New Bluffton pocket park opening early November on May River Road
Bluffton’s second pocket park will open to the public on election day.
The May River Pocket Park, located at 1220 May River Road in front of the Stock Farm neighborhood and across from Downtown Deli, will open to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
The one-third acre park has been in the making since 2017 when Eugene Marks, the developer of Stock Farm, donated the land as part of the town of Bluffton’s streetscape improvement project — which improved walkability by adding sidewalks and lighting on May River Road.
The park will feature a small plaza with seating, landscaping and two sidewalks connecting Stock Farm and the May River Road sidewalk system. It’s estimated to have cost around $141,000 and was funded with hospitality tax funds.
It is one of two pocket parks in the town historic district. The other, Pritchard Pocket Park, is at the end of the road on Pritchard Street, by the May River.
Pocket parks are small open spaces, typically in urban areas, that provide a “safe and inviting environment” for the community, according to the National Recreation and Park Association.
Last year, Marks told the Island Packet that he decided to donate the land after speaking with the town about the need for more open space and sidewalks along May River Road.
“It just seemed to be the right thing to do at a time when the town was focused on saving space and making more parks,” he said. “All good towns have a lot of parks.”
All of the town’s parks can be found here and the town’s other capital projects can be found here.
