Request to Deny the Proposed Driftwood Project at 229 Marshland Road

Adjacent to Otter Creek and Indigo Run Rookery

To: Mayor Alan Perry, Town Council Members, Town Manager Marc Orlando, Development Review Board and the Planning Commission members

We, the undersigned residents, respectfully urge the Town of Hilton Head Island to deny the proposed “229 Marshland Road / Driftwood Project” adjacent to the Otter Creek and Indigo Run Rookery.

This rookery is an environmentally sensitive and ecologically valuable habitat that provides quiet, stable, and minimally disturbed surroundings for successful breeding and long-term survival of migratory, S.C. endangered species and many other bird colonies.

Scientific research and wildlife management guidance consistently demonstrate that development adjacent to rookeries results in disturbance to nesting behavior, reduced breeding success, and long-term colony decline or abandonment.

The cumulative impacts associated with the planned loss of wetlands and the filling of the site causing “almost complete tree removal” are avoidable and do not lead to “preservation of existing natural resources”, nor does the “development fit the land.” The ecological dependency of the rookery extends far beyond the nesting island trees themselves. The surrounding undeveloped land and wetlands serves as a critical protective buffer that helps shield nesting birds from disturbance and environmental stress and support their nesting habitat. The presence of higher density occupancy and construction activity is incompatible with the preservation of this sensitive and long-established Rookery and does not comply with the Town’s LMO’s Wildlife Protection Standards.

As a coastal community known for its natural beauty and environmental stewardship, the Town of Hilton Head has an important opportunity and responsibility to preserve an irreplaceable wildlife habitat for future generations of Islanders and birds. The Otter Creek and Indigo Run Rookery is one of those hidden treasures, highly valued by residents and visitors to our island alike, and its prominence among dedicated birders is unquestioned.

We believe the current design plans for the 229 Marshland Road development will cause irreparable environmental harm, critically threaten the survival of a unique and irreplaceable Island rookery, and substantially diminish the character and property values of the surrounding long-established, low-density residential neighborhoods and communities.

We respectfully request that the Town uphold its Land Management Ordinance and its responsibility to protect Hilton Head Island’s natural resources and community character by denying approval of this proposed development in its current form. This act honors the conservation-first vision that defines this Island.