Planning commission backs 99‑home MRDP on Ashley Circle despite neighbors' flood and cemetery concerns

The Horry County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a rezoning and development agreement that would allow up to 99 single‑family homes on 91.26 acres along Ashley Circle in Conway.

Planning staff said the development agreement caps the project at 99 homes, limits building heights to 35 feet and increases minimum lot sizes to 12,000 square feet (larger than the typical MRDP minimum). The agreement requires a 200‑foot vegetated buffer along Ashley Circle, 100‑foot buffers around other perimeters, turn lanes on Ashley Circle, a black aluminum fence around an on‑site cemetery and transfer of cemetery ownership to a South Carolina nonprofit for perpetual maintenance.

Neighbors told the commission they fear flooding, cut trees and unmarked graves near the cemetery. "So what I'm telling you is this, If you all try to rezone this, understand it's going to flood," resident Michelle Smith said during public input, citing maps and past storm closures. Several residents also described past road closures and local drainage problems during hurricanes.

Developer representative Shep Guyton said the applicant modified the proposal to address neighbor concerns, including moving storm drainage away from the cemetery, enlarging buffers and adding interior fencing "to confine children and animals." Guyton also said the developer would accept a LIDAR survey and mark any unrecorded graves if markers are missing: "If the markers are not there, we're perfectly willing to LIDAR or do anything else we have to do to determine if there's some unmarked graves. We will certainly mark those."

Staff and the developer emphasized that most of the site is not in a FEMA floodplain, that wetlands mapping shows about 14.8 acres of wetlands on the property, and that project stormwater would not flow across Ashley Circle. County staff also described sight-line improvements from adding a left-turn lane and a right-turn acceleration lane at the Ashley Circle access.

Commission discussion centered on whether the combination of the development agreement's larger lot sizes, expanded buffers and on-site open space sufficiently mitigates neighborhood impacts. One commissioner said he understood residents' concerns but noted that the MRDP plan dedicates 25% of the project to buffers and includes more than 3.5 acres of dedicated open space.

The commission moved to approve the staff recommendation; the motion was seconded and carried 4–3. Commissioners did not record individual roll-call votes in the meeting transcript; the chair announced the tally as "4 to 3." The item will proceed to County Council with the commission's recommendation.