Horry County Council votes against Market Common-style neighborhood in Carolina Forest

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – The Horry County Council made a huge decision on an issue that has been top of mind for many people in the Carolina Forest area.

Leaders unanimously voted down a proposal on Tuesday night that would have brought a Market Common-style neighborhood to the Carolina Forest area. This means the proposal is now off the table for Horry County.

The proposed development could have added over 1,154 homes and commercial units to Postal Way.

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However many who opposed the project were concerned about extra traffic and adding to schools that are already overcrowded in the Carolina Forest area.

Councilman Dennis DiSabato, who represents the Carolina Forest area, had been working with developers for several months to come up with development agreements, but in the end, he said he had to listen to his constituents.

“It’s clear that we’re pretty far behind on critical infrastructure in the county, and it’s also pretty clear that the people who I represent don’t want the project. I have to side with the constituents despite the fact that I think it’s a good idea,” DiSabato explained.

The councilman added that he has been made aware that the developers have started the process of trying to annex the property into the city of Conway and try to get the proposal passed that way.

He advised the Conway City Council to be cautious if the parcel of land is annexed into the city.

“I would encourage our counterparts on the council in Conway to take a really close look, particularly at the Waters Tract project because that was creating a lot of strain even with the development plan we had in place through the development agreements. I think it would be catastrophic for that area if there was no infrastructure put in place and they approve this project,” DiSabato said.

WMBF News will continue to follow this and if decisions are made on whether to annex the parcel of land into the city of Conway.

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