Commission emphatically recommends town council approve Live Well Terrace, a 120‑unit affordable housing project

The Bluffton Planning Commission on July 23 voted unanimously to recommend that the Town Council approve Live Well Terrace, a proposed 100% affordable (workforce) housing development at 335 Buckwalter Parkway. Planning staff described a proposal that would acquire 60 residential dwelling units from the town’s development‑rights bank through a transfer‑of‑development‑rights ordinance, amend the Buckwalter PUD and concept plan, and proceed with a project the applicant intends to build as a 120‑unit affordable housing complex with a 6,000‑square‑foot medical office.

Planning staff said the site is roughly 10 acres and that the county purchased it from St. Andrews by the Sea for $3,200,000 before conveying the property to Beaufort Memorial Hospital in April; the applicant has authorization from Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Staff explained financing will rely on Low‑Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and noted the project will meet multiple AMI targets outlined in the staff report. Staff also warned of a tight timeline: certain tax‑credit milestones must be met by the end of October.

Commissioners voiced strong support for the project. The chair urged commissioners to go beyond a simple approval and to “emphatically recommend” the project to town council, saying the development provides workforce housing the town urgently needs. The commission took three separate votes—one for each subitem presented on the slide—and each motion passed by voice vote.

Next steps, as stated by staff, are a Town Council hearing in August for a second and final reading and a preliminary development plan to return to the planning commission in the following meeting. The commission’s action on July 23 was a recommendation to the town council; final approvals, financing and building permits remain subject to subsequent council action and permitting.