What’s in store for future county development? Officials laying out plan
The Imagine 2040 Comprehensive Plan is going to be foundational to the next decade of growth in Horry County. And on Thursday the public will get another chance to comment on the new land use map and development plans.
This plan will cover what is expected to be a large population growth in the region. Horry County Planning Commission will meet Thursday at 5:30 p.m. to debate passing a resolution endorsing the plan to Horry County Council, who will have the final say on if the new comprehensive plan goes into effect.
The proposed drafts of the plan can be found on Horry County’s website. The public can speak during public comment, and there will be a second chance for public comment closer to when the plan is presented to county council.
A comprehensive development plan and land-use map will help guide the future of development in Horry County, designating some areas as rural, suburban and urban. It also shows what cultural priorities people in various regions want, like preserving rural character or wanting a community center.
According to Horry County Planner Leigh Kane, who oversaw the work drafting the plan, this plan does not change people’s current zoning — Imagine 2040 affects future rezoning requests.
Zoning from previous plans or rezoning requests will stand even after the Imagine 2040 plan is adopted.
Currently, Horry County planners follow the Envision 2025 map, which was made in 2008. Often in Horry County Planning Commission meetings, staff and the commissioners will base their decision on how this map recommended a specific area be developed.
The 2025 plan has served its purpose and now must be updated, as is required by the federal government. About this time last year, the planning commission chartered a committee to oversee the plan’s production.
The Imagine 2040 plan process took all of 2018, with county planners holding public input sessions, workshops and committee meetings. Through this process, the hope was to accommodate the needs of current and future Horry residents.
This story was originally published December 4, 2018 at 10:37 AM.
