approved a $16.5 million bond issue Monday for improvements to parks, boat landings and other public projects in Beaufort County.
Funding for the 11 projects, all of which were approved individually last year, will come up for a final vote at the council's Feb. 11 meeting.
The projects include the new Buckwalter Recreational Community Center in Bluffton, improvements at the C.C. Haigh Jr. boat landing on Pinckney Island, four traffic cameras on Bluffton Parkway, and stabilizing buildings at the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn.
Jeremy Hsieh of The Beaufort Gazette and Michael Welles Shapiro of The Island Packet contributed to this report.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Hampton Lake’s Lakeside Village, home built in Ridgeland nab top industry honorsBy Gail WesterfieldSpecial to The Island Packet
Published Monday, February 18, 2008
Photo: The Reed Development Company and Fraser Construction this week took home top honors from Professional Builder magazine and the National Association of Homebuilders for Hampton Lake’s amenity center, called Lakeside Village. Also honored at the annual Best in American Living awards ceremony was a modular home built by Ridgeland’s Haven Custom Homes.Special to The Island Packet
The result is a residential development designed as if it were a destination resort. Inspiration for the unusual amenities came from interviews with more than 100 women and dozens of couples living in the Bluffton/Hilton Head Island area or thinking about moving here, said Gary Sandor, a partner with Reed Development Company. The superior amenities helped win the BALA award. Features at Hampton Lake include a state-of-the-art fitness center, full-service spa, a lakeside “beach” and a family-oriented resort-style pool with a central island and lazy river. Perry Wood, president of Wood & Partners, the community’s land planner, says “the key was diversity. ... We created a place that everyone in an extended family of grandparents, children, and grandchildren could enjoy.” Kayaks and quiet boats are available for residents to use, as well as a bait and tackle shop for supplies to fish in the bass- and bluegill-stocked lake.
Sandor calls Hampton Lake “a place where people can do the same things that they fondly remember doing when they were kids” and notes the unique small island in the middle of the lake for camping under the stars. The community also has nine miles of nature trails and boardwalks, and a dog park will be dedicated March 15.
Joe Fraser Jr., president of Fraser Construction, has spent more than 30 years building a variety of facilities in the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia. He calls Lakeside at Hampton Lake “the finest family-oriented amenity we’ve ever constructed.”
Like everyone involved in the current slow housing market, the development faces some challenges. Hampton Lake president Gerrit Albert said that the down market has led to a shift in marketing efforts from a national to a more local focus, and that the company also has begun to market Hampton Lake in home shows in New Jersey, Chicago and other areas.
Albert says home prices haven’t been discounted, but those who agree to build within two years of purchase receive a 15 percent incentive. Some custom builders working in the community are also offering incentives. Last summer, management dropped amenity fees by $750, Albert said, when ongoing costs were determined to be lower than originally estimated. Property owners now pay $2,750 per year.
Ten families live in Hampton Lake and more than 100 homes are either finished or under construction. At build out, Hampton Lake will have about 900 homes.
Homes in the neighborhood include “Carolina Lifestyle Homes,” which feature a built-in pool, and four-plex condominiums. These villas are the community’s best-sellers “specifically because of the location” adjacent to Lakeside Village (the amenities center).
Single family cottages by David Weekly Builders in Hampton Lake range from about $450,000- $700,000 for two to three bedrooms and 1,900-3,000 square feet. Condos, called villa and coach homes, range from the high $300s-$800s for two to three bedrooms and 2,200-3,500 square feet. Custom homes range from the mid-$500,000s-$1.5 million for three to five bedrooms and 2,500-4,000 square feet. Sandor adds that the company is “looking into ways to create some smaller lots overlooking the lakes. There is a lot of buyer interest in having detached homes on smaller lots for a smaller price tag.”
Haven Custom Homes
Also at the BALA awards ceremony in Orlando, a modular home built at the Haven Custom Homes factory in Ridgeland won the Home of the Year award. Called the Tucker Bayou, the southern-style home in the WaterSound community near Panama City, Fla. also is the 2007 Southern Living Idea House. It appeared on the cover of the magazine’s August issue. The announcement created a nice buzz of conversation in the room with respect to modular homebuilding and is a source of pride to the folks at Haven. Looney Ricks Kiss Architects designed the home for the St. Joe Company in Florida.
