Rezoning for 130-home Bay Road subdivision fails after residents raise flooding and wetlands concerns

The Horry County Planning Commission voted against a proposal to rezone 51.64 acres along Bay Road and Freewoods Road for a 130‑lot single-family subdivision after a heated public hearing on May 7.

Applicant consultant Dan Park (Earthworks Group) told the commission the project is well below the area’s suburban density range and includes oversized stormwater ponds, expanded landscape buffers and a new secondary road connection intended to relieve traffic at the Bay/Freewoods intersection. “We have the official signed document by the Army Corps of Engineers right there showing where the wetlands are, and we are not disturbing them,” Park said, urging commissioners to focus on the Corps’ delineation rather than social-media claims.

Residents pressed a different case. Gary Ward, who said his yard floods, told commissioners, “The topography right here is low … I’m tired of the storm water. I’m tired of the flooding.” Christina Hughes, a nearby resident, said the neighborhood she described faces constrained egress and large amounts of wetland on adjacent land: “Seventy percent of that land is wetlands. This is about safety.” Joseph Sheehy urged a thorough traffic count, saying backups on Bay Road already extend more than a mile into nearby neighborhoods.

Supporters of the plan — including developer Melvin Ezell and engineer Steve Stroken — said the team performed a formal Army Corps wetland delineation, oversized ponds to hold runoff, and met with county stormwater staff. Ezell said the Corps’ review is the final determination on jurisdictional wetlands: “They reviewed it … and on July 7 we received our letter stating that the area … is the only jurisdictional wetlands on the property.” Stroken said improved interconnectivity and the proposed turn lanes would act as a relief valve for a congested intersection.

Commissioners heard frequent claims and counterclaims about the site’s capacity to handle runoff and about the reliability of smaller, private wetland studies. After public comment and commissioner discussion, a member moved to approve the rezoning; the motion failed by voice vote and the chair briefly recessed the meeting.

Why it mattered: The proposal touched three recurring local concerns — flood risk and drainage, traffic at a constrained intersection, and how wetlands are defined and protected — and drew a large in‑person turnout from both opponents and supporters. The Army Corps letter and the county’s stormwater review were central technical points, but public testimony about observed flooding and single-egress safety carried weight with the commission.

What's next: The transcript records the motion failing and a brief recess. The developer and staff indicated the plan has undergone multiple revisions; the application could return to the commission after further changes or the applicant could pursue other administrative or legal remedies. The transcript does not record any formal follow-up schedule or binding direction to staff.

Sources: Statements and testimony during the May 7 Horry County Planning Commission meeting, including applicant remarks by Dan Park (Earthworks Group), testimony from residents Gary Ward and Christina Hughes, technical comments from Melvin Ezell and Steve Stroken, and staff summaries of the application and Army Corps correspondence.