Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rezoning Horseshoe 115 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents warn of flooding and gridlock as commission forwards 115‑home rezoning to council
Summary
Neighbors and the River Hills POA told the Horry County Planning Commission the proposed 115‑home development off Horseshoe Road could worsen flooding and already-congested Highway 17; staff said engineering and a DOT traffic study would follow, and the rezoning recommendation will proceed to county council for final action.
The Horry County Planning Commission heard lengthy public comment Nov. 7 on a rezoning request to convert about 37.3 acres off Horseshoe Road and Highway 17 to allow 115 single‑family homes. Staff described the project as a net density of roughly 3.1 units per acre with two accesses onto Horseshoe Road and a 25‑foot buffer along Highway 17; the applicant said the design includes seven times the required open space and on‑site stormwater measures.
“I'm very, very concerned… when it rains, it doesn't even have to rain that hard around here anymore and people are flooding,” said Stacy Seville, who said her property abuts the site. Neighbors and Scott Raffensperger, president of the River Hills POA, raised similar concerns about stormwater, the proximity of retention ponds to homes, and emergency access on Highway 17. “How do we get to the hospitals when 17 is landlocked?” Raffensperger asked.
Applicant Walter Warren of Thomas & Hutton said the team will perform the DOT‑required traffic study during engineering and will work with stormwater staff to “divert as much water away from River Hills as possible,” and he said the layout had been modified to save trees. Staff described the proposal as consistent with the comprehensive plan's suburban designation and recommended approval.
After public comment and applicant remarks, staff clarified the commission's action: although the item moved through the commission's process, staff told the panel that the formal technical recommendation recorded by the commission was for disapproval and that the rezoning will nonetheless proceed to county council for a first reading, where the council will make the final decision on the rezoning. The commission also reviewed a related development agreement proposal that would charge a $5,700 per‑unit contribution to fire and emergency services (a five‑year term totaling $655,500 for 115 units).
