Livewell Terrace breaks ground in Bluffton, bringing 120 affordable housing units near new hospital

BLUFFTON, S.C. (WTOC) - The Town of Bluffton is one step closer to adding a new affordable housing option.

Town leaders and community partners broke ground on Livewell Terrace, a 10-acre development planned along Buckwalter Parkway near the incoming Beaufort Memorial Community Hospital.

When complete, the project will bring 120 affordable apartment units to Bluffton’s growing medical corridor and is expected to help address workforce housing needs in the region.

“For 20-plus years, Bluffton town leaders have looked at ways to attack affordable housing.

“Championing this since 2005 has given me a lot of sleepless nights, but today I feel like I have something I can rest on my pillow with,” Bluffton Mayor Pro-Tempore, Fred Hamilton said.

Hamilton called the project a major step forward for the town.

“This is not something that we’re going to just have as an agenda item,” he said. “It’s something that we bring into the light.”

Designed to support medical workers, open to others

Livewell Terrace is geared toward medical professionals who will soon work at the new hospital nearby, but the complex will also be available to other qualifying renters.

“We need places for our employees to live and others in the community to live, and this represents a step in that right direction,” said Russell Baxley, Beaufort Memorial President and CEO.

Baxley said the hospital is working on multiple efforts to address housing shortages in Beaufort County.

“Part of our mission is to improve the quality of life in the Lowcountry, and that’s outside the four walls of the hospital,” Baxley said. “It’s for our employees, but it’s also for the people who use our hospital or the patients. That’s what this affordable housing project means.”

Rent range and income qualifications

Monthly rents are expected to range from $690 to $1,725, depending on unit size and income qualifications.

To qualify, households can make up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) — about $61,000 for a single person and $88,000 for a family of four.

Construction is expected to take about one year, according to Baxley.

A $39 million collaborative development

Livewell Terrace by BMH is a collaborative effort between Beaufort Memorial, Beaufort County, the Town of Bluffton, Beaufort Jasper Housing Trust, Woda Cooper Companies, and other community partners.

The $39 million development will also include medical office space for a future Beaufort Memorial primary care practice and therapy services, reflecting what partners describe as a shared commitment to supporting the region’s continued growth and workforce housing needs.