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Developers table Bluffton project

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Moments before Town Council was to cast its final vote, developers tabled their application to annex 10 acres into Bluffton on Tuesday night.

The property, at 100 Stroup Lane, was the second 10-acre section in what is planned as a 20-acre, mixed-use development of about 84 residential and commercial units called Tabby Roads East.

Bluffton planning staff recommended annexing the 10 acres with a temporary zoning allowing single- and multi-family homes and civic uses. The annexation is in line with the town's comprehensive plan.

By becoming a part of Bluffton, the Breckenridge developers group would be able to build more units per acre.

The developers had come under fire from neighboring Fern Lakes residents who said during a June council meeting they didn't want the development close to their property line. During that meeting, council gave initial approval for the annexation, with the final vote pending a meeting between the developers and residents.

The developers, Jerry Reeves IV and Don Guscio, met with residents in mid-June. Residents said then they wanted a larger space separating their homes from the development. They also said they wanted the developer limited to single-family homes with a maximum height of one and a half stories.

Town council seemed happy to meet those demands Tuesday.Several members proposed annexation with both of those conditions plus one calling for a 100-foot space separating Fern Lakes from commercial development.

Those measures would be temporary pending town approval of a final development plan.

But Reeves, who threatened to withdraw the application altogether, seemed dissatisfied.

"I'm entitled to do 2.5 stories ... I'll leave it in the county and do it in the county," he said.

In response, council member Charlie Wetmore said, "We're trying to protect the neighbors' best interests."

"What about my best interests?," Reeves shot back.

After the meeting, Guscio said he was unsure what the next step for the development would be.

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