New 365-home neighborhood planned for Bluffton

Bluffton Town Council voted in June to approve a plan to build a 365- home neighborhood on roughly 232 acres near the intersection of New Riverside Drive and Old Palmetto Bluff Roads — squarely between May River High School and the headwaters of the May River.

The planned private gated community will be built in phases, with construction starting later this year, according to town documents. A specific builder for the homes has not been identified.

Some town leaders have expressed concerns about Bluffton’s rapid growth and negative impacts like overcrowding, infrastructure strain and environmental degradation. However, they all seemed to agree that the newly approved community will include sufficient safeguards such as extra parking and more open space.