<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0Pt4cp_1EoypAkl00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Pt4cp_1EoypAkl00" width="400" height="325" ></figure>A proposed change in Georgetown County’s zoning would eliminate 450 future dwellings on the Waccamaw Neck.That would require County Council to change the zoning on 96 vacant parcels totaling 141.6 acres from “general residential” to “residential 10,000 square feet.”However two parcels included in the proposal by consultants working to create a “unified development ordinance” were approved for an 18-lot subdivision last month.“Zoning happens fast in that sense. If you have it, if your land is entitled, if it’s ready to go, if it’s right for development, someone could develop,” said Sarah Sinatra, the project manager for Inspire Placemaking Collective, which is combining the county zoning ordinance and development regulations into a single document.That work will also bring the zoning into compliance with the goals of the comprehensive plan that the county updated in 2024. One of those goals was to reduce density, or what Sinatra calls “development potential,” on the Waccamaw Neck.The rezoning would take property that could potentially have the highest density residential development and reduce that to medium to low density. Only single-family homes or clustered units know as “cottage courts” would be allowed on land that could now have a single- or multi-family development.“The immediate threat right now is that we do have a lot of residential coming in,” Sinatra told an audience of 60 people who gathered for a workshop on the UDO this week. “What you can build today is what’s on your zoning map and what’s in your zoning code.”After the land use element of the comprehensive plan was updated, the county reduced the maximum density of multi-family development in the GR district from 16 to five units an acre. It retained the minimum lot size of 6,000 square feet.Not counting land that would be taken up with infrastructure or other restrictions, that allowed a density of 7.3 units an acre.Rezoning the 96 vacant parcels to R-10 would result in a density of 4.3 units an acre.“This is something that we’ve looked at as kind of the best option to yield what you’re looking for on density reduction,” Sinatra said.Not everyone agreed.“This sounds like a forced rezoning,” said Robert Turner, the county’s former stormwater engineer who is now in private practice. He added that it would be likely to face legal challenges.“There is not an option to reduce the density without doing a rezoning,” Sinatra said.Marla Hamby, a member of the Planning Commission, asked if the UDO update would propose similar reductions for other parts of the county, which are now the focus of large-scale development.The comprehensive plan only focused on reducing residential density on the Waccamaw Neck, Sinatra said.But the UDO does include measures to encourage more compact developments that preserve natural areas and open space.“The density is the same, but the lots are smaller,” Sinatra said. “They have significantly more open space.”It will also include standards for “low impact development” that reduces stormwater runoff.Duane Draper, who chairs the citizens group Keep It Green, said afterward that changes were positive. The group has challenged several county land use decisions in court and argued that the updated comprehensive plan would increase residential development on Waccamaw Neck.“It’s definitely an improvement,” Draper said of the rezoning proposal. “There’s going to be some pushback for sure.”Other proposed changes in the UDO include requiring connections between commercial developments to keep traffic off the highways and increased landscaping requirements for those developments.“A lot of that is about preservation” of existing vegetation, Sinatra said.It also includes regulations for data centers that would reduce their water use and impact on nearby property.Inspire is taking public comments on the proposals online at inspire-engagement.com through Sept. 21.</div></body>

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A proposed change in Georgetown County’s zoning would eliminate 450 future dwellings on the Waccamaw Neck. That would require County Council to change the zoning on 96 vacant parcels totaling 141.6 acres from “general residential” to “residential 10,000 square feet.”. However two parcels included in the...

UDO proposal would cut 450 units on 141 acres

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A proposed change in Georgetown County’s zoning would eliminate 450 future dwellings on the Waccamaw Neck. That would require County Council to change the 

UDO proposal would cut 450 units on 141 acres

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