Dear Members of the Town of Bluffton Town Council and Planning Commission, 

We are writing you as the Directors of the Palmetto Bluff Neighborhood Association (PBNA).  The PBNA is a South Carolina Non-Profit Corporation made up of property owners of Palmetto Bluff. The PBNA is an independent voice for the Palmetto Bluff resident members. 

The purpose of our communication is four-fold in addressing the outstanding requests by South Street Partners to make amendments to the area of Anson on Palmetto Bluff. 

 First, we want to thank all of you for the thoughtful approach you have taken to this point in determining what is best for Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, and the larger community.  Some of our members have spoken at your various meetings where you generously requested public comment.  Moreover, many of our members have followed the deliberations with keen interest and admiration for your work.

 Second, we wish to correct the record on a specific claim made by South Street Partners during the November 9th Town Council meeting on this subject.  During the questioning of South Street Partner, Mr. Will Culp, Councilman  Fred Hamilton asked Mr. Culp if South Street Partners had discussed their specific requested changes at a town hall meeting with residents of Palmetto Bluff.   At first Mr. Culp opined that he could not recall if the specific requests had been discussed with the residents. Shortly after that, with some prompting, Mr. Culp reversed himself by saying that, ‘these changes had been explicitly discussed with PB residents during town hall meetings’.   We wish to respectfully communicate to you that at no time did South Street Partners discuss these requested changes at any town hall with the residents of Palmetto Bluff.  Moreover, the first time that residents heard of these specific requests was when South Street Partners petitioned you our elected officials for these amendments.  We applaud Councilman Hamilton’s intent to have Palmetto Bluff residents involved in these drastic changes to the 2005 2nd Amendment to the PB Development Agreement and stand ready to provide South Street Partners feedback if they truly wish to work in an open and collaborative manner.  It is worth mentioning that taken together, the residents of Palmetto Bluff are the largest investor in the community.  

 Third, we believe that there is an immediate need for South Street Partners to provide high level engineering and concept plans for the Anson Marina before better informed comments and decisions can be articulated. Frankly, we have closely followed the public discourse and cannot adequately describe what the resulting marina will look like, or more importantly, what effects their proposals will have on our fragile environment in and around Palmetto Bluff.  

 Lastly, we wish to offer ourselves as resources on any and all issues related to the Town of Bluffton and Palmetto Bluff. We and our members stand ready to partner in an environment of trust and transparency with you on the myriad issues that you adjudicate. 

 Kind Regards,

 Bob Morette, Harry Haslam, Graz Graziano, Eric Sutherland, Richard Cedrone, Ford Bartholow