The purpose of the Land Development Regulations is to provide for the orderly development of Horry County and its environs through the regulation of the development of land.
These standards are intended to encourage the following:
- Promote sound planning practices;
- Promote the wise distribution of development in order to avoid congestion and overcrowding;
- Protect the public health, safety, and general welfare;
- Allow for cost saving efficiencies;
- Assure the timely provision of required streets, utilities, and other facilities and services to new and existing land developments;
- Coordinate street improvements with existing or planned streets;
- Assure safe and convenient traffic access and circulation, both vehicular and pedestrian, in and through new and existing land developments;
- Assure that population and traffic are distributed in order to avoid congestion and overcrowding;
- Assure the adequate provision of needed public open spaces and building sites in new land developments through the dedication or reservation of land for recreation, educational, transportation, and other public purposes;
- Assure that development is compatible with the adopted comprehensive plan, zoning ordinance, official map, and capital budget;
- Assure compatible development in areas subject to flooding or other detrimental influences - natural or manmade;
- Assure adequate rights-of-way for automobile or alternative modes of transportation, utility, and environmental purposes;
- Encourage new and innovative design alternatives to promote creativity and flexibility in development; and,
- Assist in the coordination between governmental and public service authorities to provide orderly development and ensure continuity of regulatory standards.
The Planning Department is currently in the process of updating and amending the
Land Development Regulations.
For a meeting schedule of the Committee established to carry out the update, please call the Planning Department at (843) 915-5340.
» Horry County Land Development Regulations
Appendix B of the Horry County Code of Ordinances contains the
Zoning Ordinance
as currently adopted. The Zoning Administrator is responsible for administering and enforcing the
Zoning Ordinance.
The Planning Commission may grant, upon written request, design modifications to the requirements found in Articles 2, 3, 4 (except amenity financial guarantees), 6, 7 and 8 of the Land Development Regulations if the strict application of the requirements would create an unnecessary hardship in the development of land. Design modification requests shall be prepared by the property owner, developer, or their agent and address the criteria shown below.
Requests for design modifications may be submitted to the Planning Department 15 days prior to or at the Planning Commission meeting at which the request will be considered. In reviewing design modifications, the Planning Commission will consider the public interest and endeavor to preserve the general intent and spirit of these regulations.
Before granting a design modification the Planning Commission shall state, for the record, that all of the following conditions are satisfied. In reaching such conclusion, the Planning Commission may utilize the written request prepared by the applicant and other applicable information.
- The design modification is justified because of topographical or other special conditions unique to the property.
- The design modification will not compromise the intent or purpose of the Land Development Regulations. If the design modification is granted, the proposed development must show mitigation improvements to ensure the intent of the Land Development Regulations is maintained.
» Horry County Land Development Regulations
» Planning Commission
Area plans
are designed to give members of the community the opportunity to discuss the direction
that growth and development should take in their area.
Area plans
also allow citizens to make
recommendations to
County Council
on how questions regarding development in their community should
be approached.
Area plans
can be used to cover elements of the Horry County
Comprehensive Plan,
such
as the
land use element,
in greater detail: they can also address issues that community members feel
are important which are not discussed in the
Comprehensive Plan.
The following are currently adopted
Area Plans
in Horry County;
Overlay zones
are applied only in conjunction with other zoning districts, and may impose a set of
additional requirements or relax a set of requirements imposed by the underlying zoning district.
Overlay zones
are applicable when there is a specific public interest in a geographical area that does
not coincide with the primary district boundaries.
ATTENTION!! Currently, the Zoning Ordinance, Section 723, and the
Land Development Regulations, Section 8, codify the overlay zones. The
exceptions to this are the Little River Height Overlay and the Little River
Overlay Zone, which are codified exclusively under Section 723. With the
current revisions being made to the Zoning Ordinance and Land Development
Regulations, the overlay zones will be combined and codified in the Zoning
Ordinance under Section 1100.
The following are currently adopted
Overlay Zones
in Horry County;
- Socastee Boulevard Overlay Zone
- Veteran's Highway Overlay Zone
- Highway 501 Overlay Zone
- Temporary Vending Overlay Zone
- Highway 544 Overlay Zone
- Highway 707 Overlay Zone
- Holmestown Road Overlay Zone
- Little River Height Overlay Zone
- Little River Overlay Zone
Specific Design Standards are available by following this link to the Overlay Ordinance, Article 8 of the Land Development Regulations.
Specific zoning requirements are available by following this link to the Overlay Ordinance, Section 723 of the Zoning Ordinance.
Major developments include the following:
- The creation or extension of any new public street;
- The creation of a private street greater than 1800 feet is utilized to obtain access;
- The creation of more than 10 lots/units (including the parent tract) regardless of whether adequate access already exists;
- Group developments such as apartment, condominium, and townhouse complexes;
- Any commercial, industrial, or office land development, of regional significance, on a single tract or parcel of land that will produce an estimated 5,000 or more average daily trips according to trip generation rates established by the Institute of Transportation Engineers and established in the current issue of the ITE Trip Generation Manual;
- Any portion of a
Planned Development District [PDD].
Detailed descriptions of major plans, along with submittal requirements, can be found in the
Land Development Regulations.
Submittal fees
are available through this
link
or by calling the Planning Department at (843) 915-5340.
Plans that are currently being reviewed by the Department are located
here.
Minor developments include:
- Subdivisions or developments containing no more than 10 lots/units (including the parent tract) where access to a public or private street exists or where a new private street of less than 1800 feet is constructed to obtain access;
- Any commercial, industrial, or office development on a single tract or parcel of land that will produce between 1,000 and 5,000 average daily trips according to trip generation rates established by the Institute of Transportation Engineers and established in the current issue of the ITE Trip Generation Manual.
Detailed descriptions of minor plans, along with submittal requirements, can be found in the
Land Development Regulations.
Submittal fees
are available through this
link
or by calling the Planning Department at (843) 915-5340.
The County recognizes three types of commercial development:
- Minor development in which any commercial, industrial, or office development on a single tract or parcel of land will produce between 1,000 and 5,000 average daily trips according to trip generation rates established by the Institute of Transportation Engineers and established in the current issue of the ITE Trip Generation Manual;
- Major development in which any commercial, industrial, or office land development, of regional significance, on a single tract or parcel of land will produce an estimated 5,000 or more average daily trips according to trip generation rates established by the Institute of Transportation Engineers and established in the current issue of the ITE Trip Generation Manual;
- Any portion of a
Planned Development District.
Platting actions include the following:
- Boundary Surveys, Original Surveys, Re-surveys, Lots of Record;
- Estate Plats and Family Transfers;
- Court Orders;
- Combination of Lots
Detailed descriptions of the above platting actions, along with submittal requirements, can be found in the
Land Development Regulations.
Submittal fees
are available through this
link
or by calling the Planning Department at (843) 915-5340.