crops historical to Kiawah were planned. Sea Island cotton,
tobacco, indigo, sugar cane, and rice could all be displayed
and explained via these demonstration gardens. An open
pasture would provide space for the Kiawah Stables, and
trails could exist to permit horseback riding by residents and
visitors. A corporate “think tank” facility was highlighted,
as well as facilities common to a more traditional residential
community, such as a church, a library, and a community
service facility.
A golf course for Kiawah residents was planned for
Vanderhorst Woods Center, including tennis facilities, a pool,
and other unspecified recreational activities.
The final village, the East Beach Center, was positioned
mainly parallel to the Vanderhorst Woods Center
embracing the ocean side of the island stretching east. It
would be built around a private, members-only Beach Club.
Pictured as smaller than the Beach Club planned for Beach
Village, this facility could have included some lodging
capability to accommodate non-resident members. The
East Beach Center was the least defined of the six villages,
mentioning only the private Beach Club and a vague
reference to limited shopping. Larger lots, envisioned in the
one -to three-acre range, would be available on the eastern
portion of the island, including the option for private
WINTER/SPRING 2019 • VOLUME 41
stables capable of housing up to five horses each.
The PDD gave a specific voice to the need and desirability
of island-wide bike and walking paths. It also discussed
the infrastructure requirements necessary for sustainable
development, including water supply and wastewater
disposal, utilities, bridge design, and storm drainage. A
large portion of the PDD is dedicated to the “Existing Site
Characteristics,” including hydrography, vegetation, soil
composition, climate considerations, and wildlife. It is
evident that the developers considered the technical aspects
of developing a barrier island as much as they did the
commercial sizzle.
The dreamers took 121 pages to lay out their vision; a
vision which has been largely achieved. The details changed a
bit, some of what was offered did not come to pass, but much
of what was held out as the promise of Kiawah has become
a reality. The island was developed with an environmentally
sensitive viewpoint; and Kiawah has, as predicted, become
a major east coast resort destination which has added to the
tourism industry of South Carolina. It has become home
to over 1700 full-time residents, a second home locale to
thousands more, and a vacation destination sought by
hundreds of thousands of visitors
each year. Not bad for a dream. NK
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