Hilton Head Town Council Ward 2: Patsy Brison seeks solution to workforce housing shortage

Four years after falling to Tom Lennox in the 2018 Ward 5 election, Patsy Brison returns to the ballot — this time for Town Council Ward 2.

The Gastonia, North Carolina, native lost to Lennox by 376 votes in 2018, finishing second in a three-way race. Lennox is not seeking reelection.

Brison is a retired attorney who serves as chair of the Hilton Head Island Board of Zoning Appeals. She also helped co-found the community group, Coalition of Island Neighbors.

Brison earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and international studies from UNC-Greensboro and holds a law degree from Campbell University. In her legal career, she specialized in local government, land use regulation and zoning law.

The Island Packet sent questionnaires to candidates in contested races and limited their answers to 150 words.

Here are Brison’s responses:

Which campaign issue is most urgent to you? Why do you feel that issue should be the top priority?

Workforce availability through housing and transportation opportunities is the key issue being raised in candidate forums. The local residential and business communities see the economic, services and community benefits of addressing this issue. I agree because these communities are crying out for resolutions to address workforce needs. I agree because those who want to live and work in our community deserve the opportunity to do so.

What is your position on the recently approved U.S. 278 plan?

The community has grown tired of the 278 Project discussions and is concerned about the safety of the access to Hilton Head. In addition, the community recognizes the substantial impacts the 278 Project would have on the Stoney community and the environment. All the SCDOT proposals so far have failed to address the needs, concerns and interests of our community, our workforce, and our visitors. I support the due diligence of Sen. Tom Davis to find the best solutions to address this once-in-a-lifetime project.

I support replacing the bridge identified by SCDOT as needing replacement, addressing safety at intersections, increasing the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists, protecting Stoney, and including a through-put study, an adaptive traffic signal system, and land use planning. The 278 Project should respect the concerns of the community.

After years of division and intermittent leadership, the town and county agreed to an independent end-to-end analysis, installation of an adaptive signal system installation, and incorporation of most of the land-use planning recommendations, while reserving the town’s municipal consent. We are waiting for those results before making that very important decision.

What steps would you take to address the shortage of workforce housing? Is the solution a public or private sector issue? Should Hilton Head focus on encouraging housing off-island through the regional housing trust fund or build locally?

No one source can solve the workforce housing challenge. There must be many approaches, including Habitat for Humanity and other kinds of public-private partnerships. We must also explore many different funding opportunities, including grant, foundation, non-profit, federal, and state funding sources. While the town cannot act alone, the Town Council can and must provide leadership.

As a partner with developers, the town can seek land which is available and has been used for housing before it is converted to uses which close out workforce housing. The town could consider assisting with infrastructure improvements, reasonable permitting systems, and sensible land use regulations. The time for study is past; the time for action is now.

The Chamber of Commerce receives significant public funding each year, but is not subject to the same transparency laws as Town Council. What steps would you take, if any, to secure greater transparency from the chamber on where public funds are being used?

As a result of community concerns, the Town Council renegotiated the agreement with the chamber during the four years of the current council and included reporting, inspection rights, and auditing requirements. The agreement runs until 2025, so those terms control. The agreement requires an annual budget and an annual report on the “marketing plan,” which are submitted to the town’s ATAX Committee for review and recommendation and then to the Town Council for review and approval.

If agreed, it may be helpful to have more frequent than annual reports made to the Town Council by the chamber. Perhaps, the council’s Finance and Administrative Committee could request semi-annual or quarterly summary reports and then include them in the reports from the committee chair during the next Town Council meeting. Those reports would be a part of the public record.

Friction between development and maintaining Hilton Head’s character has been highlighted recently. How do you think the town should balance the two? At this time, is it more important to develop for the future or preserve the past?

I believe that the town can balance both while protecting the natural environment and the historic Gullah neighborhoods. There are existing workforce housing units which could be saved for that use by private investment, with public support. There could be revisions in the town’s land management ordinance (LMO) to enable the conversion of empty commercial spaces to allow mixed-use of retail, offices, and restaurants with residential spaces above, which is not now allowed.

This type of model is being recommended by MKSK, the town’s land-use consulting group, which is working on a plan for the Mid-Island area. There are now opportunities for native islanders to invest in their properties with family compounds and family subdivisions, thereby helping with family housing. As we look ahead, it is important to honor the past, know the present, and plan for the future.