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Horry County Council approves Highway 66 rezoning as amended amid flooding and cemetery preservation concerns
Summary
Council approved second reading and public hearing for a development agreement and rezoning with Highway 66 LLC after adopting an amendment; residents warned the project could worsen flooding and urged preservation of Pond Field Graveyard, which the developer said would be fenced and maintained per the development agreement.
The Horry County Council voted to advance a rezoning and development agreement with Highway 66 LLC after adopting an amendment to the ordinance and hearing residents’ concerns about flooding and an in‑woods graveyard.
During second reading and public hearing for ordinances described as 64 and 65, the council first considered and approved an amendment to ordinance 64. That amendment was moved and seconded and carried before the public hearing portion began.
Michelle Smith, who said she has lived on Ashley Circle for nearly 30 years, presented petitions and argued the project sits in an area known locally as Camp Swamp and is susceptible to heavy flooding. "The water will affect us because our house, our home is alongside Camp Swamp ... it's gonna be big, life threatening," Smith told council, citing prior storms that closed local roads and required large-scale assistance.
Patricia Cannon McCauley told council a family graveyard called Pond Field Graveyard lies within the woods of the proposed subdivision and said the cemetery contains "40 plus graves back in those woods." She said the developer had offered to fence and maintain the site but requested council oversight to ensure preservation.
Planning and staff presentations noted the application had been reduced from an earlier larger proposal (speaker accounts put previous concepts above 500 lots) to roughly 98–99 homes under the current MRD plan; staff said a by-right development could have produced about 65–70 lots. The development agreement and plan include perimeter buffering (a noted 200-foot buffer along Ashley Circle and 100-foot buffers elsewhere) and wetland protections and show on-site detention/retention measures.
Council members acknowledged flood concerns but said staff and engineers had reviewed the plan. Council member Causey encouraged continued dialog between the developer and residents; the development agreement records that the graveyard will be taken under terms the council said would be captured in the agreement. By voice vote the council moved the ordinance forward as amended.
What’s next: Council members said developer commitments and any written amendments should be returned for the third reading; residents were advised to continue discussions with the developer and expect additional review before final approval.
