The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is hunting for new spots across Beaufort County to expand or replace the landmark 163-year-old Beaufort National Cemetery.
One top contender is apparently a 100-acre wooded lot in Bluffton near the May River, about 25 miles away from the current location.
That Bluffton property is going for $6.5 million, but local zoning rules currently ban cemeteries, so the owner has been trying to get Beaufort County to change the rules.
However, the Beaufort County Council rejected the proposed text amendment in a 7-3 vote Monday, preventing cemeteries within the May River Community Preservation District…