Georgetown County green-lights rezoning request for multifamily homes in Pawleys Island
A request to rezone a 3.28-acre lot in Pawleys Island from a single-family residential area to a flexible design district with multi-family housing was approved by Georgetown County Council despite residents’ concerns over flooding and traffic issues.
The original rezoning request was made for the planned development of five three-story buildings with 14 housing units. The amended request brought before county council Tuesday was for only ten housing units in five one-and-a-half story buildings. The future housing development will be located on the southeast corner of Waverly Road and Kings River Road.
The ordinance was amended bythe second time it was brought before the council. The development plans were changed to reduce the number of multifamily housing units from 14 to 10 after an outpouring of vocal opposition from Pawleys Island residents at every county council meeting where the ordinance has been read.
Council member John Thomas, who represents District 1, motioned to deny the zoning change but was not seconded. Thomas was the only county council member to vote against the rezoning.
Council member Steve Goggans, who represents District 6, addressed concerns about the appearance of a conflict of interest. Goggans is the founder and owner of SGA Architecture, an architecture firm headquartered in Pawleys Island with branches in Charleston, S.C, Greenville, S.C., and Charlotte, N.C.
“As a professional land planner that has practiced in the area 35 years. . . I did do a study on this property five years ago,” Goggans said ahead of the vote. “The current plan has no resemblance to the study I did many, many years ago. I have no interest in this property of any kind, no financial interest.”
What do nearby residents think?
Residents who spoke during the public comment period were still opposed to the rezoning proposal, despite the amendments.
Residents speaking at public forum had concerns over existing flooding and traffic issues that they fear will be exacerbated by the housing development. Some speakers said they feared a domino effect in rezoning and development of the area in the Waccamaw Neck.
John Evans, a Pawleys Island resident, asked the dozens of audience members to stand up if they supported the rezoning. The entire audience remained seated.
Cynthia Person, a Pawleys Island resident, voiced her opposition to the ordinance that would bring additional development to “one of the most congested intersections” in the lower Waccamaw Neck. Person questioned the logic behind adding “density to an area that is already so fraught with risk.”
“It is not the obligation of the planning and zoning commission nor the county council to help land owners or developers maximize their profits,” said Paul Barnes, a Pawleys Island resident.
How council handled the request
The ordinance was first discussed during county council’s Sept. 22 meeting. Holly Richardson, interim director of the county planning department, said at the time that the planning commission’s vote tied and could offer neither a positive nor a negative recommendation to the county council. Council members voted unanimously at the time to send the ordinance back to the planning commission for review ahead of the second hearing.
Richardson came back Tuesday night to report the planning department’s endorsement for the amended rezoning proposal.
Council member Everett Carolina, who represents district three, said the public’s concerns were taken into consideration with the amendments made to the proposal. “You can’t put heavy industry in an area where people are saying they don’t want it,” Carolina said. “All the speakers tonight, I’ve heard them loud and clear on their concerns.”
The expected annual daily trips for the proposed housing development is 60 trips per day, at six estimated trips per duplex unit. Six single family units are expected to generate 60 trips per day as well.
The development plan includes more than two acres of open green space and plans for a retention pond to help mitigate flooding. A 28-inch gum tree is the only tree larger than 25 inches that would be cut down for the development.
No storm-water plan has been approved yet. Developers said they have one but it hasn’t been presented to the public. Development cannot begin until a storm-water plan is approved.
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 2:12 PM.
