New development in Bluffton frustrates the neighbors. What happened to all the trees?

Lauren Fabbri, a resident of The Landings at New Riverside, used to wake up in the morning and watch the birds fly out of a forested area in front of her house. “I thought I had the best view in the neighborhood,” she said.

Seven months after Fabbri moved in, the sound of birds was replaced with a high-pitched sawing, followed by a thud. The trees began to disappear to make room for The Villages at New Riverside, a collection of town homes, businesses and apartment complexes.

Despite a legal addendum to the planning documents detailing the possibility of additional construction, Landings residents say they felt blindsided by the way the construction has taken place, decimating thousands of trees that created a natural buffer and gave them privacy and safety.

In February 2020, the Bluffton Town Council approved the master plan to build the development on the southeast corner of New Riverside Road and S.C. 46. The development will have a business complex and housing, as well as places to shop and eat.

Residents of The Landings who were building their homes knew that a development was going up next to them, according to a neighborhood disclosure put in place September 2020.

The addendum states that the property is a mixed-use community being developed by various parties and could include but not be limited to residential, commercial, governmental and recreational uses. The addendum also highlighted that there is no guarantee that the view from the property will remain unchanged.

Fabbri and Kate Lee, another resident of The Landings, said they signed an agreement saying they understood this. However, they were unaware of what was happening until all the trees were being cut down.

Residents also say the apartments were not part of the original plans, although the addendum signed by the original homeowners outlined that the mixed-use development could include single-family homes, duplexes, condominiums and apartments.

Lee and Fabbri said the combination of the lack of trees as well as the three-story apartment buildings that tower over their homes will diminish their privacy and security.

Landings residents said they feel betrayed by the Town of Bluffton.

Kevin Icard, Bluffton’s director of growth management, said the development has been in the works for 20 years and that residents were aware a development would be built there.

“The developer on the other side is doing nothing wrong,” Icard said. “They’re following their approved master plan that was approved by the town council.”

Icard also said the 50-foot buffer in question is the responsibility of The Landings developer, Pulte homes. He said the buffer is not required, and although the 50 feet of space will be maintained, the developer does not have to keep the tree line that once existed.

“A required buffer means you have to have a certain amount of trees and shrubs in that buffer,” Icard said.

Lee, who said her day-to-day life has been diminished by the coming development, said her toddler would often wake up and marvel at the squirrels and deer outside, but now asks questions about the tractors and doesn’t want to play outside because of the loud noises.

Lee’s home in The Landings is her first, and she said what mainly attracted her were the trees surrounding the complex.

“Since they started construction, I cry everyday,” she said.

MaryLou and Roger Sodora decided to move to Bluffton while on a drive from Hilton Head Island to Savannah.

MaryLou is a nature lover, and she said she would watch deer approach bird feeders in their backyard every day. She hasn’t seen any since construction began.

Unlike Lee and Fabbri, the Sodoras did not sign the addendum because they were the only people in The Landings to buy the house as a resell, instead of constructing it themselves. They had no idea the construction would take place, she said.

After the trees disappeared, the couple said they don’t feel as safe. Now, it’s much easier to get into the neighborhood. More strangers have been walking around the neighborhood inspecting cars, they said.

When Fabbri complained to Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka about watching from the porch as trees dropped, the mayor said her development could plant fast-growing, inexpensive shrubs and trees to make up for what was cut down.

Many residents say they don’t oppose development, but “one on top of another” worries them. Fabbri said Bluffton seemed to treat residents as an afterthought as it considered the opportunity to generate money from this new development.

Lee said if she’d known it was going to be like this, she never would’ve bought her home.

“No one came out to talk to us. No one is offering any solutions to help us get through this,” she said. “We didn’t know how bad it was going to get.”