Beaufort County’s plan to spend $42M for unspoiled Bluffton forest sparks debate
Beaufort County Council members narrowly decided on Monday to postpone a vote to grant $42 million to the Nature Conservancy for the acquisition of 4,950 acres of pristine forest in Bluffton, following concerns raised by residents of Palmetto Bluff.
The man who advises the county’s Green Space Committee, however, says the county has a window of opportunity in issuing the funds to permanently preserve the largest tract of forest still standing in southern Beaufort County.
The money, if awarded, would come from the county’s Green Space Program, which is funded by sales tax funds approved by voters in 2022. Through the program, land and development rights are acquired to preserve open space.
In the deal, the county says, the Green Space Program will be reimbursed at least $20 million from the South Carolina Forestry Commission, which would take ownership and manage the land that would be forever protected by a conservation easement.
Public access would be allowed and activities such as hiking and hunting would be among the allowable uses.
Why the property is special
The New River Forest property, known locally as the Pioneer property (formerly the Walcam property), is adjacent to Palmetto Bluff, the 20,000-acre, master-planned luxury residential and resort community along the May River.
The property includes upland forest and wetlands. It protects watersheds and provides space for marsh migration, according to the county, while absorbing sea level rise.
“That is going to be a jewel in our crown for years and years and years to come,” said Charlie Webb, president of Open Land Trust board, which supports the county’s $42 million grant toward the deal.
But the move caught Palmetto Bluff residents off guard.
They’re concerned because they weren’t notified even though they live next door and making the land public will bring more people through the area. They also don’t know why there is such a rush to approve the deal when the land is already protected.
The land falls within the development agreement between the Palmetto Bluff developer and the town of Bluffton. Right now, the property that would be purchased is currently managed as a forest and can’t be developed with housing.
County officials said the possible purchase of the property, and management by the State Forestry Commission, has been under public discussion for almost a year. They said it would bring better and permanent protection to the area than a development agreement can provide.
Right now, the property only has access from the privately owned and maintained New Riverside Road. The property has about 13 miles of frontage along the New River and is adjacent to an existing 800-acre county-owned preserved property.
Mike McShane, the chairman of the Beaufort County Green Space Advisory Committee, said the land is the largest undeveloped property in southern Beaufort County.
If the county misses out on assisting in its purchase, there is somebody else interested in the land, he said.
“There’s not going to be a better time to do this,” said McShane, noting the value of the property will only continue to increase.
“This is frankly your single largest legacy project to take on,” McShane added.
Why Palmetto Bluff residents are concerned
Frank Riddick, a member of the Palmetto Bluff Neighborhood Association, raised concerns when the County Council took up the proposal Monday evening.
The county did not notify the neighborhood of the acquisition even though the land abuts the neighborhood, he said.
Palmetto Bluff residents don’t think the impacts of opening up the area to public access on their neighborhood have been fully analyzed, he added. They are especially concerned that converting this property to a public park with trails and hunting would create open public access to and through Palmetto Bluff via Myrtle View Road with visitors traveling through the main gate.
Residents also are questioning the purchase price of $42 million. Riddick says it doesn’t appear to be fair given the property has been for sale since 2018 and can’t be developed until 2057 per the development agreement with the town of Bluffton, he added.
Riddick requested that the County Council delay the vote and consult Palmetto Bluff residents, clarify the public access issues and commission a legal review of the proposal.
Riddick and others also questioned why more documentation on the due diligence that was conducted was not included in the council packet, like the property appraisal information. Considering the size of the request, they said, more facts should have been included.
“Please postpone it because there is no full disclosure,” Palmetto Bluff resident Mark Slavin said.
A large number of residents turned up to Monday’s County Council meeting after learning about the proposal over the weekend. Residents were alerted in a weekend newsletter post about the “significant and time-sensitive matter affecting our community that has unfolded without notice to Palmetto Bluff residents.” The land, the newsletter said, has always been considered an integral buffer to the community.
Why buy the land?
Under the current development agreement, housing can’t be built on the forest land for a number of years, McShane acknowledged. But the development agreement, he added, has been changed six times since it was introduced. Getting the property out of the development agreement and into state ownership will protect it long-term, he said. “There will never be a need to be concerned, McShane said.
The Nature Conservancy is under contract to buy the land, McShane said. It hopes to close on the property in September. The county’s grant would be time-sensitive, McShane said. Beaufort County can move faster than state government can move, he said.
Three appraisals -- one by the property owner, one by the Nature Conservancy and one by Beaufort County -- were done on the property and all of them came in at more than $45 million, McShane said.
“So that means the landowner is willing to donate over $3 million of value,” he said. “That is a tremendous gift that the landowner is providing on this project.”
The purchase will make the property public in a “thoughtful and meaningful way,” he said.
“A thoughtful and meaningful way,” McShane said, “because I’ve heard the comment that this is going to let the unwashed just show up onto this 5,000 acres. That is not the case.”
Once the property is in the hands of the State Forestry Commission, it would be charged with putting a management plan together for the property that would include accessing the property off of New Riverside Road. No access would be allowed through any private gates, McShane added.
There will be hiking on the property and hunting, which has been occurring for over 100 years.
A stipulation is that a conservation easement be placed on the property and that the land be turned over to the Forestry Commission within three years. Otherwise, the land will be conveyed to the county.
What do council members think?
Council members were split between those who thought the council should vote on the grant Monday and those who said the county should pause and hear the concerns of Palmetto Bluff residents.
Conserving the land won’t just benefit the county and state but the entire region, Chairperson Alice Howard said. “You can see downtown Savannah from this property,” Howard said.
“I think it’s opportunity we will not ever have again,” Howard said.
Councilperson David Bartholomew said he thinks the project is wonderful, but added he did not have enough information to make a decision on issues like the $20 million reimbursement from the state.
“With the political climate right now, and the elections going on, I don’t know whose going to be governor,” he said.
Councilperson Paula Brown made a motion to delay the vote to pass the $42 million grant to the Nature Conservancy until June 22 to give other residents more time to speak. It passed 6-5.
Voting for delaying the vote were Brown, Bartholomew, Tom Reitz, Mark Lawson, Tab Tabernik and Logan Cunningham. Voting against the delay were Howard, Joe Passiment, Larry McElynn, York Glover and Gerald Dawson.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 11:39 AM.
