'Horrible Situation': Hilton Head Businesses Forced to Move for Airport Expansion

As Beaufort County moves forward with plans to expand the Hilton Head Island Airport, at least nine businesses are being forced to close or relocate.

They say they’ve been left in the dark by government agencies and the company hired to help them move.

The businesses, tucked underneath a canopy of trees along Hunter Road, were told in May that their properties were being considered for the Hilton Head Island airport expansion project.

On Monday, County Council gave Administrator Ashley Jacobs power to purchase five properties along Hunter Road for the project. Although the timeline is unclear, the buildings will be paved over in favor of a $10 million terminal expansion to add more ticketing counters and concessions and convenience shopping inside the growing airport.

Jon Rembold, the county airports director, said the county is “very close” to closing on several of the properties. He said he expects the purchases to be final within the next few weeks.

Business owners are now scrambling to find adequate space to house their companies. PAN Inc., based in Columbia, was hired by the county to help with relocation services, but several owners say they’ve been left to fend for themselves.

“I understand [the expansion] is going to happen,” said Tom Donald, owner of Carolina Contractors Inc. “It’s good for the community and doesn’t bother me. I don’t understand why they can’t be more transparent. It won’t hurt them and it will only hurt us.”

Donald said he was told he’d have until Christmas Day to find a new spot for his business, but the relocation company hasn’t been communicating.

“They don’t return calls, messages and emails,” he said. “They’re not speaking frankly or clearly.”

Sam Johnson, who owns Beachside Tire and Auto, said he had two shops — one on Hilton Head and another in Bluffton. Because of the impending acquisition, he said he was forced to close his Hilton Head location along Hunter Road in October. The business had been open on the island for 18 years.

Now operating solely in Bluffton, Johnson said he’s only retained about 10 percent of his customers from the island.

He said PAN Inc. told him he could be reimbursed up to $25,000 for marketing and building expenses, but those payments have been slow, and communication has been lacking.

“I’d give the entire process an F-minus,” he said. “There needs to be more accountability. It’s bush league.”

Rembold, the airports director, said the county met with tenants and representatives from PAN Inc. about the purchase about a month ago.

“It’s a tough scenario, and it’s certainly not an easy one to follow,” he said. PAN Inc. “has been pretty available.”

He said even though the project has moved forward and the county will soon own the properties, tenants will be able to stay in the businesses until late December.

‘Horrible situation’

Monday night, Beaufort County Council unanimously voted to allow administrator Jacobs to “negotiate and execute” the deeds for five properties along Hunter Road for the airport expansion project.

The properties are listed as 26, 28, 30, 32 and 36 Hunter Road.

Mitch Dyess, property owner and owner of Farmer’s Air at 32 Hunter Road, said he still hasn’t sold his property to the county because he’s looking for a place to relocate and doesn’t want to have to pay rent to the county.

“I’ve been up at night frantically searching for a property,” Dyess said. “It’s really a horrible situation. [Beaufort County] doesn’t care how I’m feeling. They say their hands are tied. If I don’t take their offer peacefully, then they’re going to force me to take it. I’m trying to stay positive and focus on ‘where are we going to go?’ No one from the county has expressed any kind of empathy.”

He said the county’s low offer for his property will force him to spend at least $200,000 out of pocket for a new place.

“I wish the airport and the county could be more compassionate about making us whole again,” he said. “It’s really not fair we have to take money out of our pocket and go through all this turmoil. They could’ve done everything better.”

Beaufort County is expecting the Federal Aviation Administration to pay 90% of the cost to buy the land, according to a resolution signed by County Council member Stu Rodman, the former chairman. The county expects funding from the South Carolina Aeronautics to pay 5%. The remaining 5% will come out of the airport’s operating revenue.

During the meeting on Monday, council also agreed to hire additional security for the airport. Securitas Security Services, based in Sweden, will provide security inside the terminal, help with curbside traffic and escort employees to their cars at night.

The county is paying the company $127,764. The contract begins April 1 and ends on June 30, 2021.

In May, the airport announced it received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the terminal expansion project, which will re-work the ticketing and check-in counters to account for new services by Delta Air Lines and United Airlines on top of flights by existing carrier American Airlines.

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