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Earlier this month, our media outlet reported on ongoing municipal incorporation efforts by residents of the lower Waccamaw Neck area in Georgetown County, South Carolina. These residents have joined together in opposition to a comprehensive county land use plan – one which they say will make their community “look like Myrtle Beach.”
The Waccamaw Neck is among the most scenic areas in the Palmetto State, and is home to Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, Huntington Beach State Park and the Hobcaw Barony.
Group members argue the county’s land use plan would increase population growth in the area dramatically – which would forever alter the composition of the place they call home.
With the adoption of the controversial plan earlier this month, residents of lower Waccamaw Neck have two options, according to Andy Hallock – chairman of the Pawleys-Litchfield Municipal Study Group.
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“The first option is acceptance of the ten-year high density comprehensive land use plan,” Hallock said. “That plan will enable a significant population increase on the lower Neck. This increase will transform the lower Neck to something resembling Mount Pleasant or worse, Myrtle Beach.”
The other option? Local control of future development via municipal incorporation.
The study group formed to examine the possibility of incorporating the Pawleys-Litchfield area, to gather support for the effort and to provide information to the impacted voters who may ultimately be asked to decide what their local government looks like, the area it covers, what its name will be, and how it will be managed.
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“We have fought for years to prevent increased density, increases in traffic and unrestrained development,” one resident told FITSNews.
Incorporation would mean the area in question would no longer fall under the jurisdiction of Georgetown County Council. It would mean residents of the newly incorporated area would not be bound by the county’s comprehensive land use plan – among other county-level policies. Specifically, representatives elected by the citizens of the new municipality would make such decisions.
The current iteration of Georgetown County Council has a total of seven members. Only two of them live in the unincorporated area of the county considering incorporation. FITSNews has asked Georgetown County Council members for their comments on this matter, but we have yet to receive a response.
Assuming that changes, we will obviously alert our audience.
The area identified by the study group for potential incorporation includes most of the area covered by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) 29585 zip code. According to USPS, this zip code includes a population of more than 16,000 spread across a land area of approximately 47.13 square miles.
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The goal of the study group is to complete their research over the next several months so that a petition for incorporation could be filed by January 1, 2025. Assuming that petition drive succeeds, an election could be held sometime in mid-2025.
Not everyone living in the area is thrilled with the idea, it’s worth noting.
Local resident Carol Agnew criticized the proposal on her Facebook page “due to lack of transparency, fear of another layer of government with accompanying taxes (which increase every year) and with loss of freedoms with more government.”
Community members who have questions about the proposed incorporation are invited to contact the study group at pawleyslitchfieldmsg@gmail.com. Also, in keeping with our open microphone policy, anyone with an opinion on the potential incorporation of the Waccamaw Neck is encouraged to reach out to this reporter at callie@fitsnews.com.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Callie Lyons is a journalist, researcher and author. Her 2007 book ‘Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal’ was the first to cover forever chemicals and their impact on communities – a story later told in the movie ‘Dark Waters.’ Her investigative work has been featured in media outlets, publications, and documentaries all over the world. Lyons also appears in ‘Citizen Sleuth’ – a 2023 documentary exploring the genre of true crime.
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