Bluffton puts brakes on New Riverside project as ‘Hilton Head National effect’ takes hold

With controversy swirling around plans to transform the Hilton Head National Golf Club, Bluffton leaders say they are taking a harder look at proposed developments before giving their blessing.

The Bluffton Town Council recently delayed a decision on whether to grant preliminary approval to a project that would add as many as 300 new homes and a 50-acre retail area to the New Riverside neighborhood off S.C. 170.

That move, which gives the developer Pulte Homes and town staff an opportunity to address concerns about issues such as traffic and parking, comes at a time when town officials are speaking out against redevelopment plans for the golf course that sits just outside Bluffton limits.

“We’ve got to be very careful,” Mayor Lisa Sulka said of what kind of development the council allows in the future.

“Residents get angry and they come back to us” when developments are approved too hastily and without proper consideration of potential impacts, she said.

Beaufort County leaders have dealt with their fair share of angry residents recently as a proposal that would pave the way for the construction a massive mixed-use development at the 300-acre Hilton Head National site has been met with heavy opposition.

A Beaufort County Council subcommittee will soon begin negotiations with the course’s owner in an attempt to draft a development agreement addressing concerns about overcrowding, traffic, infrastructure cost and pollution of local waterways.

Traffic is one of the biggest concerns for Bluffton leaders about the New Riverside expansion project, which proposed just a single roadway to allow residents access to the neighborhood.

Sulka said she was “shocked” plans didn’t include other roads that would connect the new homes to adjacent neighborhoods.

Limited access to the neighborhood could create “gridlock” for residents and result in “a very upset fire department” if it is difficult to get in and out, she said.

Council members pointed to the 2015 approval of an expansion to the Shell Hall community that didn’t include guarantees for secondary access points or traffic connectivity as an example of a project that was not thoroughly vetted.

“It’s important to look back at areas where we erred and try to improve on it,” Councilman Fred Hamilton said.

“There are too many moving targets for me to feel comfortable” approving the initial proposal to expand New Riverside, he said.

Council has instructed town staff and representatives with Pulte to take a month to rework the plans to include more access and connectivity, additional areas for parking and a more concrete time line for development.

“Let’s do as much as we can upfront” to avoid problems later, Sulka said.

Mays Boyd, who presented plans for the project on behalf of the developer, told the council he “understands the concerns” and will attempt to address them with town planners before coming back before the board in March.

This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 2:50 PM with the headline "Bluffton puts brakes on New Riverside project as ‘Hilton Head National effect’ takes hold."