3 of the 5 fastest-growing neighborhoods in Bluffton are in this grocery store-free area
One-fourth of the total permits approved by the Town of Bluffton for new single-family homes since 2010 have been issued in the past year and a half, showing that the housing and development market is strong right now, according to Bluffton Town Manager Marc Orlando.
“Builders are interested (in Bluffton),” he said. “New homes are almost at an all-time high.”
From 2010 through June 15, 2018, 4,895 permits have been issued for new single-family homes in Bluffton — 1,287 of those since 2017.
Much of that growth has centered around the New Riverside area of Bluffton, which sits on the north side of the May River across from Palmetto Bluff. Orlando said land availability and lack of build-out are the primary reasons new homes are popping up in that area, but its proximity to several key locations is also a significant factor.
“When you add to development the ambiance of New Riverside, its gateway to Palmetto Bluff, the (May River) high school and the Publix going in near the roundabout at S.C. 170 and S.C. 46, you’ve got a lot of reasons for people to want to move there.
“People know the commercial’s coming, and then they want to come, too,” he added.
Three of the top five neighborhoods seeing the largest increases in home construction are around or close to the S.C. 170 and S.C. 46 traffic circle.
Heather Colin, Bluffton’s director of growth management, said Thursday there’s a trend taking developers and homebuyers out to that vicinity.
“That’s a pocket where the infrastructure’s there, the land’s there, it’s all together,” she said. “Development is happening at the edge of our municipal limits, and homes are heading out that way.”
In order to determine the areas with the biggest gains, The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette looked at the number of permits issued for new single-family homes since 2016 in each town-recognized neighborhood. The data was released by the town of Bluffton’s Growth and Development Department in a June 15 report.
Here are the five neighborhoods in Bluffton’s town limits that have seen the greatest gains in the number of homes built or approved for construction since 2016:
5. Heritage at New Riverside
- Location: Off S.C. 46, just west of the traffic circle that intersects with S.C. 170
- Median home price: $270,000
- Permits issued since 2016: 132
- Total permits issued since 2010: 288
4. Southern Oaks at New Riverside
- Location: Off New Riverside Road, in between the S.C. 170/S.C. 46 intersection and May River High School
- Median home price: $249,000
- Permits issued since 2016: 172
- Total permits issued since 2010: 251
3. Palmetto Bluff
- Where is it?: Across the May River from Old Town Bluffton and Myrtle Island
- Median home price: $1,400,000
- Permits issued since 2016: 232
- Total permits issued since 2010: 788
2. Mill Creek at Cypress Ridge
- Where is it?: Off S.C. 170 between the Bluffton Parkway and S.C. 46
- Median home price: $307,500
- Permits issued since 2016: 270
- Total permits issued since 2010: 443
1. Hampton Lake
- Where is it?: Nestled between the Bluffton Parkway and S.C. 170
- Median home price: $514,000
- Permits issued since 2016: 373
- Total permits issued since 2010: 751
*All permit data for 2018 is as of June 15. Median home price data is according to each respective development; Southern Oaks at New Riverside’s median home price is from Zillow.com
This story was originally published August 13, 2018 at 4:28 PM.