Horry County industrial corridor draft heads to June 4 hearing in Conway

Horry County residents will get a chance this week to weigh in on a proposed industrial-corridor map before county planners move it any farther. The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 4, at the Horry County Government and Justice Center in Conway on the county’s Industrial Corridors Draft, which is still in the review stage.

The draft is part of the county’s IMAGINE 2040 five-year review. County planning materials say the proposal would create a new Industrial Corridors Future Land Use designation if it is finalized. The county’s stated goal is to identify specific areas better suited for future industrial, manufacturing and distribution uses along major transportation corridors.

That matters because the county is still deciding where it wants to encourage heavier development and where it wants to avoid it. Horry County says its land-use work is meant to steer industrial growth away from places where it could conflict with homes, conservation lands, wetlands and historic downtowns. The county also says the planning model considered distance from major roads, railroads, wetlands, flood zones and residential structures.

Public feedback gathered earlier in the process has focused on the same tradeoffs. The county says residents raised concerns about protecting wetlands, buffering sensitive residential and environmental land uses, air and water quality, and whether road and utility infrastructure can handle the kind of growth industrial corridors could bring. County planners also said they used public input, survey responses and guidance from County Council and the Planning Commission to shape the draft now under review.

The county’s own guidance also makes one point clear: the future land-use map is a policy plan, not zoning. In other words, the draft does not by itself change every parcel’s current allowed use. It is meant to guide where industrial uses may be encouraged in the future and where they should be discouraged.

For Conway-area residents, business owners and commuters, the practical issue is what happens if the draft advances. Industrial corridor decisions can affect freight movement, road demands, utility planning and the long-term look of surrounding neighborhoods. The county says the point of the overlay is to concentrate industrial uses in places that make sense for access and infrastructure, while buffering more sensitive areas.

The public comment period runs through July 2. County materials also list later review dates, including an Infrastructure & Regulations Committee meeting on August 11 and a County Council meeting on August 18, though the timeline is subject to change. For now, the June 4 hearing is the key chance for Conway residents to speak before the draft moves deeper into the county review process.

Sources

• Horry County industrial corridor draft release