As neighbors fear traffic safety on S.C. 170, a large strip mall is coming. What we know
Along busy Okatie Highway just north of the U.S. 278 overpass, construction crews are digging up land to build a strip mall with shops, restaurants and offices.
Marketed as The Terrace at Okatie Crossings, the 30,000-square-foot mall will be on the west side of S.C. 170, next door to the Okatie Crossing development — the home of Dunkin Donuts, Burger King and Zaxby’s.
Construction of the strip mall comes as many nearby residents worry about traffic and safety along the busy highway and as government officials look for short-term improvements, including possibly a left-hand turn signal at Tidewatch Drive. Residents say that continued development along the corridor will only increase the amount of traffic accidents they’ve witnessed in recent years.
The proposed strip mall will be built along a short stretch of S.C. 170 known for crashes.
Over 40,000 cars zoom along S.C. 170 each day — a number projected to jump to 55,000 by 2040, according to a 2019 study by the Lowcountry Council of Governments. In three years (from 2015-2018) 439 crashes have happened along the 4.4-mile stretch of highway between Okatie Center Boulevard South and S.C. 462, according to the study.
Almost half of those crashes were in the 0.7-mile stretch between the U.S. 278 overpass and Palmer Grace Drive — the road next door to where the strip mall is planned.
A group of neighbors who live just down the road in the Riverbend community say pulling in and out of their neighborhood is dangerous. Turn signals and better traffic lights need to be installed along this stretch, they argue, before development continues.
“Development should be halted until something is done about 170,” said Riverbend resident Diana DaBaldo. She said the new strip mall will compound the amount of traffic on this stretch between Bluffton and Beaufort.
Beaufort County Council member and Public Facilities Committee Chair Stu Rodman acknowledged Friday that traffic along S.C. 170 needed to be addressed as developers continue to build. Rodman and Assistant County Administrator Jared Fralix said the county plans design work to improve intersections along the dangerous 4.4-mile stretch of S.C. 170.
Other than U.S. 278, S.C. 170 is “probably the worst area in the county, road-wise,” Rodman said. “It is a problem, and it’s going to become more of a problem.”
Beaufort County Council is expected to discuss improvements to S.C. 170 during its full council meeting on Monday.
Strip mall plans
Matthew Bradford, listed as the real estate agent for the strip mall, did not return two calls for comment over two days.
Called Friday, Hardeeville Planning Manager Katie Woodruff said the site design of the strip mall is fully approved and the property is under construction. The developers must get building permits from the City of Hardeeville before vertical construction of the buildings can start, she said.
Woodruff said she did not know which tenants or businesses will be housed in the development. Online real estate listings show the properties are available for rent.
A real estate listing from Charter One Realty shows the property will include three 10,000-square-foot buildings with spaces for shops, offices and restaurants. The development will also include a parking lot.
The listing, which includes renderings of the proposed strip mall, acknowledges the property’s close proximity to nearby developments.
“The site is directly adjacent to Sun City and the intersection of Hwy 278 & 170, also close to site of new Beaufort Memorial hospital building, as well as 2 new assisted living facilities, Okatie Pines and Canterfield,” the project’s summary states.
Buildings inside the proposed strip mall are available to rent for $28 per square feet, according to the listing.
