Vacant Sam’s Club building, Hilton Head’s mid-island eyesore, bought by local businessman
The former Sam’s Club building on Hilton Head Island, which has been vacant since January 2017 when the big box retailer moved to Bluffton, has a new owner.
Hilton Head businessman J.R. Richardson, owner of the Richardson Group, purchased the property for $5.8 million, according to paperwork filed in Beaufort County. The deal closed Feb. 28.
Lee Lucier, chief operating officer for the Richardson Group, said on Thursday afternoon that Richardson aims to give the mid-island eyesore a new life, but it was too soon to speak of specifics.
“We were able to secure the property with the hopes of it being developed as a local asset to the community,” Lucier said. “We think we have a great plan going forward. We’re just working through the planning stages.”
The more than 70,000-square-foot building sits on 5.26 acres in Port Royal Plaza.
A small portion of the space will be a locally owned indoor pickleball club, Lucier said.
Richardson made the deal as part of a separate business, Barony Fund 1 Investment LLC. However, Richardson Group will manage the property at 95 Mathews Drive in Port Royal Plaza.
It currently is zoned for commercial development. Lucier said he didn’t anticipate the need to request rezoning.
“The property is in an Opportunity Zone, and we are glad to be able to use it as space for the island in a manner that will serve the community,” Richardson said in a statement.
Opportunity Zones are federally designated areas set up to encourage economic development and job creation by reducing taxes for investors. There are 135 Opportunity Zones in South Carolina but only one on Hilton Head.
In the seven years the former Sam’s Club building has been vacant, several businesses have announced plans that failed to materialize:
In 2019, Burke’s Outlet submitted a proposal with the town to change the facade and fill a portion of the space with two of its stores.
In 2021, plans for a Go Store It self-storage facility were withdrawn after criticism from the community and town officials.
In 2022, Lowe’s Foods announced plans to redesign the space for one of its upscale grocery stores.
Richardson moved to Hilton Head with his father, mother and siblings in 1955. His father, James Norris Richardson, opened a supermarket and other stores in the area that would become the current Coligny Plaza on Hilton Head’s south end.
In addition to Coligny Plaza, the younger Richardson was also behind the development of Windmill Harbour and the South Carolina Yacht Club. Today, Richardson Group also includes Local Pie, Fish and Forrest Fire restaurants plus several workforce housing projects on Hilton Head Island.
Port Royal Plaza is also home to Planet Fitness and an assortment of shops and restaurants including Rollers Wine and Spirits, Fiesta Fresh, Okko, Street Meet, Paris Baguette and Jinya ramen bar, among others.
