Refrigerated Trailer for Rent in Bluffton, SC

BLUFFTON, S.C. –Novant Health is expanding access to emergency care in the Lowcountry with the opening of the new freestanding Novant Health Bluffton Emergency Department.

The emergency department opening marks the completion of the first phase ofNovant Health Washington Square Medical Park, a new healthcare campus designed to meet the growing needs of the Bluffton community.

Conveniently located just off Buckwalter Parkway at 8 Parkside Drive, Novant Health Bluffton Emergency Department is now seeing patients. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the facility provides the same level of emergency evaluation and treatment as a hospital-based emergency department in a convenient location to serve the Bluffton community.

“When an emergency happens, every minute matters,” said Dr. Erica McEnery, medical director for emergency services for Novant Health Hilton Head Medical Center. “This facility allows patients to receive expert emergency care where they live, with advanced diagnostics and experienced emergency medicine teams available around the clock.”

The 10,000-square-foot facility features 10 treatment rooms, including a dedicated trauma room, and offers a full range of advanced onsite diagnostic services. The emergency department is staffed by board-certified emergency medicine physicians, experienced nurses and support staff. The facility is equipped to stabilize and treat a wide range of medical conditions as well as coordinate transport to a hospital when additional specialized care is needed.

A medical office building, currently under construction on the campus, will further expand access to outpatient and specialty care services in the future.

“This investment reflects our continued commitment to bringing remarkable care closer to where people live and work,” said Joel Taylor, president of the Hilton Head area for Novant Health. “Bluffton is one of the fastest-growing communities in South Carolina, and Novant Health is proud to make long-term investments that ensure families have access to convenient, high-quality healthcare for generations to come.”

The services offered at Novant Health Washington Square Medical Park are part of Novant Health’s broader commitment to expand care across the Lowcountry, complementing its existing network of hospitals, physician clinics and outpatient services. Nearby, Novant Health Buckwalter Place Medical Parkrecently opened and includes primary care, orthopedic services and an imaging center.

Novant Health continues to invest in South Carolina to meet rising demand and ensure patients have access to high-quality, convenient care options across the region.

A proposed three-building development on Bluffton’s May River Road with retail, office and restaurant space is in the early planning stages.

submitted to Bluffton’s Development Review Committee by local architecture and landscaping firm Witmer Jones Keefer Ltd. on behalf of Michael Bradley Holdings LLC show a three-building complex with 47,300 square feet of space and more than 200 parking spaces. The proposed complex would be built on a 5.18-acre parcel north of May River Road and east of Buck Island Road at 6201 Jennifer Court.

The buildings would have retail, office, restaurant and potentially medical office space, according to the project narrative. Buildings one and two on the north side of the parcel would contain the office and retail space, while building three on the south side would contain restaurant space. All three buildings will be two stories tall, and building one may have a drive-thru installed.

The complex would wrap around a pre-existing Parker’s Kitchen gas station built in 2013. Beaufort County zoned the area into five commercial parcels in 2000 before the town of Bluffton annexed it, according to the project narrative. The Parker’s Kitchen was built on two of the parcels, and the proposed complex is planned on the remaining three parcels.

The town of Bluffton approved the filling of a small wetland on the parcel to allow for one of the proposed parking lots, according to the project narrative. Landscaping plans include planting native trees such as Live Oaks, Shumard Oaks, Bald Cypress, and Southern Magnolias on the site and creating open, landscaped spaces. Many of the parcel’s pre-existing trees would be removed under the current plans.

Witmer Jones Keefer Ltd. submitted preliminary plans on July 23, and made resubmissions on Aug. 28. The project must pass both Bluffton’s Development Review Committee and Planning Commission before it can be built, and its progress can be tracked on Bluffton’s website.

Another neighborhood is coming to New Riverside by the same developer behind Midpoint at New Riverside.

Bluffton Town Council approved a master plan for a 104-home neighborhood at a parcel on New Riverside Road in a May 12 meeting. The developer, Pulte Homes, will build the neighborhood on a 101-acre parcel across the road from May River High School.

The parcel, New Riverside Parcel 8A, is owned by Pioneer Land & Timber, which it plans to sell to Pulte Homes, according to the master plan. The plan calls for “horizontal development” to take place over the next two years, and home construction over a “longer period of time.”

What’s planned for the neighborhood?

The neighborhood will have a single, looped street with two gated entrances from New Riverside Road, according to the master plan. Pulte Homes plans two community parks within the neighborhood, alongside two lagoons for stormwater collection. One park will overlook the largest lagoon and have a community fire pit, pavilion and a scenic vista.

Homes will be detached, single-family units, on lots varying between 45 to 90-feet wide and 110 to 140 feet in depth, according to the master plan. The neighborhood will also have a sidewalk and parking areas.

How much for a home?

Pulte Homes also developed Midpoint at New Riverside only a short distance from the new neighborhood’s parcel. Homes in Midpoint start at $477,990, according to its website. It also developed the Salem Bay neighborhood, where homes start at $417,990. The master plan does not describe how much a home would cost in the new neighborhood.

The Island Packet contacted Pulte Homes for comment. Pulte Homes did not respond.

What schools would residents attend?

According to public documents, the Thomas & Hutton engineering firm shared plans with the Beaufort County School District (BCSD) on behalf of Pulte Homes. In its response, BCSD Chief Operations Officer Robert Oetting wrote the neighborhood would fall within the attendance zones of Pritchardville Elementary School, H.E. McCracken Middle School and May River High School.

The elementary school is operating at 111% of its building capacity, the middle school 98% and the High School 95%, Oetting wrote. BCSD is constructing May River Elementary on the campus of May River High to address enrollment growth. May River Elementary will have a capacity of 800 students.

BLUFFTON, S.C. (WTOC) — First responders in Bluffton had an active start to Tuesday, battling two separate early morning structure fires that destroyed one residential home but caused no injuries.

Emergency officials say both incidents highlight the vital role that working fire safety systems play in saving lives and property.

Smoke alarm saves resident from devastating Vine Street fire

The first emergency call came in just after 2:20 a.m. Tuesday, August 18 for a house fire on Vine Street.

Officials confirmed that a working smoke alarm successfully alerted the lone occupant inside, allowing them to escape the burning house unharmed before fire crews arrived.

“This fire is a powerful reminder of why working smoke alarms matter,” said Bluffton Township Fire Chief David Hindman. “The early warning they provided gave this resident the time needed to get out safely.”

Nine emergency units—including multiple engines, a heavy rescue team, and a ladder company—responded to the scene. Firefighters spent several hours getting the flames under control, but the home was unfortunately declared a total loss. Investigators are still working to determine what started the fire.

Kitchen fire at Bluestone Apartments suppressed by sprinkler system

Just before 7:30 a.m., crews were dispatched to a water flow alarm at the Bluestone Apartments off Bluffton Parkway.

Firefighters arrived to find a kitchen fire in a first-floor unit, but the apartment building’s sprinkler system had already triggered and fully put out the flames. Because of the quick automatic suppression, the fire was contained to the single kitchen and did not spread to any neighboring units.

The incident is believed to have been a cooking fire, though the official cause remains under investigation.

Red Cross steps in to help

The American Red Cross is currently assisting the residents displaced by both fires. BTFD continues to encourage all residents to test their household smoke alarms monthly and replace the batteries once a year.

BLUFFTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Firefighters responded to two structure fires within hours of each other Tuesday morning in the Bluffton area, including one that destroyed a home and another that was extinguished by an apartment sprinkler system.

No injuries were reported in either fire, according to the Bluffton Township Fire District.

The first fire was reported shortly after 2:20 a.m. at a home on Vine Street. A resident inside was alerted by working smoke alarms and escaped before firefighters arrived, the district said.

Nine fire district units responded, including engines, a rescue unit, a truck company and two battalion chiefs. Crews remained at the scene for several hours as they worked to control the blaze. The home was a total loss.

READ MORE | "Fire destroys historic 1800s-era home in Old Bluffton."

One adult was known to be inside the home when the fire started, though officials said it was unclear whether anyone else lived there. The cause remained under investigation.

Fire Chief David Hindman said the resident's escape demonstrated the importance of working smoke alarms.

"The early warning they provided gave this resident the time needed to get out safely," Hindman said.

Less than six hours later, firefighters were called to Bluestone Apartments on Bluffton Parkway after a sprinkler water flow alarm was reported shortly before 7:30 a.m.

An engine from Station 30 responded, followed by the district's heavy rescue unit. Firefighters arriving at the complex discovered a kitchen fire in a first-floor apartment, but the building's sprinkler system had already activated and extinguished the flames before they could spread to neighboring units.

READ MORE | "Fire damages home in Bluffton, camper destroyed in blaze."

The apartment's residents escaped safely, and no other units in the complex were affected. Investigators believe the blaze began as a cooking fire, though the final cause had not been determined as of Wednesday.

The American Red Cross was contacted to assist residents affected by both fires.

Fire officials urged residents to test their smoke alarms monthly and replace batteries at least once a year. The district also emphasized the role properly maintained sprinkler systems can play in preventing fires from spreading.