16 for 2016: No. 1: Bringing the boom back
Retail development will soar in 2016. On deck are the Bluffton Gateway development, at the intersection of S.C. 46 and U.S. 278, with Walmart Supercenter and Sam's Club anchors; the Walmart Neighborhood Market development at the intersection of S.C. 170 and Bluffton Parkway and a Buckwalter Place development with a Kroger Marketplace anchor. A massive retail development near Sun City Hilton Head is also expected to begin by late next year, with Costco as an anchor.
Hilton Head, too, will see plenty of much-needed refreshening, particularly in the aging Coligny and South Forest Beach areas. Renovations to the old Metropolitan Hotel annex, the new Hilton and Marriott hotels and the new Coligny park are reinvigorating the island's tourist center. And the makeover of Pineland Station continues.
But big plans bring big concerns worth watching: Can our roads and infrastructure keep up? Will Bluffton lose its small-town character? Is this kind of development the right kind to lure higher-paying jobs and diversify our economic base? Will constant construction deter tourists?
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This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 8:48 AM with the headline "16 for 2016: No. 1: Bringing the boom back."