Conway planning staff on Nov. 6 presented the Planning Commission with options to limit the locations and conditions under which vape/smoke shops, payday and title‑loan lenders and similar businesses can operate in the city's Highway Commercial (HC) zone.

Staff said the proposal would not ban those businesses outright but could remove them from HC, make them conditional uses subject to distance and operational controls, or require a special‑exception review by the Board of Zoning Appeals. "They could be defined separately in the unified development ordinance," staff said, adding that possible conditions include increased setbacks, spacing requirements and limits on proximity to schools, day cares, parks and churches.

Why it matters: commissioners said concentrations of such businesses have clustered along primary corridors and can harm neighborhood character or create secondary effects for nearby residents. Staff cited comparative examples, including a 2022 draft amendment in the City of Columbia that required distance separations and Myrtle Beach's use of sunset provisions in contested cases.

Staff briefing and legal constraints

Planning staff showed a uses table identifying which uses are permitted, conditional or accessory across HC, light industrial and heavy industrial districts. Staff noted that existing operations would become legal nonconforming uses under many ordinance changes and that a nonconforming use normally lapses after six months of discontinued operation, which is when the city could prevent the same use re‑opening at that location absent separate ordinance language.

Staff also described the special‑exception route used by Horry County for bed and breakfasts, certain restaurants, outpatient treatment facilities and other uses. A special exception would require public notice, a hearing before the Board of Zoning Appeals and the ability for the board to impose conditions tailored to the site.

Commission feedback

Multiple members said they preferred making the targeted uses conditional in HC with mandatory distance requirements and a public hearing process. One member said, "I really like the idea of making it a conditional use in HC and having those distance requirements," noting that a 1,000‑foot separation would prevent close clustering of vapor shops. Another cautioned against using a sunset clause to remove existing businesses at license renewal, saying that approach would feel like "we really don't want your kind here."

Next steps

Staff said it will return next month with a map showing industrial areas in Conway, examples of sunset provisions used elsewhere, draft ordinance language and other options for conditional use or special‑exception frameworks. The commission gave direction to develop multiple options rather than advance a single amendment.

Attribution and sources

All direct statements in this article come from the meeting transcript and the staff presentation. The staff presenter repeatedly identified the items as changes to the city's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and referenced the Board of Zoning Appeals and Horry County practices as comparators.

Ending note

No formal ordinance change or vote was taken; the item remained a staff‑led discussion and the commission did not adopt policy at the Nov. 6 meeting.