Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Horry County panel OKs outdoor dining and alcohol at Biggie’s but denies amplified outdoor music 4–3
Summary
The Horry County Zoning Board of Appeals approved outdoor dining and on-site beer-and-wine service for Biggie’s Country Buffet in Longs but rejected a request to allow outdoor amplified entertainment in a 4–3 vote after neighbors testified about late-night noise and staff described unpermitted construction and calls for service.
The Horry County Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday approved outdoor dining and on-site beer-and-wine service for Biggie’s Country Buffet at 1250 Highway 9 in Longs, but narrowly denied permission for outdoor amplified music.
Staff told the board the applicants were asking for a special exception because the site sits about 185 feet from a residential district and the property has a 20.25-by-28.225-foot deck that had been installed without a permit. During the staff presentation, officials said code enforcement received complaints about an unpermitted deck and that two calls for service were logged in late June; no formal citation was issued, staff said.
The applicants were represented by attorney Cliff Welsh and were spoken for in person by Brianna Chestnut, who said the family has operated the restaurant since 1980, obtained a beer-and-wine license in September 2023 and asked only to serve beer and wine with food on the deck, with music ending at a “respectable time.” "All we're really asking for is the beer and the wine, being served out on the deck with food, happy hour, and some live music, but ending at a respectable time," Chestnut said.
Neighbors told a different story. Donald Swanaberry, a resident who said he has professional experience with live sound, testified that music from the deck carried into nearby yards and recommended an acoustic engineer evaluate any plan to allow outdoor amplification. "At 0.2 of a mile it was very loud," Swanaberry said, urging the board to require technical remediation before permitting amplified sound. Another neighbor, Brandon Keenan, said music had run past 11 p.m. on multiple nights and once as late as 1 a.m., prompting resident complaints and police calls.
Board members debated enforcement limits of the county's noise ordinance, noting that enforcement depends on residents calling police and officers being able to hear the violation. The board voted to split the application into three separate decisions: outdoor dining, on-site consumption of alcohol and outdoor amplified sound. The board approved outdoor dining and on-site alcohol service, but denied outdoor amplified sound in a 4–3 vote.
The chair told the applicant the board had approved two of the three elements and encouraged the restaurant to work with neighbors and staff on permitting and mitigation. Staff emphasized that amplified outdoor music remains prohibited under the board’s decision; the applicant may return with mitigation measures or reapply in the future.
The board’s action resolves the immediate zoning requests but leaves noise enforcement to county police and to potential future board hearings if remediation measures are proposed.
