Myrtle Beach’s planning commission organized a meeting on Wednesday evening for religious leaders to meet with Habitat for Humanity workers to discuss concerns about a planned development to go in the empty lot on Carver Street.
The organization has plans to build six three-bedroom homes for families who currently live in substandard housing.
Some longtime churchgoers at Mt. Olive, like Shirlena Goings, says they’d rather keep the grassy land across the church the way it is.
“Well I know people need a place to stay and I have nothing against Habitat Housing but I would just hate to see one directly in front of the church,” Goings said.
City Planning Director, Carol Coleman says when Habitat for Humanity first came to them with the design, the city didn’t like it because it didn’t match with the surrounding zoning.
“We didn’t like the layout and that comes from what the intent of the MUN district is, and we were looking at it that even though it was small, wanting it to be a neighborhood,” Coleman said.
The organization made changes to accommodate, and Coleman says they were ready to give the organization the green light but then surrounding church members began to voice opposition.
“With any development in proximity to what they’ve had for generations on property, I can understand that they would have concern with it,” said City Planner, Carol Coleman.
News13 reached out to Habitat for Humanity who wasn’t able to comment but said they had workers at the meeting to try to work things out with community members in order to be able to go forward with the project.