Hardeeville takes first step in annexing 282 acres from Jasper, Beaufort counties

Hardeeville's City Council on Thursday took the first official step toward annexing 282 acres in unincorporated Beaufort and Jasper counties.

The council also voted to enter into a development agreement for the land with The Sembler Company, an Atlanta-based group that said the move would bring up to 4,000 jobs and as much as $250 million in investments to the city. The development also might include retail and housing space.

Both votes were the first of two required readings.

Roughly 207 acres of the McGarvey's Corner property -- located at the northwest corner of U.S. 278 and S.C. 170 -- are in Jasper County. The remaining 75 acres are in Beaufort County.

The council approved the measures with little discussion, though Mayor Bronco Bostick asked a Sembler representative what the project would be called.

In the past, property owners labeled the site Okatie Crossings. Sembler's Kristi Rooks said the name could change.

"What about Okatie Crossings Hilton Head?" joked Bostick, referring to several nearby developments that have attached "Hilton Head" to their names as a way to increase their cachet.

Rooks said "Hilton Head" would not be tacked on to the commercial center's name. She declined to offer furtherdetails about the project in a briefinterview after the meeting.

An executive summary of the development agreement, which still is being negotiated, describes retail space and allows for up to 1,000 housing units.

Hardeeville planning director Brana Snowden said the developer was considering building apartments, but because of the commercial value of the land -- sandwiched between two heavily traveled highways -- it's possible Sembler will just develop commercial space.

Snowden added that the area being considered for apartments was not in the Beaufort County portion of the property, and therefore would not increase the number of students in Beaufort County public schools.

For many Beaufort County Council members, annexation is a somewhat dirty word after difficult experiences with Hardeeville and Bluffton, which have significantly expanded their boundaries in the southern part of the county.

Council chairman Weston Newton said the fear in the past has been that a municipality would annex an area, loosen zoning restrictions on the number of homes or type of activity allowed and enforce less strict environmental standards.

Snowden said the development agreement is consistent with zoning regulations already in place for the land.