Council reviews proposed conservation residential zoning to protect Little River Neck Road and other sensitive areas

At a council workshop, North Myrtle Beach officials reviewed a proposed “conservation residential” zoning district intended to protect environmentally sensitive areas such as parts of Little River Neck Road, city staff said.

City planning staff explained the district would allow the same overall density as conventional subdivisions but rearrange development to preserve larger contiguous open-space tracts, reduce infrastructure needs and protect wetlands, trees and other features. “This pattern of land development better preserves larger intact open spaces, which is better for stormwater management, it's better for wildlife preservation, and other ecological benefits,” said Jim, city staff, during his presentation.

Why it matters: Staff said the district is designed to produce low-density, environmentally sensitive projects while still enabling a mix of housing types. The rules would apply only to properties that request the zoning or are assigned it through future annexation decisions; no property would be rezoned automatically by adopting the ordinance text, staff said.

Key provisions described by staff include a maximum of four dwelling units per acre, a minimum site size of 15 acres to qualify, and a requirement that at least 35% of the site be preserved as common open space with 60% of that open space in one contiguous tract. Wetlands would be preserved except where necessary for road crossings, with a 20-foot vegetated perimeter buffer required around wetlands and a 20-foot project perimeter buffer required around the development. “You have to preserve at least 35% of the land in common open space,” Jim said. “And of that, 60% of that open space has to be in one contiguous tract.”

Staff also outlined development controls intended to support a rural, traditional neighborhood character: minimum half-acre lots must account for at least 10% of homes in a project (about 21,000 square feet), townhouses would be capped at a maximum of 10% of total units, front porches would be required (minimum 7-foot depth, 80 square feet), garage doors could not exceed 40% of house frontage and vinyl siding would be prohibited. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) would be allowed only on single-family lots within the conservation district, must be at least 15 feet from the main home, require one parking space, and would count as half a dwelling unit in density calculations; ADUs could not be rented for fewer than 30 days to limit short-term rentals, staff said.

Council members asked how the rules would treat previously timbered or clear-cut sites. Jim said the ordinance would not force developers to replant across an entire cleared site beyond buffer or planting requirements tied to specific open-space/buffer areas. He also noted that sketch-plan and tree-preservation requirements adopted earlier this year give the planning commission tools to require preservation of significant trees during initial review.

Implementation: Staff described the conservation district as a specialized, voluntary tool that would likely be applied only in select locations because of the 15-acre minimum and market considerations. It could be used as a condition in annexation negotiations — for example, when a developer seeks to join the city, the council could designate conservation residential as the appropriate zoning for that parcel. Jim said the ordinance has been through an earlier review cycle with the planning commission; if the council requests significant changes after this workshop, staff would return the draft to the planning commission for further review.

Public comment and concerns: Dana Brown of Longs asked who maintains the 20-foot buffer between subdivisions; Jim responded that the entire 20-foot buffer would be maintained by the development’s homeowners association. Brown also said she has seen developers secure variances from the Board of Zoning Appeals that, in her view, undercut previously approved tree preservation; she asked whether that pattern would be addressed. That concern was recorded but not resolved at the workshop.

Next steps: Staff will gather input from the workshop and return the ordinance for consideration at a first reading; if the council requests major changes, the draft will go back to the planning commission for additional review.