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Board approves sidewalk variance for Chase bank site citing pedestrian‑safety concerns
Summary
Horry County approved a 100% variance from an internal pedestrian walkway requirement for a Chase branch at 167 Brookton Circle after the applicant and staff said frontage on Highway 17 would create an unsafe dead‑end sidewalk to a bypass off‑ramp.
The board approved a variance request allowing a Chase bank site at 167 Brookton Circle to forgo a required internal pedestrian walkway where the likely public connection would lead to a Highway 17 off‑ramp. Applicant Ryan Henderson said the bank’s proposed sidewalk connections would dead-end at an off‑ramp and could put pedestrians in an unsafe situation; staff and at least one board member agreed the overlay requirement produced an impractical result at this location.
Henderson told the board that “Chase is concerned that if we build a section of the sidewalk right there leading out to the Highway 17 off ramp, that'll be unsafe for pedestrians.” Board members asked staff to review overlay language where DOT roadways conflict with pedestrian connections; the motion to approve the variance passed with standard staff conditions.
Why it mattered: The decision balances pedestrian-connectivity policy in the Saybrook West PDD against actual roadway safety realities on a major arterial; staff recommended conditions and emphasized future site-plan requirements.
