Comprehensive Plans

• Envision 2025
  · Documents
  · Current Land Use Map
  · Future Land Use Maps:  [ Garden City  |  Little River   |  Envision 2025 ]
  
  
• 1999 Comprehensive Plan
  · Documents

Area Plans » more info 

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;

• Highway 17 Business and Highway 17 Bypass Area Plan
• Highway 57 and Highway 9 Area Plan
• Garden City Area Plan
• Little River, South Carolina Neighborhood Area Plan
• Mount Vernon Area Plan

Overlay Zones » more info 

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.

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
• Restaurant Row Overlay Zone

Boards and Commissions » more info 

• Board of Architectural Review
  
  Per the Horry County Code of Ordinances, Appendix B Zoning, Article XVII, the powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Board of Architectural Review and Historic Preservation (BAR) are the following:
  • To review and recommend to the Horry County Council the designation of individual historic properties, buildings, resources, sites, landmarks and historic districts;
  • To review plans and applications for construction, rehabilitation and restoration on historic properties, resources or sites, to historic landmarks or buildings, or within historic areas or districts, and any demolition pertaining to or affecting duly designated historic properties, resources, sites, buildings or districts;
  • To coordinate with the comprehensive land use area plans;
  • To approve, deny or approve with conditions the demolition or alteration of building exteriors, or interiors, if designated as historic. The BAR also shall review proposed new construction in a historic district;
  • To maintain an inventory of local historic properties, promote education about historic preservation and procedures;
  • To review and comment on National Register of Historic Places nomination and exercise other duties specifically needed by a community.
  
  
• Parks and Open Space Board
  
  The purpose and objectives of the Horry County Parks and Open Space Board per the Horry County Code of Ordinances (Chapter 15, Article VII, Section 15-124) are:
  • To promote the preservation of open space, scenic areas and vistas, greenways, squares, or village greens;
  • To promote the protection and conservation of environmental or natural resources;
  • To promote the expansion of quality open space for a wide range of recreational opportunities including playgrounds, playfields, plazas, parks, mini-parks, picnic areas, bicycle or hiking trails, or golf courses for all county residents;
  • To promote tourism emphasizing open space, recreational sites, and natural resources of Horry County;
  • To promote education, awareness, and research relating to environmental and natural resources;
  • To assist in coordinating activities of volunteers, organizations, businesses and governmental agencies interested in the preservation of open space, recreational sites, and natural resources;
  • To prepare and submit to the Horry County Council for consideration a proposed list of areas of open space, significant environmental and natural resources, and recreational sites to be acquired, leased, preserved, protected, maintained, or developed through a new Horry County Open Space Fund.

  Furthermore, as per Section 15-125, the Horry County Parks and Open Space Board has the powers, duties, responsibilities, and jurisdiction to:

  • Develop an inventory of all public lands, parks, and all categories of open space, areas for expansion of a variety of recreational facilities, and areas of natural resources in Horry County;
  • Submit to the Horry County Council the inventory of public lands, parks, open spaces and a list of resources which should be acquired, leased preserved, protected, maintained, or developed through the Horry County Open Space Fund (see section 15-127) or from grants, revenue, fundraising activities, or other public or private sources;
  • Make recommendations to the Horry County Council relating to the Horry County Open Space Fund and the properties which should be acquired, leased, preserved, protected, maintained, or developed;
  • Coordinate activities of volunteers, organizations, business and corporate entities and governmental agencies for the identification, conservation, preservation or development of all categories of open space, areas for expansion of a variety of recreational facilities, and areas of environmental and natural resources in Horry County;
  • Undertake such studies, plans, activities, and projects as may from time to time be assigned to the board by the Horry County Council;
  • Encourage such planning, activities and development as may be necessary or advisable to identify, promote, acquire, lease, preserve, protect, maintain, or develop open space, recreational sites, or natural resources;
  • Define neighborhoods, districts, or regions to allocate funds from the Horry County Open Space Fund and to designation areas of need for preservation of open space, recreational sites, and natural resources;
  • Appoint committees and subcommittees.
  
  
• Affordable Housing Commission
  
  Per Chapter 15, Article VIII of the Horry County Code of Ordinances, the Affordable/Workforce Housing Commission is established to promote the public’s health, safety, environmental, social, and economic interests by the provision of affordable housing that enables Horry County to maintain employment, recruit attractive industrial prospects, provide family stability and a higher quality of life beneficial to the overall economy of Horry County. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Commission are as follows:
  • Provide to its residents safe, decent, sound and cost/energy-efficient housing;
  • Ensure the stock of affordable housing remains durable in affordability and financially affordable for a buyer to purchase and maintain;
  • Ensure some homeowner equity in pace with the housing market and real property appreciations;
  • Encourage affordable development without negatively impacting the natural environment; and
  • Encourage affordable housing developments that are attractive in appearance, well-planned in design, and located near major employment centers, as these are recognized factors considered in the attraction of new business and industry and retaining existing business and industry in Horry County.

Frequently Asked Questions