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The Realtors Commercial Alliance (RCA) of Savannah and Hilton Head, Inc., recently held their membership meeting at the Hidden Cypress Golf and Recreation Center in Sun City, South Carolina. The guest speaker for the meeting was Rob Dewig, Community Development Director for Hardeeville, SC. Dewig is the zoning and planning authority for all of Jasper County, SC.

Dewig informed the RCA members that the Hardeeville City Council passed an ordinance annexing the 7,400-acre East Argent tract and permitting the construction of more than 12,000 homes and several acres of commercial property. This action follows the city�s June annexation of the 5,000-acre Argent West tract, which permitted construction of 9,500 homes.

Dewig stated that Hardeeville had once been a sleepy little South Carolina town with a population of 2,200, best known for its fireworks stands. He emphasized that the large numbers of these new ordinances are real and that these are permitted developments with reputable developers in a location that cannot lose.

According to Dewig, the Jasper County and the Hardeeville City Council are the first county and city in South Carolina to enter into a joint planning commission within a five-mile radius of the city limits, giving the city zoning control over all aspects, thereby ensuring a unified zoning approach. This cooperation protects developers, ensures quality, and makes sure that interconnected developments will not be a burden on current residents or the existing traffic system.

Core Communities of Port Lucie, Florida, will be developing Argent West. The Census Bureau recognizes Port Lucie, Florida, as the fasting growing community, and according to Dewig, this is attributed solely to the Core Communities development. Average price for Core Communities� homes will be $180,000.

John Reed will be developing the East Argent tract. Reed is readily recognized as the developer of Bluffton�s multi-million dollar Berkely Hall and Belfair communities.

Dewig announced the city�s future plans for the annexation and development of four other tracts, east and south of Hardeeville: the Hardeeville, Morgan, Anderson, and Karrh tracts. Negotiations with the owners of the 7,000-acre Hardeeville and 2,500-acre Morgan tracts are underway, and all four are expected to be annexed by year�s end.

Dewig predicts major changes in Hardeeville�s growth by the year 2006 with more than 50,000 new homes permitted for construction, along with hundreds of acres of both commercial and industrial property. A rough estimate for future population is approximately 130,000 people.

Dewig�s synopsis included the possibility of two or three interstate exits and a discussion of the impact fees developers will have to pay to ensure that residents are not burdened by the new growth ($6,200 per house, payable at building-permit time to the city). He also discussed mandated dedications of land for parks (75 acres in both East and West Argent), schools (150 acres in both tracts), and police and fire departments (three acres per tract) in each tract.

In the future, Dewig projects a city to rival Savannah. At the onset of the retirement of the baby-boomer generation, Hardeeville is perfectly positioned to take advantage of their increasing desire to retire in the South, with mild seasons and beach access. More important, Hardeeville has planned for this growth and expansion, and Dewig predicts that Hardeeville will prosper in the South Carolina Lowcountry.

The Realtors Commercial Alliance of Savannah/Hilton Head has its own commercial information exchange network where commercial properties are listed on the Internet for sale or lease by its RCA members. Available properties can be accessed by the public at www.savhhca.com. For information on membership, contact Ryan Schneider, RCA Secretary, by telephone at (912) 353-7707 or by email at ryan@armstrongrealestate.com. Bill Bosley, President of the Savannah /Hilton Head RCA, can be reached by telephone at (912) 450-2271 or by email at wmbosley@svn.com.