Horry County Schools to buy $6.3M land, its third land purchase in 6 months
Horry County Schools approved the purchase of 60 acres of property Monday, making it the second purchase of land by the district in three months.
The property is located along S.C. 90 and totals 60.73 acres, according to the presentation during Monday’s board meeting. Board members approved paying more than $6.3 million for the property at $103,822 per acre.
The only exception was board member Neil James, who voted against the purchase, stating that he thought there was a variance between the appraised value and the purchase price.
The exact location of the property was not disclosed during the board meeting. However, county land records show that property with that amount of acreage is located near Thomas Road off S.C. 90. The tax value of the property is listed as $2.4 million, according to online records.
It is unclear what the school district plans to do with the property.
‘Expanding our land bank for future needs’
The board has tasked staff to “proactively identify and pursue property to support future educational and operational needs across Horry County ... expanding our land bank for future needs,” district spokesperson Lisa Bourcier said by email.
In January, the school district announced its intention to purchase the Harbour View Golf Course property located on Horseshoe Road in Little River. That property totals 36.78 acres and will be purchased for just under $6 million or $162,000 per acre.
In August 2025, the board also approved the purchase of a 66.7-acre parcel of land off of Enoch Road in the area of upper Conway and lower Aynor for about $1.4 million – well below the price announced Monday for about the same acreage of property off of S.C. 90.
Plans for how the district will use those properties have not yet been established, Bourcier said in a previous article.
The acquisitions come as part of a district initiative to seek out property for future educational and operational facilities in Horry County, Bourcier explained earlier.
A growth explosion along Highway 90
Areas along Highway 90 have seen an explosion of growth in the last 10 years. Home developments continue to be built along the roadway that connects Conway to North Myrtle Beach.
In the past 10 years, more than 1,600 new homes have been built along S.C. 90 and there are more to come, according to previous reporting by The Sun News. There are 11 major developments planned adjacent to the highway.
Both the Little River and upper Conway-lower Aynor areas also are experiencing rapid growth in recent years, with hundreds of new homes and thousands of new residents expected in the next 15 years.
In the upper Conway-lower Aynor region, one proposed project alone could bring more than 200 homes to land off of Brown Swamp Road. These homes would feed into Aynor’s schools, which are already facing overcrowding, The Sun News previously reported.
