MURRELLS INLET, SC (WBTW) – Dozens of people in Murrells Inlet say they don’t want a high-rise condo development in their neighborhood.

About 100 people met at the Murrells Inlet Community Center Wednesday night to learn about a proposed 60-unit condo development. Many of them said they’re worried the project is moving too quickly and would create too much traffic.

The condo development is planned to be on a five-acre plot of land between U.S. Highway 17, Macklen Avenue and Murrells Inlet Road.

“We don’t mind visitors coming here,” says Murrells Inlet resident Leon Rice. “We just don’t want to be crowded.”

The proposal calls for four multifamily buildings, each three stories tall. In addition to the 60 condo units would be two single-family homes. 

The only entrance to the complex would be from U.S. Highway 17. However, residents say they’re worried the developer may ask to create an entrance on Murrells Inlet Road in a residential area.

“With 60 apartments and 120 parking spaces, it’s going to be a lot of extra traffic,” says Murrells Inlet resident Gary Weinreich.

“The county is not going to let that happen,” said Georgetown County council member John Thomas.

Thomas, the council member of Murrells Inlet’s district, hosted Wednesday’s meeting to tell people the details of the proposal, which many say has been pushed along too fast.

“This is preceding at a normal pace for a development like this,” Thomas said.

The Georgetown County Planning Commission will review the project at a hearing at 5:30 pm on Thursday, February 15.

Since this story aired on News 13 at 11 Wednesday night, councilman Thomas released a statement saying he’ll ask the planning commission to defer consideration of the proposal at next Thursday’s meeting.

“It’s clear that right now the development plan is a moving target, with many parts of the plan not finalized,” Thomas said in Thursday morning’s statement. “It’s not fair to the community and grossly inadequate to have at best just four business days to review a final plan prior to the planning commission hearing on the plan.”