New Buckwalter Place Kroger plans moving forward
A proposal to transform the identity of the Buckwalter Place development in Bluffton received backing from a town committee Tuesday and will likely clear one of its final hurdles next week.
The Development Review Committee recommended approval of the master plan, noting only a few minor concerns during a brief discussion. Those matters are to be addressed when preliminary development plans are submitted.
The proposal, which includes plans for a 115,000-square-foot Kroger Marketplace, shops, restaurants and apartments, will likely be added to the upcoming Planning Commission agenda June 24. The commission must vote on the master plan. Town Council then has the final say.
The proposal continues a process that began last month, when Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial president Mark Senn presented the updated plan for the center to the Bluffton Public Development Corporation Board. The plans move away from the town's vision of having a large office and technology park at Buckwalter Place, but still include about 65,000 to 80,000 square feet of new office space on town-owned property.
The proposal could also add a second traffic light on Buckwalter Parkway, north of the current entrance, according to submitted documents.
Blanchard & Calhoun hopes to start construction by next year, according to a narrative submitted with the plan. The center is expected to be fully built out by 2025, the application said.
Follow reporter Matt McNab at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.
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This story was originally published June 16, 2015 at 10:05 AM with the headline "New Buckwalter Place Kroger plans moving forward."