CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – City leaders are trying to plan what the city will look like over the next decade.
Like many parts of Horry County, Conway is trying to manage the growth expected to come to its area.
“My main concern is the development around Ridgewood West, but I’m also concerned about all the land clearing that’s been going on in and around Conway,” said Dennis Crigler, who lives on Ridgewood Drive.
The city is working on a comprehensive plan and a land use map to guide Conway’s development and infrastructure decisions until 2029. More than a dozen people went to the first public input meeting at Whittemore Park Middle School on Wednesday to meet with city leaders.
This comes as the city gets close to a year since the floods after Hurricane Florence.
“We’ve seen historic flooding and this is an opportunity where everyone can come to the table and show, these are my main concerns and this is what I want to see happen in the future,” said city spokesperson Taylor Newell.
The city asks residents to tell it where they want to see different kinds of commercial or residential development.
“We’ve purchased a lot of conservation property to help in the conservation efforts, so that’s obviously part of this,” Newell said. “We’ve also talked a little bit about development down along our riverfront and how we can connect downtown Conway to the riverfront.”
The city also wants to know what people are concerned about, as Conway and Horry County are projected to grow by more than 100,000 people in the next decade.
People at Wednesday’s meeting say they hope the city’s growth is handled in a smart way.
“I hope it’ll be better for us,” said Lessie Gore, who’s a lifelong Conway resident and a retired beauty shop owner in the city. “More things to do, more people to come and better things to offer someone when they come our way.”
You can also take an online survey to give your input to the city. Click here to take that survey.
The city will host another public meeting next Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Conway Recreation Center.
