COLUMBIA, S.C. — About a dozen more affordable homes may be popping up in one of South Carolina’s glittering tourist destinations this year.
A Hardeeville businessman is proposing a new mobile home park on Hilton Head Island. It will have space for 14 lots at a site located near 177 Spanish Wells Road, 2,500 feet from Jarvis Creek, according to state records.
Enrique Lopez, who has lived in Bluffton and Hilton Head since 1990 but is originally from Mexico, has applied to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control for Coastal Zone Consistency determination. He is also seeking a permit for land disturbance and utility installation.
“I don’t think there will be any problems,” said Lopez, who who used to own a drywall business. “Step by step, it can be done.”
He said current mobile home renters could benefit in the long run by purchasing a spot in his future mobile home park, where he expects to sell a lot for about $70,000. A four-bedroom, two-bathroom mobile home can be purchased for $30,000-$35,000, he estimated.
“I have people interested in buying lots in Hilton Head,” said Lopez, adding that some residents are already renting lots elsewhere for $500 a month.
“If they can put five, 10, 15, $20,000 down, then they’re going to own their lot (after several years),” he said.
The project’s agent is Ebrahim Nadji of Savannah-based Empire Engineering Company. He could not be reached by email, phone or text message.
The proposed trailer park community represents a clear contrast with Hilton Head’s more expensive housing fare.
In July of 2014, the median price of residential homes, condos and villas in the Hilton Head area was $248,000, a 17 percent decline from July of last year, according to data from SC REALTORS. Across South Carolina, the median price remained steady, from $163,000 in July of last year to $167,000 last month.
“I’ve been in construction a long time,” said Lopez, who said he may move to Greenville, S.C., in the near future.
“I’m just trying to make a living.”
How well the new community will be received in Hilton Head remains a question.
“That’s something that can be a challenge,” said Mark Dillard, executive director of the Manufactured Housing Institute of South Carolina. “I think the reason is a lot of people think of the old stereotypes.”
He said new manufactured home communities often resemble site-built subdivisions.
“But you’ve got the old product out there, the old houses built back before the code,” said Dillard.
“When they hear about a new (manufactured home) community, their mind probably goes back to the old styles from the 50s and 60s.”