On Tuesday, January 10^th, South Street Partners (SSP) provided a general update to the Bluffton Town Council at a regular Town Council meeting.  We thought you would be interested know what they said.  Please note that their slides were not part of the normal pre-read, and we will make them available once we receive them from the Town Clerk.

Many of these points will likely be covered in the upcoming SSP Town Hall meeting on Tuesday.

Real Estate Activity.  SSP’s remarks began with an update on real estate sales and development activities:

• While strong, 2022 real estate activity was slightly lower (measured in dollar volume) than 2021, which was characterized as an “anomaly” driven by the pandemic.
• 2022 sales started falling off in the second half.
• Completed homes have reached 902, as measured by issued Cos.
• 283 homes under construction.
• 168 in DRB.
• Resale home inventory is <3 %.

2023 Plans.  In 2023, there will be two releases in the Moreland Forest area.  The first consists of 38 lots and another 81 lots in the second:

• In addition, they plan to build 8 new Montage Branded Residences in the area across the road from the hotel.
• Also, Palmetto Bluff Builders have five homes underway, with two already sold.  More are planned.

Anson Marina.  The marina build out is underway with all the floats installed and pilings driven.  They need to finish additional portions (e.g., the pier head):

• Given that there is no public or resident land access to Anson, there is no timeline for opening.
• Construction timing was driven by the looming expiration of key permits (which had previously been extended a number of times).
• A consultant has been retained to begin design of the Anson dry stack, which was recently authorized by the latest amendment to the Palmetto Bluff Development Agreement.

Road to Anson.  The planned road to Anson is awaiting storm water review and permits, which SSP hopes to have by March 2023:

• The road will be five miles long and will include an extension of the super trail and (we infer) underground utilities.
• Road construction will take two years, so midyear 2025 timing is likely best case for completion.

This new Anson road should not be confused with the existing construction road to Anson, which now has overhead utility lines. 

Golf Courses.  The previously announced nine-hole golf course is projected to be finished by 4Q23

• It is part of a 50-acre parcel, located in an area called Crossroads, adjacent to (or part of) Moreland Forest.
• Will be accessible from the new extension of the inland water trail.
• The required permit(s) is/are in hand, and the designer King Collins will be at PB starting February to begin work.

SSP confirmed that they have retained an architect for the new Anson 18-hole course but were not able to reveal the name of the architect to the Town Council.

Shooting Club.  SSP reported on the new clubhouse as well as additions to the shooting venues.  They are now a Berretta dealer.

Buffalo’s.  The renovation of Buffalo’s has turned out to be a complete “down to the studs” rehab, costing $1m already.  They are planning to reopen in February.  As in the past, Buffalo’s will remain open to the public.

Montage Palmetto Bluff.  Hotel occupancy fell in 2022 vs 2021 but revenue was higher:

• Now in the 8^th year of the relationship with Montage.
• In 2022, Montage hosted 85 weddings.

Greetings Palmetto Bluff Neighborhood Association Members, The Volunteers of the PBNA are thrilled that Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka has been kind enough to accept our invitation to visit us on PB.  Mayor Sulka will give a talk on Bluffton and will also take questions from those present.  What a terrific opportunity to learn more about our special Town and meet the Town’s Chief Executive. Due to the limited space at the River Road Lodge, we are only sending this invitation to PBNA Members.  We encourage you to invite any of your neighbors who may not be PBNA Members to join you in attending.  Please plan on joining us in welcoming Mayor Sulka to the Bluff. As we get closer to the event, we will provide additional details. Lisa Sulka, Town of Bluffton Mayor | Bluffton, SC  Lisa Sulka, Town of Bluffton Mayor | Bluffton, SC This page includes information about Lisa Sulka, Town of Bluffton Mayor. As always, please send any questions or comments our way.  We enjoy hearing from you.  PBNA Volunteers Bob Morette, Arian Ellis, Harry Haslam, Graz Graziano, Ford Bartholow, Eric Sutherland, Richard Cedrone If you have friends and neighbors who are interested in joining, please tell them to go to our website, www.pbnabluffton.com, and click “join”.

Dear Palmetto Bluff Neighborhood Association Members, The Volunteers of the PBNA are pleased to announce that current 2022 PBNA Members are exempt from any PBNA dues in 2023!  This budget based decision is possible because together we have been extraordinary stewards of the Association’s resources.  As always, the current budget is available on the PBNA website for your review.  (Click Here) You have no action if you would like to remain a PBNA Member in 2023. Some specifics on this stewardship.  First, we designed and stood up our informational website early-on with the support of local businesses.   In essence, we did not utilize any Member funds to stand up this first-class platform.  This could have been a huge expense. We are grateful to our sponsors for their generosity. (Click here)  Second, when we had minor expenses for meetings and gatherings, the Volunteers paid for these out of pocket.  There are many other examples. We are proud of this accomplishment. For new Members in 2023, we will be collecting a $125 fee.  At the end of 2023, the Volunteers will once again conduct a budget based analysis to determine if any fees will be required for existing Members in 2024. As always, please reach out to us with any comments or questions.  The volunteers of the PBNA enjoy hearing from you.

PBNA Volunteers

Bob Morette, Arian Ellis, Harry Haslam, Graz Graziano, Ford Bartholow, Eric Sutherland, Richard Cedrone

Dear Palmetto Bluff Neighborhood Association Members, The third meeting of the Town of Bluffton’s Negotiating Committee (NC) took place this afternoon regarding the two proposed amendments to the Palmetto Bluff Development Agreement related to Anson.  This was the first meeting since the May 12th meeting; two intervening meetings had been scheduled and then cancelled. The Mayor opened the meeting stating that today’s goal was to arrive at a recommendation that could be sent to the Town Council for an up or down vote.  After a brief public comment period (where 3 PB residents spoke), the NC met in executive session by themselves for 30 minutes to get back up to speed on the various issues.  Then, the NC met with the developers (Will Culp, Jordan Philips), along with their engineering consultants and other advisors, for an hour in a private meeting.  The NC then reconvened and unanimously approved a motion to be sent to the Town Council: The proposed amendment to allow over water fueling was denied The proposed amendment for a second dry stack at Anson was approved, subject to the following parameters In-water slips will not exceed 170 (versus the 400 previously approved) The dry stack is authorized for the balance of the slips, or 230 (400 less 170) To incentivize more dry stack slips versus in water slips, the developer can add 2 dry stack slips for every one in water slips they forego Dry stack slips cannot be switched for wet slips We will post the formal version of this motion once it is published. Next step:  The Town Council will take up this recommendation.  We will let you know when this meeting is scheduled as soon as we know.  Please know that two of the five Town Council members are part of the Negotiating Committee.  This recommendation will need a simple majority of the Town Council (e.g., 3 votes) to be approved. As always, please reach out to us with any comments or questions.  The volunteers of the PBNA enjoy hearing from you.

PBNA Volunteers

Bob Morette, Arian Ellis, Harry Haslam, Graz Graziano, Ford Bartholow, Eric Sutherland, Richard Cedrone

If you have friends and neighbors who are interested in joining, please tell them to go to our website, www.pbnabluffton.com, and click “join”.

Dear Friends, Due to expected inclement weather on Thursday, the PBNA  has postponed this event until a time and date to be determined.   Dear Palmetto Bluff Neighbors, We hope that all of you are enjoying time with special friends and family this Summer. We are excited to announce that Courtney Hampson, CEO of Bluffton Self Help and Jim Wentworth of the Boys & Girls Club have agreed to come talk with us about their incredible organizations.  We are guessing that many of you are familiar with both organizations but for those that are not, here’s a quick summary.  A detailed description is at the URLs following the brief summaries. Bluffton Self Help  For more than 35 years, Bluffton Self Help has been providing basic needs and financial support to our community. And though their roots are in serving the generationally impoverished, their future is in supporting our families who are economically at-risk. With expanding services that include educational programming and leadership, they serve as advocates for those in need throughout our local community and beyond. With direct access to necessary resources, a deep understanding of our community needs, and significant relationships to create change, they provide those in need with a pathway toward self-sufficiency. URL: https://blufftonselfhelp.org Boys & Girls Club The mission of the Boys&Girls Club is to enable all young people, especially those with the most need, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsive citizens. URL: https://www.bgcbluffton.org/ We are hopeful that you can join us for this special session as we continue to highlight the many wonderful resources available in our broader Bluffton community. As always, please reach out to us with any comments or questions.  The volunteers of the PBNA enjoy hearing from you. PBNA Volunteers Bob Morette, Arian Ellis, Harry Haslam, Graz Graziano, Ford Bartholow, Eric Sutherland, Richard Cedrone If you have friends and neighbors who are interested in joining, please tell them to go to our website, www.pbnabluffton.com, and click “join”.

Dear Palmetto Bluff Neighborhood Association Member, We hope that this note finds you embracing Fall with the expectation of the holidays being right around the corner. When we restarted the PBNA about a year ago, we asked for and received a group of interested volunteers to lead the renaissance of our community group.  In that time, 356 Members in 199 households have stepped up to join the organization.  In addition, we have established a professional one-stop informational website, and have endeavored to keep our Membership informed of the myriad aspects of this beautiful place and the larger Bluffton/Beaufort County through tailored communications, FAQs, and open meetings with community leaders. In the end, we hope to leave the Bluff a better place than we found it. Much work remains to be accomplished. To restart the Association, we followed the PBNA’s by-laws (available on the PBNA website) to assemble the current group of volunteer leaders who agreed to serve through the end of 2022.  With that in mind, and in accordance with the PBNA by-laws, we are now at a point where we are soliciting new volunteers to serve as Directors beginning January 1, 2023.  The new group of board volunteers will be formally voted on by the full Membership.  We need your help. Please consider serving as a volunteer on the PBNA Board of Directors.  All that is required is to be a PBNA Member and a willingness to serve your neighbors in order to leave this special place better than you found it.   With respect to PBNA Membership, current PBNA Members will be grandfathered through 2023 without additional dues.   Please reply by October 15, 2022 if you are interested.   Doesn’t matter if you are full or part-time residents.  Most of our internal leadership meetings are conducted on Zoom.  Doesn’t matter if your retired or working full time, we currently have both types of volunteers represented.   From the expressed interest, we will form a slate of volunteers by November 15th.  Plenty of time to sit the new Volunteer Board by January 2023. As always, please continue to reach out with any comments or questions that you may have, especially as it pertains to volunteering for 2023.   We will be happy to answer your questions about the commitment, and are willing to meet personally with you as well if it will help. We enjoy hearing from you.   Warm regards, PBNA Volunteers Bob Morette, Arian Ellis, Harry Haslam, Graz Graziano, Ford Bartholow, Eric Sutherland, Richard Cedrone If you have friends and neighbors who are interested in joining, please tell them to go to our website, www.pbnabluffton.com, and click “join”.

Dear Palmetto Bluff Neighbors,

We know that many of you are following the ongoing litigation involving Palmetto Bluff.  In case you missed it, the link below is a news article on the first significant ruling by the judge in the case. The PBNA has written extensively on this in order to keep our Membership informed.  You can find significant background concerning the litigation on the PBNA website in the FAQ portion of the Member section. 

Judge denies Palmetto Bluff’s motion to dismiss lawsuit filed against it by private homeowners 

As always, please send any questions or comments our way.  We enjoy hearing from you. 

PBNA Volunteers

Bob Morette, Arian Ellis, Harry Haslam, Graz Graziano, Ford Bartholow, Eric Sutherland, Richard Cedrone

Dear PBNA Members,

This is our second PBNA member newsletter.  As we have mentioned before, these newsletters will not replace subject specific emails on important topics that seem to arise with some regularity.  We will strive to publish these newsletters quarterly, with the intent to provide an update on various matters of concern to our community that fit within our mission.

Proposed Amendments to the Development Agreement regarding a second dry stack and overwater fueling at Anson.  We communicate regularly with our Town Manager, Stephen Steese, and others who are familiar with the activities.  In sum, there is little news.  There was a meeting of the Negotiating Committee scheduled on August 11^th but this was cancelled at the request of South Street Partners.   Our Town Manager also conveyed that he cannot provide an estimate as to when the next meeting will be held. 

Background: As you may recall, the Bluffton Town Council referred the question to the Negotiating Committee on November 9, 2021 and the Negotiating Committee met on January 6, 2022 for two hours.  At that meeting, the Committee Chair instructed SSP to conduct a community meeting with PB property owners, which SSP held on February 17, 2022.

Litigation.  As we reported in our April 17^th FAQ, a group of Palmetto Bluff property owners initiated a lawsuit, filed on April 12, 2022, against the PB developer (and related entities and individuals).   In July, a number of motions were filed by the Plaintiffs, including one for Partial Summary Judgement and another that seeks to disqualify Nexsen Pruet (long time counsel for PB’s many owners) from representing SSP (and related entities).  SSP (and related entities) have filed various motions in response.  If you would like to read more, the filings are public on the Beaufort County Clerk of the Court website.  

Club facility access by Short Term Renters.   Effective April 8, 2022, SSP changed the policies related to access to private Club restaurants, pools and fitness rooms by non-member occupants of short-term rental properties.  The new “rules” remove access to the member facilities by people who are on property via an independently operated short-term rental home.  However, many people have told us that they are still seeing short term renters in member facilities.  Our understanding is that SSP/Club management is allowing renters who made reservations prior to the April 8^th change to still use the member facilities because the facilities were offered to them at the time of their vacation rental booking.  So, the new rules apply only to people who reserved homes after April 8^th. 

Club facility access by Montage Hotel guests.  The access agreement between the developer and Montage recently expired.  The two parties are currently negotiating a new access agreement.  Club management told us they aim to have an annual cap on Hotel use of Village Green (a major pain-point currently).  Hotel guest are already restricted from using Club pools, restaurants and fitness centers.  The Club did make a temporary exception to this by providing some access to Coles because Buffalo’s is closed.

Sora Wellness.  Many of you are asking about this project as the building site has been inactive for over a month (and is a significant eyesore…).  In our most recent conversation with Sora’s developer, they stated that their intentions have not changed but have run into issues that are delaying further progress.

Outside Speakers.  Recently we held two events at the Lodge, each attended by 40 to 50 residents.  In June, we hosted Kate Schaefer from the Open Land Trust (openlandtrust.org) and Jesse White from the Coastal Conservation League (coastalconservationleague.org).  They explained the roles and missions of their organizations and answered many member questions relating to environmental and preservation topics in the Low Country generally as well as Palmetto Bluff specifically. 

With the assistance of Marty and Martha Strauss, in early August we hosted Beaufort County Sherriff P. J. Tanner and Town of Bluffton Police Chief Stephanie Price.  They explained their roles and scopes of their two organizations and responded to many questions about challenges and issues affecting our county and town. 

Upcoming Speakers.  On September 29, we have Jim Wentworth, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry, and Courtney Hampson, Executive Director of Bluffton Self Help, speaking to the Palmetto Bluff community.   While many PB residents are already strong supporters of these two important local service organizations, we want to make sure as many people as possible know about their great work.  Please note that the meeting was rescheduled from September 22. 

We are planning to bring additional local government leaders to Palmetto Bluff, ideally with a quarterly cadence.   Please let us know if there are other people or organizations that you would like to speak to our community.

Also, please note that many of you have asked that we provide remote access (e.g., livestreaming) of our meetings and events.  We are still working on finding a workable and affordable solution and hope to have an answer soon.

Future FAQs.  We plan to post a FAQs on financial reserves, generally, and specifically regarding the PB Preservation Trust.  In addition, we are working on another FAQ regarding the PB Conservancy.   With Marty Strauss’ help, we plan to publish a “Low Country Civics 101” FAQ succinctly explaining relevant elected and appointed governmental leaders, election mechanics, key issues and such. 

FAQ Zoom Meetings.  We plan to pilot 45-minute zoom calls to explain selected FAQs, including time for member Q&A.  These will be scheduled and announced shortly.   The first two will address PB entity structure and member rights under the governing documents.  If these zooms prove useful, we will schedule additional zoom meetings. 

2023 PBNA Volunteer Board and Member Survey.  As many of you know, the current group of volunteer board members agreed to serve for one year, and we will soon begin the process of forming the 2023 leadership team in accordance with our by-laws (posted on the PBNA website).  In a couple weeks, we will reach out to the members to solicit interest and ideas.  We also plan to field a short Member survey to help us better understand your priorities and interests; this input will help us shape the new volunteer leadership team as well as establish 2023 priorities.  In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact any of us.

Feedback.  We welcome and enjoy feedback.  Please reach out to us at pbna2020@gmail.com.

PBNA Volunteers

Bob Morette, Arian Ellis, Harry Haslam, Graz Graziano, Ford Bartholow, Eric Sutherland, Richard Cedrone

If you have friends and neighbors who are interested in joining, please tell them to go to our website, www.pbnabluffton.com, and click “join”.

Dear Friends, When we scheduled this session on September 22, 2022, we were unaware that the Women of Palmetto Bluff had an event planned that would overlap with our session on the 22nd.  All of us admire the work that the WOPB do and therefore we have moved our presentations to September 29th at the Lodge from 4PM-6PM.   We hope that many of you will join us. Many thanks to our two outstanding guests who were flexible and agreed to be available on the 29th.   Dear Palmetto Bluff Neighbors, We hope that all of you are enjoying time with special friends and family this Summer. We are excited to announce that Courtney Hampson, CEO of Bluffton Self Help and Jim Wentworth of the Boys & Girls Club have agreed to come talk with us about their incredible organizations.  We are guessing that many of you are familiar with both organizations but for those that are not, here’s a quick summary.  A detailed description is at the URLs following the brief summaries. Bluffton Self Help  For more than 35 years, Bluffton Self Help has been providing basic needs and financial support to our community. And though their roots are in serving the generationally impoverished, their future is in supporting our families who are economically at-risk. With expanding services that include educational programming and leadership, they serve as advocates for those in need throughout our local community and beyond. With direct access to necessary resources, a deep understanding of our community needs, and significant relationships to create change, they provide those in need with a pathway toward self-sufficiency. URL: https://blufftonselfhelp.org Boys & Girls Club The mission of the Boys&Girls Club is to enable all young people, especially those with the most need, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsive citizens. URL: https://www.bgcbluffton.org/ We are hopeful that you can join us for this special session as we continue to highlight the many wonderful resources available in our broader Bluffton community. As always, please reach out to us with any comments or questions.  The volunteers of the PBNA enjoy hearing from you. PBNA Volunteers Bob Morette, Arian Ellis, Harry Haslam, Graz Graziano, Ford Bartholow, Eric Sutherland, Richard Cedrone If you have friends and neighbors who are interested in joining, please tell them to go to our website, www.pbnabluffton.com, and click “join”.

Dear Palmetto Bluff Neighbors,

We hope this note finds you happy, healthy, and prosperous as Summer arrives in full force on the Bluff.

The PBNA is excited to announce that Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner (Click here for Bio) and Town of Bluffton Police Chief Stephenie Price (Click here for Bio) have agreed to come and speak to our Residents on August 4, 2022, from 6:30-8PM at the River Road Lodge.  

The PBNA is extending an invitation for this event to all residents of PB regardless of affiliation with the PBNA.  

Following an introduction by our own Director of Security, Charles Huggins, Sheriff Tanner and Chief Price will each speak and take questions from residents. 

We hope that you will plan to join us at the River Road Lodge to learn more about these two positive forces in our community.

As always, please send any questions or comments our way.  We enjoy hearing from you. 

PBNA Volunteers

Bob Morette, Arian Ellis, Harry Haslam, Graz Graziano, Ford Bartholow, Eric Sutherland, Richard Cedrone