By Delayna Earley
The Island News
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is planning to build a $30 million clinic in Beaufort County, but the question is, will it be in Beaufort or Port Royal?
Three sites are currently being evaluated between the two municipalities as a possible location for the clinic and ultimately, the developer will make the decision as to the new home of the clinic.
At the end of August, Beaufort’s city council passed a resolution to support and endorse Beaufort as “the new VA community-based outpatient clinic within the corporate limits of the city of Beaufort.”
Additionally, the resolution addresses the benefits of having a VA clinic within the community by mentioning the “strategic, economic and social benefits” that this would offer to the veteran community in Beaufort.
The resolution stated that locating the clinic in Beaufort would offer accessibility as well as access to existing infrastructure.
Proximity to military installations and veteran populations is also mentioned in the resolution as a positive, with the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort located in Beaufort and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island located nearby.
The resolution was to be sent to Congresswoman Nancy Mace.
Currently, there is a VA clinic inside the Naval Hospital in Port Royal, but the new clinic would be able to provide mental health services, counseling and improve primary care access for the thousands of veterans that live in Beaufort County.
Locations currently being considered for the clinic are an 11-acre lot off Ribaut Road in Port Royal, 16 acres off Robert Smalls Parkway in Beaufort and 28 acres on Robert Smalls Parkway in Port Royal.
The VA is looking to build a clinic with a private developer through a “built-to-suit” lease agreement with a private developer and the size of the multi-story clinic is estimated to range from 48,000 square feet to 70,000 square feet, will include 500 parking spaces and in addition to elevating the level of healthcare for veterans in Beaufort, the clinic will provide additional jobs in the area.
Once built, the VA would lease the facility, according to public records.
The VA is reviewing proposals and is expected to make a final decision on the location of the clinic in early 2026. Construction of the clinic is expected to take from 18 months to two years once all permits and approvals are granted.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
