Resident warns Imagine 2040 allows development of scenic areas as council approves Star Bluff rezoning

Horry County Council on July 14 approved ordinances tied to a development agreement and rezoning for property owned by Star Bluff Properties LLC (Ordinances 68 and 69), after accepting packet amendments and hearing public comment.

Tandra Hodam, who identified the parcel as within a scenic and conservation area and said the site contains jurisdictional wetlands, challenged changes she said were made in the Imagine 2040 plan that now recommend limited development of lands previously protected by Envision 2025. "The Imagine 2040 plan removed that explicit protection of these areas and scenic and conservation areas are now recommended for limited development," Hodam said, and she urged the county to amend the plan to restore language keeping such lands "undeveloped in perpetuity."

Council considered an amendment contained in the meeting packet, voted to adopt the amendments, and then voted on the ordinances; the chair announced the motions carried. The record shows the ordinances and packet amendments were moved, seconded, and approved at second reading.

Why it matters: The exchange highlights local tensions between development and conservation policy—rezoning and development agreements can change land use outcomes on parcels the public regards as environmentally sensitive. Hodam’s comments flagged potential wetland and wildlife-habitat impacts near Saccasti Creek and state-owned conservation lands.

What next: With the ordinances approved as amended, the developer may proceed under the terms of the development agreement and applicable permits; Hodam’s request to restore stronger conservation language would require a separate amendment process to the county’s long-range plan.

Ending: Ordinances 68 and 69 were approved at second reading as amended on July 14; public concern about conservation protections was recorded in the public hearing.