MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Developers want to build a marina village on nearly 200 acres of land along the Intracoastal Waterway in Socastee.
The Horry County planning commission will consider a rezoning request in an area along Folly Road with a marina along the waterway.
The development would create a homes and businesses in the area, but some people who live nearby are concerned it would impact traffic and they’ve created a petition in hopes of changing the plans.
Michelle McGee lives on Folly Road and is the co-owner of Folly Estates, “we have 125 lots here at Folly Estates and they’re all permanent residents, there are no rentals in here.”
McGee says she’s worried about what the potential development would mean to the neighborhood. “This is all residential, all around this almost 200 acres, and they’re trying to plot something commercial into the center of what is all residential,” said McGee.
Current plans would create a Market Common type district, but McGee says while that has been successful; it’s different for homeowners in Socastee.
“Market Common developed their retail area before the residential area, so those residents had the option before moving in to know there was commercial, but that’s not the case here on Folly Road,” said McGee.
Maps of the plan show access roads on Highway 707 and along Folly Road, so McGee is worried about the impact of added traffic.
“We also have Socastee Elementary going right across the road here on 707, so traffic is definitely one of the major concerns we have,” said McGee.
The area also saw flooding from the 2015 floods and following Hurricane Matthew. McGee wants to make sure no excess water can flow into existing neighborhoods, so she started a petition to make sure the county and developers are aware of their concerns.
“We don’t want to stop anyone from developing their property, as a business owner I understand wanting to take your property and wanting to develop it as you want to. We just want them to be considerate of their drainage and their traffic, so we just want to see them develop in a way that is congruent with the area the are trying to develop,” said McGee.
News13 reached out to the developer who was not available for comment at this time.
The county will hold a workshop to go over the plans on March 2nd.