North Myrtle Beach's Planning Commission unanimously signed off on two new housing phases at Grande Dunes North this week, clearing the way for 111 townhouses and a dozen single-family houses to join the sprawling coastal community. The vote came during the commission's meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Phase 4 of the project creates lots for the 111 townhouses, along with three open-space lots and private rights-of-way, according to MyHorryNews.com. That phase sits on roughly 20.77 acres accessed by Brynlee Road, with townhouse lots ranging from about 2,722 to 8,014 square feet and an overall residential density of approximately 5.3 dwelling units per acre. The plat also establishes Sawyer Drive within a 50-foot private right-of-way, with roadway improvements that include sidewalks and street trees consistent with applicable development requirements.
A Dozen More Houses in Phase 6A
The second approval, Phase 6A, is smaller in scope but adds 12 residential lots intended strictly for single-family houses, plus private rights-of-way. Lot sizes there run from 6,589 to 8,041 square feet, with a density of 3.8 dwelling units per acre spread across about 3.16 acres. The subdivision establishes Brawley Drive and a segment of Brynlee Road, both carrying 50-foot private rights-of-way and totaling 1,069 linear feet of new private streets, the outlet's report notes.
Commissioners approved both phases with no dissent — the vote for approval was unanimous on both. The proposals now head to North Myrtle Beach City Council, where two readings are required for approval, per the same account. It is not yet known from available records when City Council might take up the matter or how it might rule.
Part of a Broader Building Boom
The Grande Dunes North additions land amid a historic run of housing growth across Horry County. The county has issued permits for more than 15,400 single-family homes since 2024, according to The Sun News, which cites Thomas Bell, the county's deputy director of public information. The county's population has climbed by 25.34%, or nearly 90,000 people, since 2020, the paper reports.
More than 30% of Horry County's approved developments are slated for the Conway area, with Myrtle Beach close behind as the next hot spot for new housing, The Sun News notes. Most of those recently approved projects remain single-family builds, though some, like Grande Dunes North's Phase 4, mix in townhomes. The same reporting notes that the county has lost 37% of its tree coverage between 2001 and 2025 and nearly 20% of its forested wetlands between 1996 and 2021 as development has spread.
North Myrtle Beach's Recent Growth Track Record
Grande Dunes North isn't the only large project working its way through North Myrtle Beach's approval pipeline in recent memory. In April 2025, city leaders approved a 597-unit development off Water Tower Road known as The Preserve, a project MyHorryNews.com covered extensively after it had been scaled back from an original 804 units with commercial space to 597 units with no commercial component and a three-story height cap. At a first reading, Councilman Fred Coyne was the lone dissenter in a 5-1 vote.
The Preserve is planned in three sections named Bayberry, Retreat and Indigo.
