County to build new office to lure businesses to Bluffton
If you build it, they will come -- or so Beaufort County hopes.
Officials expect a few grassy acres behind its government center in Bluffton to become a field of dreams for at least one business after the county builds a 40,000-square-foot, $4 million office building in the Myrtle Park area.
The project is funded by a $4 million, low-interest loan from state-owned utility Santee Cooper, which the county will pay back by leasing the building, county administrator Gary Kubic said.
The county and Lowcountry Economic Alliance are marketing the property to prospective professional operations, such as a company call center or an information-technology office, alliance director Kim Statler said.
Several such companies have expressed interest in relocating to Bluffton should new office space become available, Statler said. However, she declined to discuss specifics or whether a business has committed to moving into the space.
The loan will cover the construction of a two-story building, a retention pond and a 168-space parking lot, county attorney Josh Gruber said. Once the county receives the final loan paperwork, it will decide whether the alliance or county will bid the project to contractors, he said.
The alliance hopes to have the office finished by June, according to Statler.
The county bought the 7.7-acre lot behind the government center on Bluffton Parkway near S.C. 46 last year for $1.15 million.
That purchase was covered in part by two economic-development grants -- $400,000 from Palmetto Electric Cooperative and $325,000 from Hargray Communications. The remainder came from proceeds from the sale of two county properties on Lady's Island and in Bluffton.
The lot is equipped with more than $2 million worth of road, sewer, water and electrical infrastructure, Kubic said.
Each floor will remain open space until businesses move in, so they can plug offices into the space as they see fit, Statler said.
"We're trying to create an opportunity for economic development with little upfront investment from the county taxpayers," Kubic said. "We plan on using this method as often as we can."
Follow reporter Zach Murdock at twitter.com/IPBG_Zach.
Related content:
- County buys Bluffton land to entice business, Nov. 28, 2013
- Beaufort County considers earmarking business fees for economic development, July 29, 2014
- Beaufort County told to set sights on international business, Jan. 14, 2014
- Lowcountry Economic Alliance still Beaufort County's recruiter despite setbacks, Nov. 29, 2013
This story was originally published August 26, 2014 at 8:25 PM with the headline "County to build new office to lure businesses to Bluffton."