What does it take for a shopping plaza to live up to the comparison its developer gave it?
In May 2025, Lee Lucier, chief operating officer of The Richardson Group, said Compass Commons at New Riverside Village was meant to showcase locally rooted businesses, with a mix similar to Coligny Plaza on Hilton Head Island. At the time it read like a goal. On Oct. 1, 2026, Café Al Dente soft-opened at 303 Parkside Commons, Suite 103. It is a restaurant that has been part of Coligny Plaza since February 2024. So the comparison now describes the tenant list itself, in a development at the corner of New Riverside Road and S.C. 46.
For Hampton Lake, that matters this month in particular. The community's October calendar is one of its busiest of the year. A dinner that used to mean crossing the bridge to Hilton Head can now happen nearby.
Six Years From Plan to Pasta
New Riverside Village isn't a quick project. A 2020 Island Packet report described a place for gathering, shopping, eating, working and living, with parks, trails, cafes, markets and commercial space. That report also said a planned town park and library still needed further approval.
Since then the development has grown in two parts. AVTEX Commercial Properties, led by Tex Small, has been building the commercial area across the pond. The Richardson Group oversees Compass Commons, four buildings with a little over 16,000 square feet of space. In January 2026, the Island Packet wrote that Compass Commons was "finally inching closer to completion" after construction delays pushed back its timeline.
That same January article named three Hilton Head businesses as the next tenants and gave target dates for each. Comparing those targets with what happened shows how the past nine months went.
The January Promises, Checked Against October
| Business | Address | January 2026 target | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Pie | 135 Parkside Commons | By mid-February | Opened mid-April 2026 |
| Frosty Frog Cafe | 147 Parkside Commons | By early April | Now operating, with online ordering |
| Café Al Dente | Listed as 307 Parkside Commons; opened at 303 Parkside Commons, Suite 103 | By early April | Soft-opened Oct. 1, 2026 |
All three ran late, and Café Al Dente ran latest. Even so, the full group is now open, and that hasn't been true at Compass Commons before this week.
Café Al Dente is a scratch-made Italian restaurant. Its roots are in Oyster Bay, New York, and owners Damien and Yakshi Carlino brought it to Coligny Plaza in 2024. At the soft opening, the restaurant was still waiting on final approval of its liquor license, so dinner was BYOB. That may change at any point, so call ahead before you pack a bottle.
Local Pie's New Riverside location page lists hours of Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a weekday happy hour and game-day deals on Fridays and Saturdays. The closed Monday will matter for a couple of dates on the October calendar below.
What Was Already There
The three newest restaurants joined a group that had been filling in for more than a year. Pet Wants at 303 Parkside Commons, Suite 101, and STMT Boutique next door in Suite 102 opened May 31, 2025. Nom Nom Poke Shop opened at 267 Parkside Commons, Suite 102, the week of Nov. 20, 2025. Burke's New Riverside Pharmacy is at 267 Parkside Commons, #101, and Bluffton Ice Cream was on the Island Packet's list of open Compass Commons businesses in January.
The AVTEX side, across the pond, adds a different set of names. In May 2025 the Island Packet listed these businesses as open there:
- Eggs Up Grill
- Sakura Sushi & Ramen
- Grind Coffee House
- New York Butcher Shoppe
- T Baguette & Boba
- The Bluffs Spa
- Lettrs Gifts
- Parlour Nails & Spa
- The Beauty Vault
That list is more than a year old, so take it as a snapshot from 2025 and not a current directory. In April 2026, Eat It & Like It still described Grind Coffee Roasters and Eggs Up Grill as open in the New Riverside area, along with Flatbread Grill.
Together, the two sides cover breakfast, coffee, poke, sushi, pizza, pasta, ice cream, a butcher, a pharmacy and a pet shop. That range is what the Coligny comparison promised, more than any single tenant.
Hampton Lake's October, With Dinner Nearby
The Sept. 28 Weekly Catch from the Hampton Lake Community Association lays out a busy October. Here it is in date order, with the weekdays worked out for 2026:
- Sunday, Oct. 11: Kayaking 101, the first of two sessions.
- Friday, Oct. 16: Shriners Pirate Night, with separate sign-ups for a scavenger hunt, a pirates dinner and movie night.
- Saturday, Oct. 17: The One Lure fishing tournament. The tournament details and registration form are posted as PDFs.
- Wednesday, Oct. 21: Game Night.
- Sunday, Oct. 25: Kayaking 101, second session.
- Monday, Oct. 26: Pour Choices.
- Friday, Oct. 30: The Scary Lighted Boat Parade, with a parade route map published.
A few of these dates line up with what's open at Compass Commons. The One Lure tournament falls on a Saturday, when Local Pie runs its game-day deals. Pirate Night already includes its own dinner, so that Friday is better kept inside the gate. Pour Choices is on a Monday, when Local Pie is closed. That makes Café Al Dente or one of the AVTEX-side restaurants the likelier dinner stop that night. The Oct. 30 parade is also a Friday evening. An early dinner at Compass Commons can still leave time to get back for the boats.
The fishing tournament comes with some history this year. In the Sept. 21 update, the Fishing Club named its summer-series winners: Mike Beckwith and Jim Biggs in the individual standings, and the teams of Jeff Bailey and Kurt Stevenson, and Tom Martin and Tom Smith. The same issue promoted a Sunday brunch buffet at Backwater Bill's and the Lakeview Room. Both are options on weekend mornings when you'd rather not leave the community.
The Rest of the Month Inside the Gate
The Sept. 28 update also covers some practical changes for October.
The Lakeside pool will stay heated to 80 degrees through October. The association calls this the shoulder season. Fall compliance inspections by the Architectural Review Board start Monday, Oct. 12, and inspectors will check properties from the road and by boat. They'll be looking at groundcover and roof cleanliness, so the association suggests clearing weeds and bare spots, mulching where it makes sense, and power-washing roofs before then.
The Grounds and Facilities Committee is working with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources on where to put new osprey nests and stands. The installations are expected in the coming weeks. Fitness Central's evening painting work was scheduled to finish Wednesday, Sept. 30. Until then the facility was closing nightly from 7 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. The association hasn't yet confirmed the work is done, so check the next Weekly Catch before planning an evening workout. Gate access now runs through the Proptia app, which replaced the former ADBi app.
One More Opening Planned for October
Another opening is planned a short way down the road at Buckwalter Place. In June, franchisee Thomas Zientek told the Island Packet that the new Culver's at 231 Buckwalter Place Blvd. was set to open Oct. 19, which is a Monday. That date came from a June forecast, before the building had gone up, so treat it as a target.
If you're spending more evenings at New Riverside Village and wondering how the area's growth affects your own home's value, Bobby Blakley can walk you through it. He pairs Engel & Völkers reach with a banker's eye for value and can take you through it over a calm conversation. Schedule a Free Consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
