Possum Trot redevelopment plans squashed. Here’s what we know

Plans to redevelop Possum Trot Golf Club into residential housing and annex it into North Myrtle Beach has been squashed after the applicant withdrew their application.

In an email sent to city officials Saturday afternoon, applicant Robert Guyton said the decision to pull the application stemmed from comments made at recent meetings.

“Public input has made it clear that the mixed uses and densities associated with a PPD (Planned Development District) in that location would not be acceptable,” Guyton said in the email.

The 167-acre golf course, located in unincorporated Horry County, has caused a stir in the community in recent months after the city received the redevelopment proposal to convert the course layout into a mixed-use project called Tidal Walk. Residents and the North Myrtle Beach Planning Commission have expressed concern over the density of the project and the detriment it could have to traffic.

The original request for annexation and a Planned Development District zoning distinction included 452 single-family detached homes, 264 attached multifamily units, and eight acres of an assisted living facility, with associate medical services that would include 60 to 80 beds.

After two workshop meetings, the applicant submitted a new proposal at the commission’s Aug. 8 workshop that included reducing the total units to 512 in addition to the assisted living facility. The new proposal also included three access points — one off Possum Trot Road and two off Tom E. Chestnut Road — and had about 54 acres of open space or pond area.

However, the reduced plan still didn’t appease residents or planning members, with residents pointing out potential issues with safety, traffic and sewer drainage. Additional traffic concerns on 6th Avenue and Anne Street were mentioned numerous times during meetings.

North Myrtle Beach planning commission deferred voting on the annexation three times, noting how they weren’t comfortable sending a recommendation to City Council, and was planning to hold another workshop meeting on Sept. 3, but the item will no longer be on the agenda.

Possum Trot, which opened in 1968, is set to close Sept. 30 after the property owner declined to extend the long-term lease of the club’s operator, The Glens Golf Group. Company general manager George Gore said the closing date has not changed as of Monday.

This story was originally published August 26, 2019 at 11:44 AM.