HARDEEVILLE, S.C. — Hardeeville Mayor Bronco Bostick says RiverPort Business Park will soon “have buildings popping up everywhere.”
Developer Stratford Land took an important step toward that end Thursday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of RiverPort Parkway, the future entrance to the development’s 172-acre industrial section off U.S. 17.
David Moore, senior investment manager with the Dallas-based company, said the road should be finished in about six months.
Bostick said construction will soon begin on the park’s first spec building.
“We’ll do phase one of the road development, and then the park will have buildings popping up everywhere,” he said.
Hardeeville and Jasper County leaders were joined by economic development officials at the 5,136-acre RiverPort development, which is permitted for warehousing, distribution, light industrial, commercial and mixed use.
“A business park is a way to have new jobs come into a region and a new quality of life,” Moore said. “We want to celebrate all of the people who have helped us out. This is the start of something big. … In the next 25 years, this will be the important area in the Lowcountry.”
Stratford Land and city officials said the business park is expected to attract up to $875 million in investment and as many as 10,500 jobs.
“I’m really excited about this because it’s going to bring a change to Jasper County — more jobs, more revenue and more opportunity for this region,” Bostick said.
“You’ll see Hardeeville start to grow and, most of all, jobs bring rooftops and rooftops bring restaurants. It will also start to bring amenities and recreational activities and everything to our city.”