‘Too much conflict’: Surfside Beach officials vote down proposed business park
A controversial proposal that would have constructed a new business park along Kings Highway in Surfside Beach has been shut down following a split vote by town officials Tuesday night.
The proposal would have rezoned two parcels amounting to roughly 8 acres from Highway Commercial to a Planned Development District. The proposed project, called Surfside Business Park, would have been located between Southern Chicken and Denny’s on 11th Avenue North and Frontage Road, bordering U.S. 17 Business North.
Plans submitted called for the construction of a 57,036-square-foot climate-controlled indoor storage facility, along with 38,203 square feet of outdoor storage. A 49,316-square-foot retail or restaurant space was also proposed. The remaining acreage would have be used for open space, roadways, retention and flexible trade space.
Work on the project would have been completed in 2022, according to the proposal.
Along with public outcry against the project with residents calling it a potential “eyesore,” officials during a Town Council meeting held via teleconference on Tuesday voted 3-3, with Councilman Bruce Dietrich abstaining, ultimately leading the proposal to rezone the land to fail.
Prior to the vote, town leaders discussed deferring the vote to a later date in lieu of holding a workshop to dissect the proposal further due to the negative attention it received from the public. That vote also failed in a 4-3 split, with Mayor Bob Hellyer and council members Cindy Keating and Michael Drake pushing for the workshop to be held.
“I think this whole process we promised to have a workshop and if we’re going to ask to have workshop than we’re only worth what our word is,” Drake said. “Us waiting until we can all get together to have a meeting two weeks or three weeks or a month from now is not going to keep his from happening or not happening. All we’re asking for is a workshop to do what we need to for the people.”
The trio later voted against the rezoning, stating they felt there were too many inconsistencies and a lack of workshop and public notice regarding the impending vote, despite notices being issued to the public and the town’s Planning Commission voting to recommend the proposal to town council at their April 7 meeting.
Councilwoman Debbie Scoles, who voted in favor of the proposal, said that officials’ behavior toward the project did not exemplify the town’s “business-friendly” attitude. But Keating said there was just too much controversy and confusion for the proposal to pass.
“There’s just too much conflict to proceed at this time with something that 100 percent of our comments are against,” Keating said. “We need to make sure we are fully vetting what the changes are, why they are being made and how they’re in the best interest of our town.”
