From The Blog

An Update from Your Board of Directors Regarding Island Development

Given the significant challenges facing the community, the Kiawah Island Community Association (KICA) Board of Directors is getting more involved in the issues impacting our island. On June 9, we wrote to you that the board was working to determine what actions the board can and should take with respect to issues surrounding the current and potential island development. (View the June 9 message here.) We wanted to provide you with an update as to what we have been doing.

The initial question the board faced is what rights does KICA have under the governing documents and South Carolina law to enforce development standards or influence decisions on current and potential island development? In order to determine those rights, we hired a well-respected, independent, Charleston-based law firm, Rosen Hagood, to answer that question. We wanted a firm that represented KICA, without ties to the developer or the town. Securing the firm and the advice took more than a month.

Last Friday, that firm provided thorough written legal advice to all on the board, except the developer representative on the board, who had agreed not to receive the advice in order not to risk waiver of attorney-client privilege. 

On Monday, the board met in executive session. The KICA mission statement is:

 

 

We agreed that the mission statement accurately reflects KICA’s mission and that, in order to carry out that mission, we would seek to actively influence matters to ensure that the goals of the mission statement are carried out.

So, what are we doing now? We have instructed our counsel to begin a discussion with counsel for Kiawah Partners and the town on the recent development issues surrounding the Cape and Beachwalker parcels. We want, among other things, to make sure there are and have been consistent application of the development guidelines and, if that hasn’t occurred, steps be taken to address the problems. 

We believe KICA’s voice needs to be heard on important island issues, such as:

• Transfer of the Architectural Review Board from the developer.
• Effective and appropriate enforcement of island rules.
• Traffic management.

We want to hear from you on these and other issues you believe are important. We will be conducting short pulse polls of our members to make sure we are identifying issues important to you and accurately reflecting your views.

We recognize that Kiawah works best when all stakeholders such as KICA, the town, the developer and the resort are aligned to preserve and enhance the quality of life and property values of our members. We are committed to pursuing that goal.

Sincerely,

Your KICA Board of Directors