Looking for a place to live or park in Beaufort? Developer considers area near hospital

Beaufort professionals might soon have another place to live and park near the Spanish Moss Trail and Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

An apartment project with 234 units, some retail and a proposed parking garage is planned on Ribaut Road near Allison Road, said developer Sam Levin of 1026 Ribaut LLC. The developers are talking with the hospital — which owns the land at the south corner of Ribaut and Allison — about the possibility of building a parking garage to serve the hospital and nearby medical offices.

The hospital, trail and Technical College of the Lowcountry are part of what make the area attractive, developers said.

“It is an ideal location for healthcare, active military, education, and tourism professionals and their families,” the developers said in a statement. “In our opinion this area is becoming the vibrant ‘artery’ for Beaufort.”

The apartments would be considered high-end, with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Studios and one and two-bedroom units are planned, with open floor plans, island kitchens, outdoor grilling area and a fire pit.

The apartment plan would coincide with a major city road project to improve drainage at Allison Road and widen the street to create a pedestrian connection from Ribaut Road to the Spanish Moss Trail, accessible at Allison Road. Work on Allison Road is expected to begin this summer and continue until about February 2019.

A plan to connect the apartment project to the new drainage pipe on Allison Road will correct the site’s issues with regular flooding, Levin said.

Developers hope to begin the apartment project in the first quarter of 2018, with work lasting 12 to 14 months, Levin said.

Other apartment projects are also planned in the city.

At Ribaut Road and Pine Court, 60 apartments have been proposed as workforce housing to serve teachers, public safety officers and those in similar professions.

A 27-unit project on Boundary Street would target college students from USC Beaufort and Technical College of the Lowcountry.

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 1:33 PM with the headline "Looking for a place to live or park in Beaufort? Developer considers area near hospital."