North Myrtle Beach’s first retirement community to replace former Possum Trot Golf Club
North Myrtle Beach will have its first retirement community after the city council approved plans to transform the former Possum Trot Golf Club land into hundreds of homes.
Chestnut Greens, developed by Del Webb company, will be near Anne Street and Thomas Avenue. It will have up to 535 homes intended for people 55 and older following the council’s decision to annex the 171 acres from unincorporated Horry County. Possum Trot Golf Club closed in 2019.
The council voted unanimously to approve the development. Council members Bob Cavanaugh and Terry White were absent from the meeting.
The council also voted to rezone the land from single-family housing to a planned development district to allow for more flexibility. Along with housing, the development will include amenities and an undetermined “commercial component.”
The decision comes after two failed proposals went before the North Myrtle Beach planning commission in the last year. The commission looked at a development with nearly 800 units and single-family homes along with an assisted-living facility, but neither came to fruition. Last month, the planning commission voted 4-1 to recommend approval for Chestnut Greens.
The cost of homes in the development hasn’t been made public yet, but the proposal says “a variety of home types and price points” are being considered within the target demographic of “retirees and pre-retirees.”
Through various public meetings over the last year, North Myrtle Beach residents have brought up concerns about safety, traffic, parking and environmental impacts of the community. At Monday’s meeting, no one from the public commented on the proposal.
Earlier this month, Mayor Marilyn Hatley said Chestnut Greens residents will likely stay within the community instead of taking up public parking near the beach. The PDD document says the developer will preserve wetlands and 75 trees, but doesn’t detail environmental concerns that are common with former golf course sites.