Bluffton weighs buying Willow Run development rights to keep school site, ease road obligation

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 reduce future density and commercial footprint in a sensitive watershed area and create space for a school, sports fields and affordable housing. Several council members connected the proposal to the town’s strategic goal of slowing residential growth and preserving land for future generations.

Key details and constraints - Purchase proposal: $2,500,000 toward purchase of development rights; staff said the MOU in the packet memorialized CPI adjustments for inflation and a five‑year waiting period before a one‑time repurchase option by the school district could be exercised (that option would expire 25 years after recording). (Presented by Kevin Icard.) - Land swap: Town staff outlined a potential swap of the town’s 19.75‑acre parcel for roughly 10 upland acres nearer Highway 278 to relocate municipal uses while leaving the bulk of the Willow Run track available for a school and public amenities. - Road obligations: The existing Ninth Amendment obligated property owners in the Willow Run/Indian Hill tracks to construct a full North–South connector road as development is built. Under the proposed amendment, the town would remove or reassign much of that obligation and require the school district to design and construct the portion between Highway 278 and the school district’s connection point; once dedicated, the roadway would become town‑owned. - Wetlands and capacity: Staff presented a recent wetlands delineation (updated Nov. 13) and a 25‑foot wetlands buffer used for capacity studies; those environmental constraints shaped the conceptual siting of school facilities and fields.

Public comment and council direction Public commenters pressed for clarity on where previously assigned commercial acreage went and whether purchased rights could be used elsewhere. Joy Coates asked specifically why previously assigned commercial rights were no longer visible in the bank and whether rights the town purchased could be redeployed in Buckwalter or countywide; staff invited in‑person follow‑up with planning to provide the detailed ledger and process explanation.

Council members sought contractual protections: a first‑refusal clause if the school later decided it did not need portions of the site; contract language tying acquired rights to the Willow Run track so rights could not be moved elsewhere; and inflation adjustments to the repurchase price. Several members also asked staff to require that, if the school later sells land to a private developer, the purchaser would inherit the obligation to construct the connector road.

Next steps Icard said amendments would be drafted for formal submittal, then proceed through Development Review, planning‑commission workshops and public hearings before first and second readings by the council. Staff will return with a draft amendment that incorporates council guidance—particularly language on first refusal, repurchase windows, CPI adjustments, and limits on relocation of rights.

At this workshop session council expressed general support for moving forward but asked staff to tighten contract language, provide the development‑rights ledger and clarify long‑term fiscal and land‑use implications before any final vote.