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City staff to seek National Register boundary increase for Conway downtown; 59 properties proposed
Summary
City planning staff and consultants from Rogers Lewis will seek to add 59 properties to the Conway Downtown Historic District and the Waccamaw River warehouse district; the National Register State Review Board will review the nomination March 21 in Columbia.
City planning staff said consultants from Rogers Lewis will present a boundary increase nomination to the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office that would add 59 contributing resources to the Conway Downtown Historic District and the Waccamaw River warehouse district.
Planning staff said the National Register State Review Board will review the application and vote on the nomination at its March 21 meeting in Columbia; the staff message included a copy of the nomination packet and noted consultants and staff will attend the 10:30 a.m. review. "After much research and work with the State Historic Preservation Office, the downtown boundary increase nomination includes 59 additional contributing resources," planning staff said in the meeting. Staff told the board the designation would identify historic buildings and could make business and property owners eligible for incentives such as reimbursements, tax freezes and other programs if owners choose to pursue them.
Staff also told the board that one building identified in the nomination had recently been demolished and that Building 57 lost part of its original façade when it "fell off." Board members asked how a designation might affect redevelopment of properties such as the Palmetto car dealership; planning staff replied the effect depends on the specific status placed on a parcel or building and on the Rogers Lewis nomination and the review board's eventual order. Staff added that property owners had been notified by mail about the nomination and the review date.
Planning staff further reminded the board of an existing local business-license rule discussed in the meeting: if a business lacks a business license for more than 180 days, the use could not return as a nonconforming use in that zoning district. Staff said that rule could affect whether a former dealership use could reestablish itself if it were vacated.
The board did not take action on the nomination; staff will report the outcome after the March 21 review.
