[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6093488,"mediaKeyId","2846790-eb2cc90f7841c134fc16d6c184f9fc54","parentId",2846790,"title","Hardeeville hears updated Riverport Exit 3 plan; revised IGA and financing scheduled for council vote","audioSeconds",3537,"startMs",469000,"endMs",4006000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2846790-eb2cc90f7841c134fc16d6c184f9fc54&start=469&end=4006","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2846790-eb2cc90f7841c134fc16d6c184f9fc54/thumbnail_469000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6093488/Hardeeville/Jasper-County/South-Carolina/Hardeeville-hears-updated-Riverport-Exit-3-plan-revised-IGA-and-financing-scheduled-for-council-vote","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6093488-4a52cd3a33075024f304286e145982ca/orig.mp4?Expires=1771190409&Signature=oyI-ZTIHB9M4RvdHHTXzRWWd4BV2U-13Yu5Vo98fV9q4dKVZnF6hgvir~o9MoZfOjuodj9vLltYatZp1qglaHrXWdRwWZNY4djszwn0AS1d5m9l7q6~4cbzlQUJBRGEqsSTCoeU3NbsUt4G62kFaC1tIU0vZ42~h77mWkATKFKa2bthasZ2cMPfZMV-6TUQJmhqpbHTJ84Tz33nSA7nSvIiU5IqdlfnHnrbDXvdlyMaYomfvJOL~cPhnvt-NpqzvVf9dgKPpkiMZ07BhEfBYNaBJHE5Pi-NcnLAC8exCJq1Qst~1wfPP38m-u6pv9cqdsAU5wmAH5wYlGlSzO~ZJRA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Hardeeville, SC","date","2025-01-09T00:00:00Z","article","Hardeeville City Council workshop, Jan. 9 — Developers and city staff reviewed the conceptual plan and updated financing for the Riverport development at I‑95 Exit 3 and said the council will be asked next week to approve revised financing documents, a revised intergovernmental agreement (IGA) and related development documents.

The updates matter because the State Infrastructure Bank provided an additional $35 million grant to help close a funding gap for the new Exit 3 interchange and Spine Road. The city and Jasper County will take on a loan as part of the package; developers said the local loan payoff period was revised from 15 years to 25 years and the first five years are interest‑only under the proposed terms.

Developers and staff outlined what remains conceptual and what is more advanced. SCDOT has submitted a bid package to widen I‑95 and reconstruct interchanges, with bids expected Feb. 12 and construction anticipated to start within weeks after award; SCDOT’s schedule presented to the developers envisions a roughly 3–3.5 year timeline for the overall widening work. Developers said they are on the “one‑yard line” for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 404 wetlands permit that they expect in January for a limited crossing; that permit is described as the last major federal entitlement for the project.

What developers described

Michael Harper and other members of the development team said the Riverport project is large and phased. Key items they described include:
- A TIF (tax increment financing) “Mid” district of roughly 1,600 acres that would be used to repay the loan portion of the SIB package; non‑TIF portions of the land (including the 4,000,000‑square‑foot Riverport Commerce Park industrial phase and Riverport North residential components) could be developed earlier and are not included in the TIF repayment base.
- Parkway South and Parkway North (the Spine Road network tying Exit 3 into Highway 17 and Church Road); Parkway South was described as an 18‑month build once permitted, and Parkway North/CSX flyover pieces as part of the longer sequence.
- A planned 4,000,000‑square‑foot industrial Phase 3 (Riverport Commerce Park), residential in Riverport North, a 600‑unit RV park along Parkway South, and significant multifamily and general commercial on parcels abutting Exit 3. Developers also showed aspirational conceptual placeholders (hotel/convention center) that they said are not used in repayment assumptions.
- Financial structure described: a $28 million local match previously estimated to build Parkway South; the SIB package now includes $28 million grant + $28 million local match initially, and an additional $35 million grant from the state has been added to the package; the revised IGA would incorporate the new grant, revised loan term (25 years) and bank conditions.

Council concerns and clarifications

Council members raised resident concerns about clearing and construction impacts on Church Road and asked developers to be respectful of nearby homeowners. The mayor and staff explained that certain non‑TIF parcels would be developed before Spine Road and Exit 3 are complete so that some revenue generation can begin earlier, while the TIF district will begin repayment after infrastructure is in place. Staff and developers emphasized that the conceptual master plan is just that — conceptual — and that later master site plans and IMP (infrastructure/master plan) approvals would be required before vertical construction on specific parcels.

Developers told council the repayment model used conservative assumptions — for example, they said they use roughly 600 hotel keys across the project in their repayment models rather than the very large hotel placeholders shown on the illustrative master plan.

Permitting and timing

Developers said SCDOT expects bids back Feb. 12 and hopes to begin work in March; they estimated an SCDOT schedule of about 3–3.5 years. They said they expect the Army Corps 404 permit tied to an existing logging/temporary crossing to be issued soon (developers said they expected Corps action within 2–3 weeks of the Jan. 9 workshop). The developers plan to begin work on Parkway South and certain non‑TIF parcels as soon as relevant land‑disturbance permits are issued.

What council will vote on

City staff and the developers said the council agenda for next week will include revised financing documents and a revised IGA incorporating the additional $35 million grant and the extended loan term, and possibly an updated development agreement. Because those documents were not acted on at the workshop, no formal council vote on those documents was recorded at the Jan. 9 session.

Ending

Developers encouraged council and the public to view the materials as conceptual and to expect follow‑on entitlements, IMPs and master plan submissions as the project proceeds. Staff said the county has already adopted its portion of the IGA, and the city would see updated documents the following week for formal consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Workshop-January 9th, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Developers and city staff reviewed the conceptual plan and updated financing for the Riverport development at I‑95 Exit 3 and said the council will be asked next week to approve revised financing documents, a revised intergovernmental agreement (IGA) and related development documents.","taxTitle","Hardeeville, Jasper County, South Carolina","taxId",70272,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6093482,"Southpointe infrastructure plan moves toward Jan. 16 second reading after council questions on wetlands, bats and John Smith traffic",5186,4910000,10096000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2846790-eb2cc90f7841c134fc16d6c184f9fc54&start=4910&end=10096","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2846790-eb2cc90f7841c134fc16d6c184f9fc54/thumbnail_4910000.jpg","/articles/6093482/Hardeeville/Jasper-County/South-Carolina/Southpointe-infrastructure-plan-moves-toward-Jan-16-second-reading-after-council-questions-on-wetlands-bats-and-John-Smith-traffic","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6093482-f9d5692b30f8080b1f7cde1c57c4a46d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771190409&Signature=bJoCBf2zCzZMPNBzH6WdAmLMFSTOVRiLwq7rQLviqMOOddEIPXz0jtZpLX03YVFIf0yI2dW1YD9AvrIg6BSuwn5c8f0bOjQSSiryB4z~MUVDmRslWkW7OisJkk6fAhhCk6pMVBgscZ~9DGAtpF86M5Td7bhzMFlcLLk2fxtg2~IsjVL7ImbNCPSHWxWjPC3y5XRH8r2SorXD8sXr8pldQrCtSjf1JtJYU-ucvRJzHHD84C3Zv8T3wZvG6odqlloQk8Z-wCi56PjxslF-Tf4-59e3MAxFNUdzhXYcRisnSEDStTIUG453mniqIlz6JsJBsu1d3tyLE4HLax4O-D7K0w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Hardeeville City Council workshop, Jan. 9 — Developers of the Southpointe master plan and city staff used a workshop session to answer council questions ahead of a second‑reading vote that was scheduled for Jan. 16. The discussion focused on environmental permitting (wetlands and floodplain), endangered species surveys, traffic impacts on John Smith Road and construction access plans.

Why it matters: Council members repeatedly raised public‑safety and traffic‑management concerns because dozens of future parcels and more than 1,000 rooftops were discussed in the plan. The city and developers must coordinate with SCDOT, USACE (Army Corps), FEMA, US Fish and Wildlife Service and South Carolina DNR to secure required permits and species consultations before or concurrent with infrastructure construction.

Environmental and endangered‑species questions

Developers and consultants said a nationwide Corps permit (a PCN) previously issued covers a small existing crossing tied to a logging road; the PCN described a roughly 0.252‑acre wetland impact at that location. Speakers said the Corps’ nationwide permits contain standard language that allows a 12‑month completion period if work is commenced or is under contract before the nationwide permit expires or is modified; workshop presenters said the relevant nationwide permit expires March 14, 2026. They also said additional individual 404 permit submissions for other wetland crossings were in process (submitted since June) and that individual permits typically take 12–18 months to process.

On threatened and endangered species, consultants said Fish and Wildlife lists the northern long‑eared bat (recently uplisted to endangered) and the tricolored bat (proposed endangered) as potential species of concern on or near the property. Developers said they have initiated coordination with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and South Carolina DNR and that the next step is an acoustic presence/absence survey using agency‑approved protocols; the survey plan must be reviewed and approved by USFWS and the state before field work proceeds. The consultants described the acoustic microphones and automated call‑identification workflow that is typically used to document bat presence or absence and to design avoidance/mitigation measures if needed.

Floodplain and permitting sequence

City staff and the development team said floodplain/FEMA certifications and special flood hazard area permits will follow as roadways are designed: engineers will provide detailed studies to the city’s certified floodplain manager (Chris Gates) and FEMA as part of the roadway and drainage permitting process. Presenters emphasized that those floodplain approvals are part of the next design phase and are required before permanent fill/roadway work that would alter the floodway.

Traffic, construction access and timing

Council members focused heavily on John Smith Road, which the traffic impact analysis (TIA) shows as the constrained approach in the corridor. Developers said SCDOT required intersection improvements at the John Smith/278 intersection; those improvements, together with background growth included in the TIA, still produce an acceptable level of service by DOT thresholds (roughly D after improvements). Council members pressed developers on the safety of any construction entrances for heavy equipment and log trucks. Developers said a currently recorded logging/access route would be abandoned for safety and that the project’s new Pine Harbor alignment would be the intended construction access; they also said they would prepare a construction safety/traffic control plan and agreed to time restrictions and flagging requirements when necessary. Council members requested specific commitments about staging hours, flagging and avoiding peak travel times.

Spine Road sequencing and obligations

Developers reiterated that the Spine Road (Parkway South/North) and internal spine would be built in phases, and that the recorded plat and initial spine geometry are in place for future dedication. Council members asked for schedule certainty because the Spine Road was presented as a crucial alternative to John Smith traffic; developers said the first infrastructure phase would focus on the parcels nearest the hospital and that later parcels would be released as IMPs and vertical development were approved. The group discussed coordination with adjacent developers (Morgan tract, Millstone Landing) and the need for any external road improvements to be addressed in development agreements and by SCDOT where appropriate.

Public comment and next steps

A member of the public, Landon Pepe of 39 Avenue, expressed support for the development and urged more retail in Hardeeville to keep local tax dollars in Jasper County. Developers and staff said the second‑reading infrastructure plan will appear on the council agenda Jan. 16; consultants will provide outstanding study details (wetland permitting status, planned acoustic survey, construction safety traffic plan) before that reading.","At a Jan. 9 Hardeeville workshop, Southpointe developers and consultants answered council questions about wetlands crossings, floodplain approvals, endangered species (bat) surveys, and construction access and traffic controls on John Smith Road. Council has a second‑reading consideration scheduled for Jan. 16; developers were asked to supply a","actionData","errors"]

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Hardeeville hears updated Riverport Exit 3 plan; revised IGA and financing scheduled for council vote

Southpointe infrastructure plan moves toward Jan. 16 second reading after council questions on wetlands, bats and John Smith traffic