Bluffton council workshop reviews land swap and $2.5M plan to remove Willow Run development rights

Town staff presented a package of proposed amendments to the Buckwalter development agreement focused on the Willow Run Track, including a possible town-led purchase of development rights and a land swap with the Beaufort County School District.

At a council workshop, staff (Kevin) said the town is considering purchasing the development-rights bank for $2,500,000 to remove from circulation 260 residential dwelling units, about 162 acres of general commercial rights and two hotels tied to the Willow Run Track. Kevin said the Beaufort County School District has under contract portions of the site and is considering a K–8 campus with athletic fields and administrative space; the town would swap roughly 19.75 acres it owns for about 10 acres on the northern boundary to place municipal uses closer to Highway 278.

The MOU attached to the presentation would make the purchase a reimbursement-style transaction and include a limited right for the town to re-purchase development rights under a one-time option. Kevin noted the district’s request that any rights sold to the school remain permanently tied to the Willow Run Track; he told council that, in drafting, staff intends to include a clause requiring rights purchased by the district to remain within that planning tract.

Residents and council members used the workshop to press for protections. Public commenter Joy Cope raised specific questions about where previously allocated commercial acreage went and whether development rights the town buys to retire for watershed protection could later be used elsewhere in Bluffton or Beaufort County; she asked, “So I was just wondering what happened to the original commercial, and why the Inland Bluffton doesn’t show it has commercial.” The town replied that the records are kept in a development-rights “bank” (a spreadsheet and tracking system), and staff offered a follow-up meeting to provide detailed answers.

Council members sought contractual safeguards. One asked for a first-refusal clause so the town could buy back any rights the school determined it did not need; another urged that any price tied to a future repurchase include CPI adjustments so the figure does not become insignificant over 20 years. Staff confirmed the MOU includes CPI indexing and said the draft development-agreement amendment will return to council after internal reviews, planning commission input and public hearings.

The workshop also addressed implementation mechanics: obligations tied to current phasing plans that trigger construction of a North–South Connector Road, relocatable easements through the adjacent Mooney Track, wetlands delineations (staff reported an updated wetlands delineation showing an additional 0.5 acres), and capacity studies that tested whether school facilities, sports fields and a performing arts center could fit on the site without impacting wetlands. Kevin emphasized the process: any acquisition, purchase-and-sale agreement or assignment of development rights would come back to council for approval.

Why it matters: The package would remove substantial development capacity from the Buckwalter PUD while creating a potential new school site and room for municipal uses or affordable housing. Council members framed the effort as a way to slow residential growth and preserve corridors for public uses while clarifying that no final sale or amendment is effective without subsequent formal council approvals.

Next steps: Staff will assemble contract language, draft the development-agreement amendment and bring applications to the town’s development-review committee, planning commission (workshop and public hearing), and ultimately council for first and second readings and formal votes. Staff also offered to meet with residents who asked detailed questions during public comment.