A developer's plan to build 2,000 homes on 1,426 acres off Highway 707 in Horry County's Burgess community was scheduled for a Horry County Planning Commission workshop on October 29, with a recommendation date of November 5, reviving a yearslong debate over growth, traffic and school crowding near Murrells Inlet. The proposed HarborTrace development would sit adjacent to St. James High School and border both Blackmoor Golf Club and the Waccamaw River, according to the original reporting by MyHorryNews.com.
The MyHorryNews.com report describes HarborTrace as a mixed-use project combining single-family homes, townhomes, commercial space, recreational amenities and conservation areas. Developers have submitted a formal rezoning request to build the 2,000-home neighborhood, according to the Post and Courier. The request was scheduled for an October 29 workshop, with a recommendation date of November 5. The current proposal calls for residential, commercial, community/civic and conservation zones spread across the site's 1,426 acres, the Post and Courier reports.
A Smaller Plan Than What Residents Fought Before
HarborTrace is described as an amended version of a 2021 proposal for 4,000 homes that developers withdrew after community groups opposed it over traffic, stormwater runoff and school capacity, per MyHorryNews.com. The Post and Courier's account of that history similarly calls the current plan a modified version of a 4,000-home proposal withdrawn in 2021 following strong community opposition. A separate Post and Courier report on the revised plan instead frames the reduction as going from 3,872 homes to 2,000 — a 49 percent cut — with the dossier not resolving which earlier figure is accurate.
Whichever the starting point, the current plan proposes 1,529 single-family homes and 471 townhomes, the Post and Courier reports. Developers consulted community groups and incorporated feedback into the plan. The revised plan cuts overall density by 50 percent, includes a 175-foot buffer for Blackmoor and includes planned road upgrades.
Conservation Land and Buffers Near the Golf Course
The plan would designate 686 acres — described in one account as 48 percent of the land area — within a conservation and preservation district inside the HarborTrace planned development district, according to MyHorryNews.com. The Post and Courier similarly reports that developers propose setting aside 686 of the 1,426 acres in their natural state to address concerns about flooding and environmental impacts. The natural areas are intended to address concerns about flooding and environmental impacts.
Developers also offered a 175-foot natural buffer between Blackmoor and HarborTrace with no connecting roads between the neighborhoods, the Post and Courier reports. Developers proposed 36 acres for a YMCA, county park and electric substation. The plan also includes proposed Bay Road sites for a fire station and recycling center.
Commercial Space and a Pedestrian-Oriented Plan
The commercial component includes 42 acres along the Highway 707 corridor, totaling 350,000 square feet for businesses — down from 552,000 square feet in the earlier plan, the Post and Courier reports.
Developers say their goal is responsible development centered on conservation and public safety, and that the residential plan shaped by community input is the best fit for both the property and Burgess, according to MyHorryNews.com. The plan is described as a walkable, pedestrian-oriented master plan.
Traffic and School Concerns Still Loom Large
Burgess has seen sustained growth for decades: the community added more than 21,000 people between 1990 and 2010, according to U.S. Census data cited by the Post and Courier. Existing neighborhoods have raised questions about traffic, school capacity and density tied to new housing, MyHorryNews.com reports. The Greater Burgess Community Association has estimated HarborTrace could add 18,000 to 25,000 vehicles per day to Highway 707, according to WBTW.
A traffic study for the project estimates more than 20,000 average daily trips would be generated at full build-out, a process developers say could take 20 years, per the Post and Courier. Developers estimate a proposed improvement-district fund would raise $90 million over that same 20-year span for road upgrades, the outlet reports. The Greater Burgess Community Association has also said additional residential and commercial growth could strain local water and sewer systems as well as area schools, including St. James High School, according to WBTW.
Schools and the Zoning Fallback Option
Developers have pointed to a planned $66 million elementary school from Horry County Schools that is expected to be finished long before HarborTrace's 20-phase build-out is complete, the Post and Courier reports.
If rezoning fails, potential uses include topsoil extraction or up to 1,500 townhomes under existing zoning.
The Horry County Planning Commission workshop was scheduled for October 29, with a recommendation date of November 5.
