How many lived in Horry County in 2010? A look back at growth as future plans finalize
Horry County celebrated the start of 2010 with 269,000 people and welcomed over 85,000 residents over the following decade.
The past decade represents another 10 years of growth for the Grand Strand region. The trend kicked off in the 1980s and the population has only gone up and shows no signs of stopping going into the 2020s.
Horry County Council took the final steps Tuesday to approve the Imagine 2040 Plan that will guide growth and development over the next decade. It was unanimously approved, and it will spark further changes to building regulations and guidelines.
“We’re one of the fastest-growing regions in the area. As someone who grew up here, I couldn’t have imagined that, but it’s here and we have to do something about it,” Horry County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner said.
Council made two amendments to the plan that were proposed by Council Member Dennis DiSabato. The changes ensure surrounding zoning codes are taken into account and that council has the final say on any rezoning requests.
Tuesday’s vote means Horry County can move forward with a plan that will guide the next decade of growth. Drafting the plan was a years-long process that required an ad-hoc committee to draft the plan, numerous public comment sessions and approval from planning commission and county council.
One chapter of the plan focuses on Horry County’s population growth. The plan presents data on the demographics of new residents alongside the future needs of people moving here.
The growth in population can be seen in almost every end of the county from Aynor to Myrtle Beach, but the bulk of people are moving to the portion east of Conway. People moving here are typically retirees older than 50 years of age.
“We’ve got attractions and the weather. The weather is a big part of this,” Horry County Planning Commission Chair Steven Neeves said. “We live in a part of the country that has things on a lot of people’s checklist.”
Growth is coming, Horry County Planning Director David Schwerd said, and this plan specifically looks at what initiatives and projects are needed as the region welcomes all these new people.
The plan will guide how the county looks at how an aging population that needs additional health care and parks services; ensuring new home construction protects scenic and flood-prone lands while also making sure property rights are respected; and diversifying the economy and making partnerships with local higher education institutions are needed to help retain younger people.
Traffic and mobility has been a major concern of residents. Already, improvements to roads west of the Instracoastal Waterway have increased development areas like S.C. Highway 90 with International Drive, which in turn can put more cars on the roads in those areas.
Gardner said he hopes people see that Horry County was doing all it could to prepare for the growth coming in the next decades and was proactive in dealing with the challenges.
Neeves, who has lived in the area since 1969, is a Coastal Carolina University graduate and a veteran Realtor. He served as chair of the ad hoc committee that crafted the Imagine 2040 plan. He joined planning commission because he wanted to make sure plans for smart growth were in place as more people moved here.
The growth is coming unless something major changes current trends, Neeves said.
“I don’t want to get 20 years from now and say, ‘Wow, we didn’t know what we were doing,’ ” Neeves said. “But we’ve put in the work. I really believe people in 20 years we’ll look back at that document and say ‘They did their due diligence.’ ”
This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 8:50 PM.
