Bluffton staff presents performing arts center feasibility; council backs steering committee to study next steps

Chris Forrester, the staff member leading the project presentation, told the Bluffton Town Council at its quarterly workshop that consultants recommend a flexible, multipurpose performing arts center that could support theater, banquets, expos and smaller studio performances. "There is a community need and a demand for this," Forrester said, summarizing consistent feedback from stakeholder workshops.

Forrester framed the proposal as part of Bluffton's economic development and community quality-of-life strategy, citing market study findings that Bluffton residents spend about 22% more on live-event tickets than the national average and that initial consultant projections estimate roughly 27,000 attendees in year one, rising to nearly 60,000 by year 10. He said consultants modeled a capital cost of about $54.1 million and noted a conservative pro forma that did not include major grants or large donations. "Applying the consultants' assumptions, you're looking at about $8,100,000 in potential cost to the town to get it started and kicked off," he said.

The presentation included lessons from four site visits. Forrester said the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium underscored the need to program to local demand and to hire experienced operators; nonprofit examples such as the Chapman Cultural Center and the Peace Center illustrated both donor-restriction pitfalls and models that reached profitability within several years. The smaller Caine/Kane Center showed the value of flexible seating and early steering committees. Forrester recommended creating a steering committee and conducting a fundraising feasibility study as early priorities.

Council members generally welcomed the cautious, phased approach. Council member Bridget said she liked the idea of a flexible venue and urged outsourcing operations to a third-party operator and early outreach to potential naming-right partners to support fundraising. "Outsourcing to a third party to run operations would be good," Bridget said. Council member Wood and others emphasized hiring fundraising and operations experts to avoid underestimating staffing or operating costs.

Councilors pressed staff on siting and traffic; Forrester said suggested locations would be closer to major roads rather than in Old Town to limit residential impacts. On next steps, staff recommended introducing a resolution in June to establish a stakeholder steering committee, launch a community survey ahead of schedule to gauge local sentiment, and report back as part of the town's 2040 planning process with a follow-up workshop planned for January 2027.

The discussion closed with councilors agreeing to pursue additional study rather than a near-term commitment to construction. The council did not take formal action on the performing arts recommendation at the workshop; the next procedural step is for staff to bring a resolution on a steering committee to the council in June and to begin the recommended fundraising feasibility work.