HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – More than one thousand homes could be built in the eastern part of the county near Longs.
A developer named EIP Venture Partners is trying to turn nearly 600 acres into a large housing development. The plans are still in their early stages, but the designers say they want to preserve the natural space in the rural, but growing area.
The quiet woods are off South Carolina Highway 905, just two miles from the North and South Carolina border.
It may not stay quiet for long, as a developer is trying to build 1,292 housing units there, in a growing part of Horry County.
“This would be a large project in a mostly rural area,” said county deputy planning director David Schwerd. “We did contact the adjacent county (Columbus County) in North Carolina and they did indicate that it is not in conflict with their comprehensive plan.”
The development plan calls for 974 single-family homes and 318 multi-family units. They would be built on 565 acres of land between highway 905 and Old Buck Creek Road.
At a county planning commission workshop Thursday, an engineer for the project said construction would take a while.
“I think it’s a great project,” said Mike Wooten, who’s the president of DDC Engineers. “It’ll obviously be developed in multiple phases, probably take ten to 12 years to develop out.”
The developer also says it would create a 100 percent increase in active, open recreational space, including a community garden. The neighborhood would also likely manage its roads.
One concern the planning commission mentioned is the stress on emergency services like firefighters, with several other new developments near Longs.
“It may be getting to the point where we need to evaluate the ability to provide adequate public safety for increased, large development of this scale,” Schwerd said.
The planning commission will have a public hearing about the development during its meeting in Conway next Thursday.
The plan would then go to county council for approval.
