west beachR e v i t a l i z a t i o n R e p o R t

a commitment to west beach

Kiawah island community association’s (Kica) west beach revitalization initiative began in 2011 with the board of director’s strategic goal to develop a common vision for the look, feel and functionality of the island. a defined brand is integral to the success of a community

and is one of Kiawah’s greatest assets.

to achieve this goal, the Kica board and staff committed to a comprehensive program to improve Kiawah’s streetscapes and entries to neighborhoods, including landscaping, signage, lighting and trails. west beach, the island’s gateway and oldest neighborhood, was selected as the most vital place to begin. as important as this effort is to west beach, establishing a thoughtful model for

reinvestment is critical as the rest of Kiawah ages.

Vision Statement for West Beach

“Kiawah island’s gateway beach community in a beautiful maritime forest ... a place for family

and friends to connect.”

a commitment to west beach

Total West Beach Investment

The Kiawah community’s investment in west beach revitalization exceeds

$5 million.

Kica’s investment in west beach has begun a quiet groundswell of improvements by regimes, single-family homes, the resort and town. Kiawah Partners, through their architectural Review board (aRb), has worked with us to simplify and clarify the process for members to make property improvements. west beach revitalization has been a true community project, and substantial progress has been made both aesthetically and in strengthening our sense of community. although improvements are most physically evident in west beach, every stride made in the last two years

elevates the value of all island properties.

DeveloPing a RoaD maP foR Renewal

view West Beach Survey Results at: www.kica.us (inside Kica/task forces/west beach)

to create a strategy for this renewal process, the west beach task force was established in 2011. The task force began by surveying the 1,100 association members in west beach to ascertain the core values of the community. Key findings from the survey shaped the task force’s implementation plan, which included strengthening and enhancing property values through physical improvements, leveraging financial and human resources, leading by example, simplifying the process for property improvements, and educating and encouraging members in their own upgrades.

Easing the Way for Improvements

The west beach survey identified several deterrents to making property improvements. here is a look at what strides have been made to diminish these obstacles.

Challenging ARB Process: Kica has taken a leadership role on the aRb by appointing a permanent, voting member of the board. additionally, two quick-reference guides have been created for members to more easily navigate the improvement process. more information on these guides can be found in the “Removing obstacles in the improvement Process” section of this report. simplifying aRb

processes is an ongoing effort that Kiawah leaders are committed to.

ARB Fees: The aRb waived fees for minor landscape renovations at Kica’s annual landscape symposium event in may. The aRb will participate at this event every year.

Concern of Economic Decline: Kiawah island Real estate (KiRe) has reported that the market is turning. in may, KiRe had its best single month of closings in six years. They closed on 30 properties for more than $46 million in sales volume. additionally, the charleston area has never been a more attractive destination, with recent awards such as best city in the world (Conde nast traveler 2012)

and number one city in the U.s. (travel and leisure 2013).

DemonstRation PRoject - Phase one

Before

After

Kica launched its west beach revitalization with a landscape demonstration project in 2012. The project both enhanced a very visible stretch of common

property and served as a catalyst to encourage adoption by regimes.

on Kiawah beach Drive, from Kiawah island Parkway to the straw market, the tree canopy had become overgrown, preventing the entry of sunlight, resulting in the loss of understory vegetation. Renovations in this first phase included the removal of diseased or foreign species, selective pruning and a design which opened views to the cougar Point golf course. native plants and grasses were installed in the project area, which will ultimately reduce or

end the need for irrigation.

The association’s phase one investment prompted others in the community to implement improvements. The Kiawah island golf Resort (KigR) extended the association’s design onto their property along cougar Point golf course. Regimes such as the cottage owners association (greenslake cottages and sparrow Pond cottages), courtside villas, inlet cove and seascape villas invested in landscaping improvements in 2012, several of which were quite extensive projects. The cottage owners association and the resort partnered with Kica on contractors and the timing of projects, realizing a cost savings

as a result.

DemonstRation PRoject - Phase two

Total Association Landscaping Investment

for phase one and two, Kica’s landscaping investment totaled

$245,123.

After

BeforeKica’s second landscape demonstration project along upper greensward Road and sections of surfwatch Drive was completed in july 2013. The project features native plantings that consume less water and highlights pond areas along surfwatch Drive. This work has spurred three single-family home owners in the phase two area to replicate Kica’s landscape design on their own properties, and the resort to groom their

landscaping around a golf course restroom on greensward.

DemonstRation PRojects - native Plants installeD

Phase One - After Phase Two - After

Kica’s phase one demonstration project renovated approximately 1.8 acres of common property with the

installation of over 11,000 native plants including:

Palms: Dwarf Palm, saw Palm and needle Palm (700 plants)Perennial Grasses: sweetgrass and smooth cordgrass (8,710 plants)

Ferns: holly fern and autumn fern (1,625 plants)Perennial Plants: lantana and verbena (350 plants)

Kica’s phase two demonstration project renovated approximately one acre of common property with the

installation of over 6,600 native plants including:

Palms: Dwarf Palm, sabal Palm (780 plants)Perennial Grasses: sweetgrass and cordgrass (4,036 plants)Ferns: autumn fern, shield fern, wood fern (995 plants)Other: magnolia tree (one plant), beautyberry (16 plants)

Revitalization PaRticiPants - Regimes

Courtside Villas

Recent updates to courtside include building exterior and landscape renovations, opening the stairways and a new color scheme, walk lights

and bike racks.

fairway oaks conducted a beautification project that included new leisure paths, roofs, exterior painting, low-voltage lighting,

landscaping and tree trimming.

greenslake recently conducted a major landscape renovation. tree pruning will be conducted in the

fall of 2013.

The revitalization of west beach has been a community partnership, with investments by Kica, regimes, individual property owners, the resort and the town.

Fairway Oaks Villas Greenslake Cottages

Revitalization PaRticiPants - Regimes

a 5-year renovation project at inlet cove began in 2012 and includes a complete transformation of community entrances and updates to the pool cabana, restrooms, deck

and boat storage.

seascape conducted a major landscape renovation using native plants. garden benches were installed and rain gardens will be strategically added to the landscape.

sparrow Pond recently conducted a major landscape renovation. The aRb has approved the use of hardie products for the cottages. The pool house has been re-sided with hardie Plank composite shake siding as an example for owners. tree pruning will be conducted in the fall of 2013.

Seascape Villas Sparrow Pond CottagesInlet Cove

Revitalization PaRticiPants - ResoRt anD town

in addition to the resort’s contributions to phase one and two of the demonstration projects, the resort made a significant investment by constructing a new west beach pool in 2012. The new pool is located at the west beach tennis and Pool complex across from the straw market and is accessible to resort guests and governor’s club members. it features a swimming area with a long tube slide and an aqua playground

with a kiddie slide and interactive spray features.

The town of Kiawah island (toKi) has also invested in west beach. in 2010, the town built a bike path along the Kiawah island Parkway, from the main security gate to freshfields village, which offers scenic overlooks and significant landscaping, as well as improved safety. more recently, two waterfront recreational sites have undergone improvements. The Kiawah River bridge embankment now features an access plaza with a ramp, stairs, kayak-staging area and guardrails. The town also placed a new dock, benches and rod-holders at

the pond site on beachwalker Drive.

Resort Pool Town Bike Path

Revitalization PaRticiPants - inDiviDUals

according to the aRb’s records, since Kica launched the revitalization initiative in 2011, 347 west beach property owners have made renovations

to their homes or landscaping.

West Beach Property Improvements

2011: 120 2012: 139

2013 (through july): 88

Removing obstacles in the imPRovement PRocess

The west beach survey identified the need to simplify and clarify aRb improvement processes and standards. Kica, the west beach task force and the Kiawah Regime council (KRc) have

collaborated with the aRb to achieve this goal.

two quick-reference guides, a Guide to property improvements on Kiawah island and Maintenance and improvements: The Kiawah Way (see left) were recently created to take the mystery out of

Kiawah’s property standards and improvement processes.

in july, Kica restructured several existing staff positions to create the livability Department, which focuses on helping members understand the relationship between property aesthetics and value. neighborhoods can slowly deteriorate from seemingly small matters, such as neglecting home maintenance. Therefore, livability will support Kica’s rules and regulations and will actively collaborate with the aRb to facilitate the property

improvement process.

Maintenance and Improvements: The Kiawah Way

Provides good and poor examples for landscaping and structural standards.

www.kica.us (KICA A-Z)

A Guide to Property Improvements on Kiawah Island

summarizes the review, permitting and construction process for various improvements.

www.kiawahARB.com

Removing obstacles in the imPRovement PRocess

large strides have been made to ease the landscape renovation process. Kica has provided an abundance of resources through the two demonstration projects and the first annual landscape symposium event that took place in may. at the symposium event, landscape experts offered presentations on relevant topics and provided one-on-one advice for members interested in making improvements to their own properties. native plants that thrive on Kiawah were offered for sale to take the guess work out of plant selection. The aRb’s participation made things easy by completely removing one obstacle - they waived fees for minor landscape improvements - and then they simplified the process by expediting review for projects submitted at the event. The

landscape symposium is an annual event and the aRb has committed to participating each year.

simplifying the renovation process is an ongoing concerted effort that will remain a priority for Kica.

Landscape Symposium Native Plants

next stePs foR west beach Revitalization

Kica will continue to focus on west beach, and much more is in the works for revitalization, including road paving on shipwatch Drive and the rebuilding of two west beach boardwalks in the fall of 2013. in addition, two large projects are already underway and

will impact all Kica members, including those in west beach: an island-wide signage project and the amenities evaluation.

The 3-step process for reviewing island signage, including conceptual planning and final design, has begun. The design and tasteful use of signage is vital to preserving and strengthening the Kiawah brand. since current standards were developed over 30 years ago, updates are essential. to date, Kica has invested $24,000 for this project and hopes to integrate recommendations from the review

process into the next phase of revitalization.

Kica’s amenity offerings are currently being evaluated. The recent amenities survey of our membership, while a study tool, may provide insight into amenities that could further enhance island property values. for more information on the amenities survey, visit

www.kica.us (inside Kica/task forces/amenities and services).

Amenities EvaluationSignage Project

next stePs foR west beach Revitalization

while large-scale projects by Kica, regimes, and other entities deliver instant impact, it’s critical that this momentum

continues into our single-family neighborhoods.

The association would like to thank the members and island leaders who have already embraced investment and renewal. we hope to see continual collaboration and the

strengthening of every single property value on Kiawah.

Join the Revitalization Effort

If you are interested in participating in revitalization by enhancing your property and its value, or would like more information, please contact KICA at 843-768-9194 or kicaadmin@kica.us.

September 2013