Overview

A collaborative spirit was in evidence from the day developing Kiawah Island first came under discussion in the early 1970s. A team of scientists and planners worked together for 16 months to analyze and document the physical characteristics of the Island, with a goal of guiding the Master Plan development. In the three decades since, communication and careful planning techniques have grown even stronger. The current developer team that took on stewardship of the island in 1988 still live here, so decisions they make impact their own lives and homes. Indeed Kiawah was green long before "ecotourism" and "green"destinations became part of the daily lexicon.

Over the last 20 years in particular, Kiawah Development Partners has worked with the Kiawah Island Natural Habitat Conservancy, the Town of Kiawah, and the Kiawah Island Community Association to ensure that privacy is paramount, overcrowding avoided, lifestyles are varied and that nature serves as a defining element of life here. All three organizations share knowledge and responsibilities to keep man’s life on this uncommon sea island in balance with the flora and fauna so abundantly among us.

Maybe more remarkable is the way in which the flexibility of the plan has enabled the Island to withstand shifts in the economy, market preferences, and the whims of weather. Our resilient plan continues to allow for effective adjustments without wholesale change to the original vision for what life here would always be like.