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The lots, located at 48 and 50 Wharf Street, will be purchased using part of a $727,940 federal grant, which can be used to buy foreclosed property, build affordable housing and demolish blighted structures.
The project, a joint effort of the town and Habitat for Humanity, must be approved by June 4 and completed by May 15, 2011. Habitat has committed to raising an additional $350,000 for the project.
Council members also voted to donate a town-owned parcel -- located across the street at 51 Wharf Street -- to the project. That means there will now be six units of affordable housing rather than five.
The donated land was given to the town by Bell-South during the early 1990s as part of a Wharf Street sewer project, said Andre White, the town's community development project manager.
The remaining grant money will be used to build six cottages and to demolish blighted structures and remove debris from ten other sites in Bluffton, White said.
In other action, town council:
• Continued discussions of the possible annexation of about 43 acres on the south side of S.C. 46 near S.C. 170 in unincorporated Beaufort County. The proposed Tulifinny Preserve of the Lowcountry site could become a private treatment center and house 28 adolescent girls. Current zoning for the site, which lies in a county preservation area, allows only eight residents, according to county officials. Council members did not vote on the proposal, but instead indicated to town staff they were interested enough to begin the annexation process.
• Agreed to keep the town's focus for federal Community Development Block Grants on replacing failing septic tanks with water and sewer lines along Buck Island and Simmonsville roads. The community development grants are funded annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Local governments can offer a wide range of activities addressing housing and community development needs with the grants. Council members also want to focus on drainage systems, affordable housing and pedestrian safety.
• Approved on a final reading a building codes amendment that allows the town to fix or tear down buildings deemed unsafe. The amendment lets the town do the work and seek reimbursement from the owner.
• Approved on final reading a new ordinance to give the town tighter control over public events and allow police and the town to regulate when and how they occur in public places. The proposal also clearly defines what constitutes a parade, block party, movie filming, demonstration or street performance.
