WORKSHOP DOWNSIZING

If you're like most people, and you don't know where to start, this free workshop is for you!

• Learn how to get rid of your “stuff”

• Discover if you need pre-home inspection, repairs, or updates

• Learn strategy around home pricing and timing for your transition

• Find out what's happening in the local real estate market. Can you still take advantage of higher home values?

Upcoming Workshop

90-min workshop followed by complimentary wine and cheese reception

3

$575,000 | MLS#434821

14

5 Bed / 4 Bath | Two Carolina Rooms | Fenced Yard

$510,000 | MLS#436414

2:00 TO 4:30 PM Collins Group Realty, 852 William Hilton Parkway, Suite 2B

Space is Limited, Register Now

Finding, enhancing or preserving green space as either passive or public parks has received increasing attention in view of the growing population, and the resulting development.

Bluffton collaborates with Beaufort County in increasing the amount of land that is being preserved against development through the Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program. In the past 23 years, 25,000 acres have been set aside through the program, and Bluffton has contributed a matching 50% for properties that fit into both the county’s and the town’s goals. They have included the Bluffton Oyster Factory and the Garvin-Garvey House.

Among other public parks, the town has developed the Pritchard Pocket Park and Wright Family Park that provide visitors and residents with an opportunity to relax and enjoy views of the May River.

The New River Linear Trail, a link in the East Coast Greenway with access off May River Road, is 3.4 miles long, and follows along an old railroad bed from Bishop Street in Okatie to the east bank of the New River,

Bluffton’s only freshwater river. All sorts of wildlife can be seen by those who traverse the grass and dirt path.

Two passive parks near Bluffton are designated primarily for conservation. Berkeley Hall Preserve is 38 acres dedicated to preserving 27 acres of freshwater wetlands. Pinckney Colony Preserve protects 38 acres of forested wetlands. It includes a small picnic area and limited parking.

In a burgeoning community, assessing the accessibility of green space is measured by taking a 10-minute walk. According to the blueprint, “Bluffton is unique for the number of private parks and open space areas that have been developed along with the planned communities.”

Public parks can be reached by only 11% of the community, but if private parks and open spaces within planned communities are included, 79% of the population are within a 10-minute walk.

As part of the 10-year comprehensive plan and two-year strategic plan, the Town of Bluffton continues to look for more ways to set aside green space.

“The town is always looking for opportunities to protect open space for both active and passive parks,” said Charlotte Moore, the town’s principal planner. “We have a long history of partnering with the county’s Rural & Critical Lands Program to purchase such lands.”

Two recommendations in the Blueprint encourage continued coordination with Beaufort County’s Parks and Recreation Department, which is the lead on recreational facilities.

One recommendation is to coordinate with county representatives in order to ensure there are sufficient recreational services and facilities – such as rec centers and ball fields – to serve a growing younger population. Finding such space and integrating such resources into pockets that have increased in population will increase the recreational opportunities for young athletes.

The second recommendation was to work with the county to develop a “blueway trail” in Bluffton, possibly adding to the county’s existing 6.2-mile paddling trail along the Beaufort River from Port Royal to Beaufort.

The Blueprint notes: “Well-demarcated blueways have the ability to unlock a whole new terrain of usable open space within a community that has the water resources to make that possible. This demarcation would include signage and the visibility of infrastructure (namely put-ins) for canoes and kayaks.”

Begun in 2020, the Bluffton Blueprint was developed with input from more than 730 residents. “Most of the comprehensive plan process occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, so community participation was lighter than desired,” said Moore. “However, there were multiple efforts to engage the community over a 16-month period.”

Those included roundtable discussions to identify concerns and opportunities, followed by surveys and public meetings, and six public workshops.

The Blueprint Bluffton Comprehensive Plan 2022 can be found at townofbluffton. sc.gov/203/Planning.

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