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Bluffton weighs buying Willow Run development rights to keep school site, ease road obligation
Summary
At a council workshop, town staff proposed using $2.5 million to acquire development rights tied to the Willow Run/Buckwalter tract to enable a Beaufort County School District site, alter North–South connector road obligations, and preserve land for parks or affordable housing; council directed staff to refine terms including first‑refusal and CPI adjustments.
Town of Bluffton staff outlined a proposal at a Dec. workshop to amend the Buckwalter development agreement and to use town resources to remove development rights tied to the Willow Run tract, a move they say would protect property from high‑density commercial and residential development and facilitate a new school site.
Kevin Icard, speaking for town planning staff, said the proposal would involve the town contributing up to $2.5 million toward the Beaufort County School District’s purchase of development rights for the Willow Run track. That bundle of rights includes 260 residential dwelling units, about 162 acres of general commercial, and entitlement for two hotels under the Buckwalter PUD as recorded in previous amendments. Icard said the town already owns 3.77 upland acres designated for affordable housing and an additional eight upland acres for municipal use that could be part of a land swap with the school district.
Why it matters: Council members and members of the public said removing those rights from the market could substantially…
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