Sun City announces plan to build 1,500 new homes in Hardeeville. What we know
PulteGroup, developers of the age-restricted Del Webb’s Sun City Hilton Head, plan a massive expansion that will add 1,500 homes north of Argent Boulevard in Hardeeville, the company announced last week.
The Atlanta-based construction company announced the expansion in a video with maps and renderings of the plans, including expansive amenities that will “be unrivaled in the southeast,” according to Matt Raines, PulteGroup’s vice president of operations.
The announcement, presented by Raines and Charlie Tipton, PulteGroup’s division president, displayed plans for multiple amenity buildings with an indoor track and fitness center, pickleball and tennis courts, an outdoor amphitheater and a golf cart bridge over Argent Boulevard that connects to the existing Sun City location.
Sun City’s expansion is expected to join the East Argent project, a massive commercial and residential development five miles east of I-95 that’s projected to more than triple the city of Hardeeville’s population by 2030. The total East Argent project will take about 15 to 20 years to complete, Hardeeville Mayor Harry Williams said Wednesday.
Touted by developers and city officials as the largest planned development in Hardeeville history, the 7,350-acre East Argent project— located west of Argent Boulevard and north of U.S. 278, near the northern side of Sun City — is expected to include 9,500 homes and apartments, as well as 1.5 million square feet of retail and office space.
Hardeeville announced the East Argent project in late 2017 and started construction the next year. Since its inception, the project has received mixed reviews from officials and nearby residents who worry about its potential effect on traffic and on the headwaters of both the Okatie and New rivers.
So far, only two developments, Hampton Pointe luxury private golf community and the Hearthstone Lakes neighborhood, are located in the development district. Five more projects, Williams said, have been approved by Hardeeville and are expected to begin construction later this year.
The construction timeline of Sun City’s planned expansion is still unclear, as formal plans haven’t been submitted to the city of Hardeeville, multiple officials said Wednesday.
“Until we get the site plans and look at all the variables, it’s really hard to make a comment on it because we’re all just speculating,” Williams said. “We have to wait until the site plans come out and our planning department starts dissecting it.”
Attempts to reach multiple representatives at PulteGroup were not successful Wednesday.
Sun City Expansion
Friday’s announcement video focused on the amenities planned for Sun City’s expansion, which will include a “resort-style” pool and two-story fitness club.
In the video, Raines said the expansion will include 1,500 housing units, but specific information such as the size and price of the homes was not included.
The plans feature a golf cart bridge over Argent Boulevard to connect to existing Sun City and additional turn lanes and a traffic light.
Once PulteGroup submits official plans to the city, Mayor Williams and City Manager Michael Czymbor said, the plans will have to be reviewed by staff and approved by the city’s planning commission and city council.
East Argent Project
The East Argent project is planned in an area of Hardeeville bracing for dramatic growth next to Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head, with 3,000 to 3,800 homes. If all the proposed homes are built in the area, Williams said he anticipates Hardeeville’s population will jump from about 6,515 to more than 20,000 by 2030.
Developers are in the process of building a loop road that connects the Hampton Pointe community to S.C. 170, Brana Snowden, Hardeeville’s planning director said Wednesday. That loop road will be built in five phases, she said.
Last year, developer Preserve Communities donated 1,505 acres in the East Argent development to the City of Hardeeville. The majority of that gift, 1,330 acres, will be preserved as passive and recreational park space, officials say. The remaining 175 acres will be set aside for construction of future schools, parks and fire and police facilities.
Five other development projects have been approved for the East Argent project, Snowden said. Williams outlined those projects in a recent op-ed in the Bluffton Today newspaper and in an interview with an Island Packet reporter.
They include:
▪ The Mansions, a senior living facility near S.C. 170 that will include cottages, apartments and a recreation center. Phase one has 130 units planned; 250 are planned in phase two.
▪ The Retreat by developer D.R. Horton which will include 630 single-family homes on 245 acres along the planned East Argent Parkway. Home prices will range from $250,000 to $350,000, Williams said.
▪ Pointe Grand, a Hillpointe LLC project, will build 312 apartments on 23 acres.
▪ The Hunt Club, developed by Forino Homes, will build 500 single-family homes and townhomes on 197 acres.
▪ Cobblestone, a Forino Homes project, will feature 174 townhomes next door to Hearthstone Lakes along Jasper Station Road.
Hardeeville City Council has also approved a 290-acre municipal improvement district that will allow Argent Land Holdings LLC to pay for infrastructure needs in preparation for future development, Williams said.
This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 2:24 PM.
