Go-kart tracks are now allowed in Bluffton’s Belfair area. One is on the way
Indoor go-kart tracks are now allowed in Bluffton’s Belfair Towne Village, paving the way for a new facility planned in the old Stein Mart building.
This week, Bluffton Town Council approved a request from NLM Services LLC to add “Indoor Go-Kart Facilities” to the Belfair Planned Unit Development’s list of allowed uses. Go-kart facilities previously were prohibited within the 31.5-acre Belfair Towne Village, according to the planned unit development’s zoning rules approved in 1995.
The amendment allows indoor go-kart facilities within Belfair but prohibits outdoor facilities.
With this week’s approval, NLM Services, owned by Bluffton resident Nicola McBride, will be the franchise owner of K-1 Speed Bluffton, an upscale entertainment center in the old Stein Mart building with an indoor go-kart track, food services and corporate and private parties, according to planning documents.
Founded in 2003, K-1 Speed is an electric indoor go-kart company with over 30 locations nationwide, according to its website. The closest locations to Bluffton are in Atlanta and Charlotte.
Called Thursday, McBride’s husband Paul, who is working as a consultant and spokesperson for his wife’s company, said he was “ecstatic.”
The venue, he previously said, will fill a void of entertainment for young adults in Bluffton — a void that town leaders acknowledged at this year’s strategic planning workshop was an issue.
Paul McBride previously told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette that NLM Services plans to invest $2.8 million in the facility. That investment includes building two elevated indoor go-kart tracks.
The lease for the building and the franchise agreement are complete, he said. Now, the company will work to redesign the building at 71 Towne Drive to house the entertainment venue.
Paul McBride said he hopes to open the facility in late September or early October. The company will then hold a VIP grand-opening.
This story was originally published May 14, 2021 at 12:00 AM.
