Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Affordable Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County refines conveyance terms for hospital-linked affordable-housing project; 120 units planned
Summary
Beaufort County approved amendments to an earlier conveyance to enable a Buford Memorial Hospital/Woda Cooper partnership to build about 120 workforce and affordable housing units (targeting 80%, 60% and 40% of AMI) and aligned a 30-year affordability term with the town's requirements.
County staff and project partners updated the committee Jan. 12 on an ordinance amendment to the conveyance that enables Buford Memorial Hospital and developer Woda Cooper to proceed with a mixed medical-office and affordable-housing project in Bluffton.
"We're trying to align this with ... Woda Cooper and the Town of Bluffton in terms of how long we'll keep the property affordable," Russell Bexley said in brief remarks explaining the ordinance cleanup. Bexley said the county and partners had agreed to a 30-year minimum affordability period and described the need to allow flexibility around improvements and potential future purchase at fair market value after that term.
Bexley and staff said the project has secured a housing tax credit award from the state and that the current plan is for roughly 120 housing units targeted at income tiers commonly described as workforce housing (units at about 80%, 60% and 40% of area median income). The project includes both affordable housing and medical-office components tied to Buford Memorial Hospital.
Council members asked for clarifications about unit counts and affordability layers; staff confirmed the 120-unit total and the 80/60/40 AMI breakdown as the target mix. Developers and staff said permitting steps including wetlands and stormwater review are underway and a ground-breaking could occur in roughly six to eight months if regulatory steps and financing proceed as expected.
The committee voted to advance the ordinance amendment and associated conveyance language. Staff said the county retains contractual protections, including a right to receive appraised land value in narrow default scenarios.
Next steps: staff and the developer will continue coordination with the Town of Bluffton on DRC and permitting; the completed ordinance and conveyance implementation steps will return to council as needed.
