New KICA Strategic Plan Offers Kiawah Another Renewable Resource

Kiawah Island has long been a land with an insightful master plan, a stunningly beautiful strand of beach, and a vibrant, well-recognized brand. Now, thanks to the board and members of the Kiawah Island Community Association (KICA), our land also has a renewable strategic plan.

The new plan will accomplish three objectives: provide a framework for decision-making and continuity as KICA leadership changes; allow the community to focus on “big picture” concerns as the developer moves toward build-out; and accommodate growth and demographic changes. In short, it will help ensure that Kiawah stays as special as it is today.

“Putting together a strategic plan depended on excellent input from our membership, and a lot of hard work by a lot of dedicated people,” says Russ Crane, chair of the KICA Strategic Planning Committee. “It is designed to guide our decision-making through 2012 and beyond.” Unlike limited duration strategic planning of the past, the 2008 values-based plan was designed to be self-perpetuating. The plan was presented during the KICA’s Annual Meeting on March 16.

“We needed a framework for evaluating things ‘we’d like to do’ from things ‘we must do’ to preserve and enhance Kiawah’s special qualities,” Crane says. “The board needed to move beyond ‘what color will we paint the fence,’ to dealing with the harder issues of how 500 new homes will impact traffic, infrastructure, and demands on amenities.”

The reality is that Kiawah is changing. In recent years, the pace of construction reached 60 to 80 new homes each year, and KICA welcomed 100 new members annually. About 20 percent of the members are full-time residents who want increasing opportunities for education and social functions. Since access to Kiawah is dominated by the zoning control and transportation infrastructure of Johns Island, KICA leadership must also plan for effective ways to participate in decision-making beyond Kiawah’s borders.

“Putting together a strategic plan depended on excellent input from our membership, and a lot of hard work by a lot of dedicated people.”

In addition to providing a strong framework for the future, including a crucial land strategy, Crane believes the plan will help KICA become less of an “association,” and more of a cohesive community with the structure it needs to foster leadership continuity. From day one, members of the community were a major part of the plan. KICA leadership launched a six-month planning survey to get thoughts and ideas about what amenities, services, conservation, and other projects property owners wanted most. An independent research firm categorized every suggestion by need, feasibility, and affordability.

Not only utilizing input from the advisory panel and two committees, the new strategic plan that resulted also reflected work done by previous KICA boards and input by Mark Permar, chief consulting planner for Kiawah Development Partners. Ultimately, the plan was designed to encompass four major categories: governance, the natural environment, quality of life, and infrastructure, amenities, and services. Each of these categories has a statement of objectives and series of bullet points, designed to be a permanent framework and to generate specific projects for the next five years. For example, one of the areas of concentration under the “infrastructure” category is “influence of off-island traffic and transportation options.” Under “quality of life,” “member health and wellness” is a focus area. Property owners are receiving information in the mail summarizing highlights of the planning process and the plan.

How did the strategic planning committee ensure that the new plan would in fact be a sustainable, renewable resource? By creating a “rolling” planning process that ensures KICA always has a five-year plan. In January of each year, the board scrutinizes the prior year’s plan, affirms the adopted operations plan for the year ahead (year one), and begins examining year two of the plan. Projects, initiatives, schedules, and budgets for year two become the primary focus of the board, with years three, four, and five reviewed and planned to a lesser degree. This process repeats in subsequent years – address the prior year, manage year one, create year two, and examine years three, four, and five. Then, at its annual meeting each March, the board gives a report on the updated plans and the status of the prior year’s plan. At its May meeting, the board approves all updated plans, and the KICA staff uses them to begin the budgeting process in the summer.

“Today’s plan represents a snapshot in time and will continue to evolve,” Crane says. “The priorities we’ve identified for 2010 will likely change three or four times before 2010. What’s important is not that we set the future in stone, but that we now have the discipline to make strategic decisions that will guide the future of the community.”

KICA members can expect to be kept “in the loop,” because a detailed communications plan was integrated into the strategic plan. After the March 16 presentation, members were given two weeks to review the plan and submit written comments. Going forward, Crane says the plan includes several ways to continue to receive input from members. “We certainly expect to rely on more committees in the future,” he says. “For instance, if we determine that we need another community center, a task force of members will help determine what that should include – a lecture hall, dining space, more workout facilities, perhaps.” The bottom line is that structure and planning are the best ways to address wish lists that can include everything from dog parks to a heated pool.

To read the full planning document, as well as view the 2008 – 2012 plan projects, visit http://www.kica.us/strategic plan, or ask to see it at the KICA library in the administrative office.