News Release

Town Council Creates Advisory Committee for Northpointe Public-Private Partnership Housing Initiative

June 10, 2022

The Hilton Head Island Town Council earlier this week took another step forward in addressing housing needs for the Island’s workforce with the creation of the Northpointe Public-Private Partnership Housing Advisory Committee.

The committee, which the Town Council unanimously approved at its June 7 meeting, is charged with assessing and recommending a development partner to help the Town build a sustainable neighborhood on more than 12 acres of land on its Northpointe tract. The site is within proximity to the Hilton Head Island Recreation Center and Hilton Head Island public school campus.

"This project will involve a private partner and members of our community who have a wealth of knowledge and expertise in workforce housing," said Town Manager Marc Orlando.

"Providing affordable housing options for our workforce is critically important and is a major strategic priority for Town Council. This public-private partnership will be the first of its kind for the Town and we feel this advisory committee will be crucial to help us successfully launch this initiative," said Mayor John McCann.

The advisory committee will consist of three Town Council members and two community members. The Town is actively seeking volunteers from the Hilton Head Island community to serve on this committee and is specifically looking for individuals who have prior experiences in the following roles:

• Financial advisors or individuals who have participated in financing workforce housing projects.
• Architects.
• Real estate developers.
• Advisors on the real estate economics of housing projects.

Hilton Head Island residents who have this experience and who are willing to serve on the advisory committee should send their contact information and statement of interest to Krista Wiedmeyer, Town Clerk, at TownClerk@hiltonheadislandsc.gov as soon as possible.

The Town Council is expected to review committee member appointments at its June 21, 2022 meeting.

Creation of the advisory committee follows other recent action the Town has taken as part of its housing initiative. In February, Orlando proposed a public-private partnership strategy to develop and increase the supply of workforce housing on the Island. On April 1, the Town issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking qualified development firms to provide professional services in support of the proposed Northpointe development location. The RFQ closed on May 20, with receipt of 10 qualified submissions.

"Our staff will work closely with the appointed committee to review these submissions and identify the most qualified firm for our proposed project. The committee will have other responsibilities to fulfill such as proposing criteria to determine who is eligible for housing as part of this project. We look forward to their recommendations as we continue making progress on this initiative," Orlando said.

For more information on the proposed Northpointe Public-Private Partnership Housing, visit the Town's website at hiltonheadislandsc.gov/workforcehousing.