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County authorizes reimbursable Green Space grant for Bluffton Parcels 5A and 5B; council directs administrator to negotiate covenants
Summary
Beaufort County Council voted to authorize a reimbursable grant to the town of Bluffton for Parcels 5A and 5B, instructing the county administrator to negotiate outstanding covenant details — acreage caps, valuation method and payment timing — and to return with recommendations on adjacent Parcel 5C.
Beaufort County Council voted on May 11 to authorize the county administrator to negotiate and execute a reimbursable Green Space grant to the town of Bluffton for Parcels 5A and 5B, giving staff authority to resolve three outstanding covenant points related to potential future road impacts and valuation.
The motion, offered by Councilwoman Brown and seconded by Councilmember Bartholomew, directed the administrator to negotiate (1) a cap or process for acres that could be impacted if a future road were built, (2) how additional acres would be valued, and (3) whether payment would be required up front or reimbursed after construction. After deliberation and questions from several members, the council approved the motion by roll call. Clerk read the roll and the motion passed.
Green Space Advisory Committee staff and Bluffton representatives told council the town closed on the Foothills tract as the town felt due-diligence time had expired; Bluffton’s attorney Richardson Labreuse said the town is open to removing certain proposed use restrictions (e.g., equestrian use, bocce, recreational drone use) and to discussing valuation language. County counsel and administrators told council the recommended reimbursable approach preserves the Green Space program’s credibility while allowing staff and the town to finalize precise covenant language.
During the public comment period, nearby homeowners raised concerns about privacy, density and stormwater affecting the 100 Pines neighborhood adjacent to the proposed hospital-related workforce housing. Beaufort Memorial representatives said the hospital seeks workforce housing and pledged to continue neighborhood engagement.
Council members emphasized the urgency of finalizing covenants and requested staff return with recommended language and options for how any future land acquisition for a road (Parcel 5C) could be handled collaboratively with the town. The chair and administrator committed to follow up quickly and bring recommendations back to council.
The item was presented as an action item from the Green Space Advisory Committee; council accepted staff’s request to proceed with negotiation authority rather than taking a final vote on covenants that night.
