The Village Bluffton Park

On one side of May River Road in historic downtown Bluffton you’ll find tree-lined streets with quaint shops and galleries. Take a stroll to the other side of the road just behind the venerable Piggly Wiggly and you’ll discover The Village Bluffton Park, a thriving neighborhood featuring traditional homes, scenic lagoons and bordering wetlands that give some residents a permanent view of local nature.

“There’s good access to grocery stores, shopping and everything,” is how Tracey Nadeau put it. Nadeau moved to the neighborhood with her husband, David, in November.

Brad Orwig and his fiancee Lindsey Cooper have one of the lots facing the wetlands.

“That’s something you can’t find too often around here anymore,” Orwig said.

The neighborhood also has a family-friendly amenity close by: Oscar J. Frazier Park, with its community meeting facility and sports fields, sits right next to Bluffton Park.

Orwig and Cooper and the Nadeaus chose homes in The Village at Bluffton Park, the portion of Bluffton Park being developed by Meridian Builders. Their homes are in the first three phases of The Village, which covers about 27 acres and includes more than 100 homes. Most lots are 100 X 50, or an eighth of an acre.

Meridian is planning phases four, five and six on an additional 25 acres in Bluffton Park.

Ed Brown, broker with Sea Pines Realty, which partnered with Meridian for the project, said Bluffton Park is on land that was once owned by International Paper and was called the Shultz Tract, a wide swatch of land that stretched from Simmonsville Road to Kittie’s Crossing.

The development of Bluffton Park began in 2000, but Meridian came on board in 2005. Brown calls The Village an “ala carte” housing option, where homeowners can choose from 12 home models and the lots that accompany them. Homeowners can purchase the standard home, or select from a number of upgrades, which can include a garage, a screened porch and additional appliances.

The homes range from just over 1,400 square feet, starting at $199,900, to 2,100 square feet, with a base price of $234,900.

The homes come in a number of designs, ranging from the single-story Summerville to the popular large, two-storied Allendale, but all homes feature front porches and the option of adding a detached garage.

Sidewalks and nearby Oscar J. Frazier Park give the neighborhood a safe and family-friendly feel, with kids often skating along the streets and neighbors chatting as they walk their dogs.

“People in the neighborhood are friendly,” Orwig said. “(The neighborhood) is everything we hoped it would be.”

And all residents of Bluffton Park, including The Village, have access to the common areas, including the pool and clubhouse and a large green space near the southern entrance of the development that features a picturesque lake with a fountain and a gazebo, where folks can sit and take in the scenery.

Brown said people are impressed with the quality of the homes in The Village at Bluffton Park, the quiet setting and a location that offers the best of Bluffton both new and old.

“You can walk to Squat and Gobble,” Brown added.

~ Story and Photos by Penny Starr