It’s five o’clock in Hardeeville — Margaritaville coming soon

Break out the flip-flops, blenders, and Jimmy Buffet records — Margaritaville is coming to Hardeeville.

A new development geared toward retired Parrotheads is set to be built on a roughly 2,700-acre site on U.S. 278.

“This is something that we have been working on and looking forward to for months,” Hardeeville Mayor Harry Williams said Thursday. “It’s so exciting and a great compliment for the city and for the region that (the developer) chose us.”

The project — called Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head — is a partnership between the Jimmy Buffett-inspired Margaritaville brand and Florida-based developer Minto Communities.

The community will be built on the site of the southern portion of Hilton Head Lakes, which the developer has purchased, Minto senior vice president William Bullock said Thursday.

The Hardeeville location will be the second Margaritaville community. The first, in Daytona Beach, Fla., broke ground in March, according to a news release from the developers.

“We look forward to creating another port of paradise for those looking to live a life of fun and relaxation on the shores of South Carolina,” John Cohlan, chief executive officer of Margaritaville, said in a statement.

Bullock said the developer did months of consumer research, and potential residents surveyed overwhelmingly selected Florida and South Carolina “as their top two choices” for a Margaritaville community.

“We are very confident in our location choice,” he said, citing the proximity to airports, highways, shops, and the beach.

“The great weather doesn’t hurt either,” Bullock said.

Plans for the 55 years-and-older Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head call for the construction of about 3,000 homes, a 290,000-square-foot retail center, and amenities such as a pool, fitness center, and tennis courts.

The residential community will be gated, but a 72-acre dining and retail area facing U.S. 278 will be open to the public, Bullock said.

A variety of floor plans will be offered and home prices will start at around $200,000.

Construction is will start this summer and a sales center is expected to open early next year.

“We expect the first residents (to be moved in) by the end 2018,” Bullock said.

“We have been saying for years that Hardeeville and the whole area is ready for a boom,” Williams said. “We are going to have new jobs, new residents and new opportunities for commerce.”

Hardeeville is also home to a portion of the Sun City Hilton Head retirement community.

Williams, a Sun City resident, said the new Margaritaville development will compliment the existing communities.

“They will offer very different types of amenities, and different choices will draw new people to the city,” he said.

New residents and homes will also bring new sources of tax revenues, which will benefit all city residents, Williams said.

“I’m a big Jimmy Buffett fan — especially now,” he joked.

This story was originally published May 25, 2017 at 11:53 AM with the headline "It’s five o’clock in Hardeeville — Margaritaville coming soon."