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Planning commission conditionally approves Novant Health Bluffton Medical Center preliminary plan
Summary
The Beaufort County Planning Commission unanimously granted conditional preliminary approval to a three‑story, roughly 164,000‑square‑foot Novant Health hospital in the Buckwalter PUD, while asking staff to research permeable‑paving requirements after commissioners raised stormwater and screening concerns.
The Beaufort County Planning Commission on Feb. 24 voted unanimously to conditionally approve the preliminary development plan for the Novant Health Bluffton Medical Center, a proposed three‑story hospital on about 17.8 acres inside the Buckwalter planned unit development.
Staff described the revised site layout and said the plan, submitted by Hilton Head Medical Center LLC, relocates the building footprint and parking from the October 2025 submittal and includes a heliport and multiple access points from Lake Pointe Drive and Bluffton Parkway. Staff told the commission that ‘‘the property owner is responsible for completing all required off‑site improvements prior to issuance of the certificate of occupancy for the Novant Health Bluffton Medical Center,’’ and reiterated that Innovation Drive South through the Grandy Oaks neighborhood cannot serve as a secondary access for the hospital, per the earlier conditional approval.
The applicant proposes a roughly 164,000‑square‑foot hospital with associated drives, landscaping and utilities. Matthew Conrad, president of Coastal Carolina Medical Center Novant Health, said the project is intended to expand local services and reduce travel to other facilities: "Here in the next 60 to 90 days, we'll be opening a freestanding emergency room on Buckwalter, a surgery center, an outpatient imaging center, multiple physician offices and clinics," Conrad said, adding the hospital is intended to let residents receive more care locally.
Commissioners pressed the applicant on parking and stormwater. Staff told the commission that the code requirement cited in the packet called for 121 on‑site parking spaces; the applicant is offering 319. Connor Blaney of Ward Edwards Engineering said Novant provided staffing, bed and square‑footage data used to set its internal parking target: "We're within the Novant Health's targeted range, which far exceeds the minimum requirement," Blaney said. Several commissioners argued that the extra impervious surface could increase runoff and urged the applicant to consider permeable paving or alternative stormwater measures.
Commissioners directed staff to research whether the Buckwalter development agreement or ZDSO 90‑3 requires permeable surfacing for parking above minimums and to report back before final plan approval. Commissioners also requested more buffering and screening along Buckwalter Parkway to reduce the visual impact of large parking areas.
A motion to conditionally approve the preliminary development plan "as noted in the exhibit currently shown on the monitor" was made, seconded and passed unanimously. The conditional approval includes the prior requirement that all required off‑site improvements must be completed prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy; the commission recorded no additional formal amendments to that requirement at the meeting.
Next steps: staff will research the permeable‑paving question and the applicant will proceed to final plan submittal; the certificate of occupancy conditions and any additional staff findings will be required before occupancy of the hospital.
