150 tiny apartments are now for lease in Beaufort. Here’s a glimpse inside the units

Melissa Brown paused and looked north toward an expanse of marsh visible from the fourth floor of a former hotel just off of Boundary Street.

“Where else,” she said, “are you going to get that [view] in Beaufort at $1,200 a month?”

At The Pearl Studio Apartment Community in Beaufort, which features 150 units that stand out from competitors for their small size and affordability. Brown is the manager at the city’s first hotel-to-apartment conversion, where some fourth-flour residents have a view of the water. A former Days Inn was converted into apartments in Port Royal in 2023.

New apartments aren’t new in Beaufort. They’re going up all over. The Pearl stands out, says Brown, because it raises the bar for what it means live well affordably while helping to meet a demand for affordable workforce housing.

Workforce housing is defined as housing for middle-income households that earn too much to qualify for traditional affordable housing but are unable to afford market-rate housing. In other words, students, retires, teachers, cops, first responders and the like.

Located in one of the busiest area’s of the city, the 40-year-old building used to be a Holiday Inn and Quality Inn in former lives before 303 Associates, a local real estate and redevelopment company, decided to “reimagine” the property. It hired Dunbar Construction of Spartanburg to complete the $5 million job.

After eight months of a construction, the old four-story hotel, located off Boundary behind Starbucks, has been transformed into new apartments. Leasing began in August.

The studios range in size from 252-375 square feet and come with induction ranges and microwave ovens for cooking and refrigerators. It’s up to residents to furnish the rest.

Rents range from $1,100 for the smallest units to $1,200 for mid-sized apartments to $1,250 for the largest. Those monthly payments also cover the costs of high-speed Wi-Fi, water and electricity and include a free membership to the Foundry Fitness Center in Beaufort Town Centre.

Zillow.com says the city’s average rent is about $2,100 compared to $1,471 for a one bedroom. Studio apartments are typically 500-600 square feet, according to Apartments.com.

Besides an outdoor pool, amenities at The Pearl include a variety of indoor common areas including a game room with ping pong, foosball, arcade basketball, pool tables and a big screen TV that includes popular streaming channels including NFL ticket, HULU, Disney and Paramount.

A public computer and printer is available in the “business center.” A community dining hall features an air frier and convection ovens and serves as a place where residents can entertain guests.

For those who want peace and quiet, a library comes with comfortable chairs and “with actual books,” Brown says. “So it’s a real wing ding library,” Brown says.

Brown talks a lot about The Pearl being a “community” and not just a collection of apartment units.

She points to a calendar on the wall with dates on the board showing nights for bingo, a Thursday potluck dinner, Taco Tuesday and a movie night. A community garden is in the works where residents can help grow vegetables or simply enjoy eating them. A place on the edge of marsh where residents can sit around fire pits and enjoy the view is being developed as well.

“Everyone, regardless of income, deserves a home they can be proud of,” says Brown, who lives at The Pearl herself.

By Karl Puckett, The Island Packet