Residents warn of Highway 90 safety risks as commission approves Portofino Villas rezoning

The Horry County Planning Commission voted to approve a developer's request to rezone 3.2 acres on Wilderness Road in Conway from PUD to SF-14.5, a change the applicant said will allow a minor subdivision of roughly nine single-family lots.

Residents who live near Highway 90 urged the commission to preserve the PUD and raised safety and environmental concerns during public comment. Amelia Wood, who lives on Bear Bluff Drive, said traffic counts for the application focused on a dead-end connecting road and do not capture the corridor's load onto Highway 90. "About 500 trucks a day go in there," she said, citing a recent executive director's report. Terry Pierce told the commission the developer cleared land in 2023 without permits, blocked stormwater drainage and that the county previously ordered work stopped; he said residents have videos documenting the clearing.

Applicant Charles Suggs of G3 Engineering said the parcel was reserved as future development in the earlier PUD and that SF-14.5 density is consistent with the county's Highway 90 resolution. He told the commission that development will need to meet the county's minor-stormwater standards during subdivision and that any identified drainage issues must be addressed through grading and drainage plans.

Staff recommended approval. After discussion about Highway 90 traffic and neighborhood impacts, a commissioner moved to approve; the motion carried by voice vote.

The commission did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript for this item. The applicant and staff said site development would be subject to county stormwater permitting and that any existing drainage concerns would be analyzed during the subdivision process.