Bethea Retirement Community has announced plans to expand its Darlington campus with a state-of-the-art nursing and rehab center and 18 new cottages.

Bethea executive director Ben Spurling said the $29 million expansion represents the first new construction on the campus in more than 20 years.

The 55,000-square-foot nursing center will feature all private rooms, a “household” design with residential living, activity and dining spaces and access to outdoor courtyards. Visitors will enjoy the ice cream shop, private dining room and screened porches for family visits, Spurling said.

The new cottages will offer four floor plans ranging from a 1,600-square-foot two-bedroom home to a more than 2,500-square-foot home.

Tom Turner, CEO of South Carolina Baptist Ministries for the Aging, said the ministry has engaged in an “intensive strategic planning process to thoroughly evaluate the needs of our current and future residents and to radically and positively respond to those needs.”

Construction is anticipated to start in early 2019 with completion slated for early 2020. For more information, visit www.bethearetirement.com or call 843-393-2867.