Community planned for adults with disabilities finds a home in Bluffton
Osprey Village has found a home.
The local nonprofit group, which has wanted to build an inclusive community for adults with developmental disabilities since 2008, signed an agreement this week to buy a parcel of land in Bluffton.
The 38-acre plot is on Bluffton Parkway just south of Buckwalter Place.
"This is a big deal for us," Osprey Village president David Green said Friday. "(The contract) is something we've been working on for quite some time."
The plan for the initial phase of the project is to build six homes specially designed for adults with disabilities, as well a community center, pool and walking trails.
Green estimates the land, infrastructure and construction costs for this initial phase will total about $2.2 million.
Eventually, the plan is to add more homes and about 30 apartments to house support staff and relatives of the disabled residents as well as anyone interested in participating in the group's "intentional neighboring" community model.
Intentional neighboring is a concept that involves developing communities in which people with and without disabilities live alongside one another, Green said.
"It's essentially 'neighbor helping neighbor,'" he said.
Green envisions Osprey Village as a place retirees may choose to live if they want to devote their golden years to volunteering and "continu(ing) to make a difference in people's lives rather than just sit around and watch television."
This community model is an alternative to group homes, where many adults with disabilities live when their families are no longer able to provide adequate support.
These group homes are often "more tolerated than integrated" into their surrounding neighborhoods, Green said.
Groundbreaking at the Osprey Village site is expected by next summer.
Green said the land purchase contract gives the group until May to finalize financing for construction of the homes and infrastructure.
The Osprey Village board is currently working on development plans and finding financing for the project.
"We've already talked to some local banks about getting our construction loan," Green said. "...And we're talking to engineers and architects that we hope to be working with."
The board has secured a federal loan guarantee that members hope will help entice private lenders.
In the meantime, Green said the group will use revenue from fundraisers and its Heart to Home Thrift Store on S.C. 170 "to start paying for things like engineers."
Follow reporter Lucas High on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Lucas.
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This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Community planned for adults with disabilities finds a home in Bluffton."