Beaufort County Council voted 10-1 Monday to purchase and permanently protect 82 acres of the Garvey Hall tract in Bluffton's New Riverside area for $1.14 million.
The money will come from the Rural and Critical Lands preservation fund.
County Council voted unanimously in December to buy the same property for $785,000 after submitting a bid to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which owned the land. The sale never went through after the FDIC opened bidding to "all interested parties" and ultimately chose another bidder, the county said.
The county began negotiations with winning bidder Woodall Holdings last month. The company recently agreed to sell the land outright for $1.14 million.
County officials say the property, which is located on the Jasper County line, represents a buffer to development in the New Riverside area near the S.C. 46-S.C. 170 intersection.
Check back with The Beaufort Gazette and The Island Packet for more details, and follow reporter Casey Conley at twitter.com/IPBG_Casey.
Related content:
Sen. Graham bill would keep guns from mentally ill
