CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Some eastern Horry County residents say they don’t want a large housing development with more than one-thousand homes near Longs.
At a meeting Thursday evening, about a dozen residents told the county’s planning commission what they’re concerned about with the proposed development.
The plans call for 974 single-family homes and 318 multifamily units on 565 acres of land near South Carolina Highway 905 and Old Buck Creek Road.
At the planning commission meeting, several people said they’re worried all those houses would put too much stress on police and firefighters, as well as create too much traffic.
They’re also concerned the development would make flooding worse.
“You just can’t grow these communities and not have the safety and the infrastructure there,” said Sharon Pollard, who lives near the proposed development site.
Pollard gave the planning commission a petition with more than 100 signatures of people opposing the project.
Mike Wooten is president of DDC Engineers, which is the project’s engineering firm. He says several ponds throughout the development will prevent stormwater from flooding outside the complex.
Wooten also says higher fees for building permits on the development would pay for emergency services.
“The county will use that fund for fire and public safety however the county may deem to use that money,” Wooten said. “At the same time, we’ve already agreed to whatever traffic improvements that need to be made on (highway) 905 and Old Buck Creek Road.”
Wooten also says this development would match the growing demand for housing in the eastern part of the county.
“A large, planned community is a lot better than a hodgepodge of small communities because you’ve got connectivity,” Wooten said. “You’ve got the ability to do better things with roads and traffic (and) much better things with stormwater.”
No action was taken at Thursday’s meeting.
Wooten says the developers will meet with Longs-area residents, before the planning commission addresses the project again next month.