HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A rapidly growing part of southern Horry County will be free of sprawling subdivisions and high-rise buildings after officials on Tuesday approved a new zoning law.
“It’s a big win for the residents of Murrells Inlet. Over the past several months, I’ve hears an outcry from the community about, ‘no more multi-family in Murrells Inlet and Garden City,’ and so what this does is put that in stone,” county council member Tyler Servant said.
Formally called the “Highway 17 South Business Overlay Zone,” the rule changes ban multi-family housing projects while limiting heights to 35 feet from the Garden City Connector to the Horry/Georgetown County line.
The move comes as Georgetown County leaders are going the opposite direction with zoning criteria. In July, officials there approved changes to their comprehensive plan that some fear may bring a Market Common-style development onto the Waccamaw Neck.
Horry County’s “Imagine 2040” — a blueprint for growth over the next 15 years — suggests zoning adjustments like the one along Highway 17 South are necessary.