3 affordable housing neighborhoods could be coming to Bluffton. Here’s what we know
More affordable housing in Bluffton seems to be on the horizon.
Bluffton Town Manager Marc Orlando recently outlined town properties that are earmarked for future affordable housing developments at a Southern Lowcountry Board meeting.
After completing the Wharf Street affordable housing project five years ago — which saw the town construct six homes on 0.52 acres of land — Bluffton presented three parcels of land it plans to use for affordable and workforce housing projects in the coming years.
For many residents, the timing is none too soon. In June, Beaufort County presented the results of its housing survey, which outlined how difficult some residents have found living in the heart of the Lowcountry to be.
Renting a place to live in other parts of the county isn’t necessarily cheaper, either. The Island Packet earlier this year analyzed Beaufort County rental rates in comparison to major cities across the United States and found that the county’s rental prices rivaled those of major cities, such as Houston and Atlanta.
Here are the three areas of Bluffton where the town has set aside land for affordable housing development:
1. 1095 May River Road
Orlando spoke most in-depth about Bluffton’s most recent land acquisition at 1095 May River Road. Purchased for $263,000 in July, the land is a 1.78-acre, backward-L-shaped plot and is zoned to allow for the development of seven units.
However, a Bluffton ordinance allows for twice the housing units if a development dedicates all of its projected homes to affordable housing, which homes built on 1095 May River Road will be. So the project could allow for up to 14 dwelling units, all of which would be allotted for affordable and workforce housing.
At its monthly Affordable Housing Committee meeting Tuesday, Chairman Fred Hamilton and the rest of the committee indicated favor toward a tentative project with a combination of townhouses, duplexes and single-family homes at the site. Hamilton also voiced his desire to see the committee fully involved in oversight of the project on that site, whether the proposed plan or another plan.
The next step for Bluffton is to find a developer willing to construct the housing units, as well as a way for Bluffton to mitigate fees for interested residents. Although nothing is finalized, these homes would likely be for sale, as opposed to being rental units, the committee indicated.
2. 184 Bluffton Road
Commonly referred to as the “CrossFit site” by Orlando and town staff, 184 Bluffton Road sits at the corner of Bluffton Road and Dr. Mellichamp Drive. Currently, the 0.71-acre site has several exercise units set up for strength training, including bars for people doing pull-ups and push-ups.
Also on the site are vacant storage units. While nothing is confirmed for the site, a preliminary sketch Orlando presented shows a series of two-story townhomes along with a small park. It would also include a few dozen parking spaces, which the town expressed a particular need for, given the site’s proximity to Old Town.
3. Willow Run Tract
The Willow Run Tract is larger than the portion Bluffton owns, but the 19.75 acres the town possesses comprise by far the largest site earmarked for affordable housing.
Part of the larger Buckwalter Tract, the land the town owns is off U.S. 278, just east of its intersection with Buckwalter Parkway. Orlando’s presentation noted that Bluffton has owned the land since December 2010, but any development on the property remains more of a conceptual idea at this point.
The tract allows for the possibility of 115 residential dwelling units in the future. As is also the case for both 1095 May River Road and 184 Bluffton Road, though, the Willow Run Tract project has no firm timetable for development, construction or completion.
This story was originally published September 7, 2018 at 2:16 PM.