Since May 2007 PRESORT STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID CHARLESTON, SC PERMIT NO. 137 POSTAL PATRON
Volume 21 • Issue 10
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October 31, 2025
Kiawah Island to acquire a portion of Betsy Kerrison Parkway
A rendering of the proposed civic and cultural center entry. Courtesy of Caplea Coe Architects/H3
BY THERESA STRATFORD For The Island Connection
Architects confirmed for Town Hall civic and culture center expansion BY THERESA STRATFORD For The Island Connection
T
he Town of Kiawah Island has come one step closer to adding a civic and cultural center to the existing Town Hall building. The selection committee has chosen Caplea Coe Architects/H3 as the architect for the expansion, as announced at the October 14 Kiawah Island Town Council meeting. This project will create a dedicated space featuring an acoustically engineered 250 to 300-seat auditorium/recital hall, flexible community meeting rooms, and supporting facilities to serve the cultural and civic needs of the community. The RFQ process began in May, and the town received qualifications from 11 architectural firms interested in the project. Through a thorough review process that included evaluation of firm experience, staff qualifications, past project examples, and interviews, the committee narrowed the field to six firms and subsequently selected three finalists to participate in the Conceptual Design Competition.
The three finalists were each awarded a $20,000 stipend to prepare comprehensive conceptual designs over six weeks. Each finalist submitted detailed design packages including site and floor plans, building elevations, renderings, cost estimates, and design narratives. On September 17, residents had the opportunity to view all three conceptual designs and speak directly with representatives from each firm during a well-attended community drop-in event. Following evaluation of the three conceptual designs, the Civic and Cultural Center Addition Committee voted unanimously during a public meeting on October 6 to recommend Caplea Coe/H3 to the Town Council as the architect of record for the project. Mayor Bradley Belt and Town Council Member Russell Berner were on the committee. “It was a difficult challenge whittling it down to three for the design competition,” Belt said. “It was equally difficult to figure out (Continued on page 5)
T
he Town of Kiawah Island may soon add another piece of property to its portfolio. In the most recent Kiawah Island Town Council meeting on October 14, Mayor Bradley Belt spoke about the town’s potential conveyance of a small stretch of Betsy Kerrison Parkway, which starts at the top of the traffic roundabout, coming along the front of the Town Hall property and running up to the town’s boundary line at Resurrection Road. “The idea is to acquire that portion of Betsy Kerrison Parkway as the Town’s responsibility,” he said. He said that the town has had preliminary conversations with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and Charleston County about the portion of the road’s conveyance. “Both seem very open to this for probably obvious reasons,” he added. “The reason we want to push for this is because, first and foremost, it is literally our front porch leading into the Town of Kiawah Island. It runs adjacent to the town’s municipal center, and our current town boundaries go up to Resurrection Road.” (Continued on page 8)
28 t h Annual Symphony Tour of Homes September 25 - Preview Party at Hagan FIne Art Gallery, 135 Church Street
28th Annual CHARLESTON SYMPHONY October 31 - Friday at Freshfields TOUR OF HOMES November 1 - Tour of Homes November 1, 2025
with our title sponsor
October 30 - Island Celebration Soirée
Kiawah Island Aldous Bertram
Scan the QR code for more details and to purchase tickets
CHARLESTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA LEAGUE, INC. Playing our part
Exclusive access to the best of the arts and architecture at the longest running island home tour