‘We’re getting slammed:’ Carolina Forest incorporation talks heat up as growth continues

As talks continue about whether Horry County’s largest development should become its own city, a powerful state lawmaker says he’s not taking sides — but acknowledges the idea is worth discussing.

“The county councilman from Aynor or North Myrtle Beach or Surfside are voting on your land-use issues in your community, and it might not go your way, so that’s one way to control your own destiny,” state Sen. Greg Hembree, R-North Myrtle Beach, said July 19 after a meeting with the Carolina Forest Civic Association.

Already one of the state’s largest planned communities — Carolina Forest covers more than 10,000 square acres and saw its population explode by 420% between 2010 and 2020, to almost 35,000.

By 2030, county officials anticipate Carolina Forest, with its 61 subdivisions, to house nearly 60,000 — making it twice the size of Myrtle Beach.

“As the population of the Carolina Forest area continues to expand, so will the demand for infrastructure and public service upgrades, such as the widening of Carolina Forest Boulevard and the expansion of schools, recreation, and public safety facilities,” county officials wrote as part of an introduction to the 2022-23 budget.

Hembree, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, was part of a legislative review panel in 2017 that approved incorporation for Van Wyck in Lancaster County.

Hembree stopped short of endorsing Carolina Forest’s potential incorporation.

“I don’t really feel like it’s my place to endorse it or not. I think the better question is if the community decides, can I help on some way at the state level,” he said.

To incorporate, lots needs to happen, including a petition to the Secretary of State’s office by at least 15 percent of the population, legislative approval and a special election.

Carolina Forest Civic Association president Carole vanSickler said the organization remains neutral on the idea, but she is wary of long-term plans by developers that continue to eye an area expected to see more than a million more square feet of commercial construction over the next decade.

“We’re getting slammed. Look what’s going on all around us,” vanSickler said.

This story was originally published July 19, 2023 at 9:05 PM.