LITTLE RIVER NECK BACKGROUND

This paper has been prepared by the Government Liaison Committee, a permanent Committee created by the Tidewater Board of Directors on behalf of its residents. The purpose of this document is to present information relevant to the geographic area within which we reside. This document is intended to provide a foundation for informing and formulating positions on issues that may have short term or long term impact on the quality of life that we enjoy.

MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL

First and foremost among those factors that characterize Little River Neck is its multi-jurisdictional character. The main thoroughfare through the Neck is a state road designated SC 236. Along this state road, property in the Neck is under the jurisdiction of two local governing authorities. Some of the parcels are in unincorporated Horry County and fall under its zoning, police and fire protection, others have been annexed within the City of North Myrtle Beach and fall under its zoning, police and fire protections.

To coordinate between the two local entities, the City of North Myrtle Beach and the Horry County Government have entered into a mutual aid agreements that, in general, provide for cooperative law enforcement and fire protection along the Neck.

All 911 calls in the county are answered by the Horry County 911 Communications Center. The Center dispatches police, fire and ambulances for all county residents as well as Atlantic Beach Police, Aynor Police, Briarcliffe Acres Police, Conway Fire Rescue, Surfside Fire Rescue and the volunteer rescue squads. Calls from North Myrtle Beach residents are transferred from the Communications Center to the city’s dispatch center.

Residents within the city of North Myrtle Beach have services like municipal water, sewer and trash pickup, while residents in the county, with one exception, have none. The exception is that with a state and federal grant, the City of North Myrtle Beach made available the sewer system to county residents from Creekside to Tidewater. The intent was to protect the Cherry Grove Marsh from the pollution resulting from failing septic systems.

The multi-jurisdictional aspect has its advantages and its disadvantages. This split provides the opportunity for each jurisdiction to bring its individual resources to service the community. For example, the County has placed fencing along the LRN Rd easement and planted crepe myrtles in an attempt to beautify the road. The City has repaved LRN Rd from Tidewater to Sea Mountain Hwy and added rumble strips.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

The North Myrtle Beach Comprehensive plan sets the foundation for all land use decisions, from broad policy to detailed site design and development. However, it is not regulatory. For regulatory structure, we are dependent upon the officials we elect to respect the comprehensive plan and deviate from it only with strong justification. Historically the undeveloped land along Little River Neck Road (LRN Rd) has been designated low density residential in the North Myrtle Beach Comprehensive Plans which defines the designation’s purpose as to define, protect and provide low density, single-family detached housing areas and to prohibit any development that would compromise existing residential characteristics. Further, the Comprehensive plan states that future development on Little River Neck needs to be carefully managed, a special area study for the entire length of Little River Neck Road should be prepared, funding sources and consultants be identified and be completed before the Comprehensive Plan update in 2015. This update is underway.

Concurrently, the Horry County “Envisioning 2025 – Future Land Use Map” shows the future use of the property as “Preserved Open Space” and “Scenic and Conservation Area.” However, the Horry Count Current Land Use Map defines the use as “Residential – undefined.”

LITTLE RIVER NECK ROAD IMPROVEMENTS

The fact that LRN Rd is a large cul-de-sac constrains land uses that are desirable in other locations in the city. Emergency evacuation during the threat of hurricanes or wildfires is a significant challenge facing the community and city officials.

The January 2009, Northeast Transportation Plan recommended widening LRN Rd to a two lane divided roadway with bicycle and pedestrian amenities by 2015 at a cost of $7,650,000 and widened to a 4 lane divided highway to the boundaries of Tidewater by 2023 . Although initially considered during RIDE III, the widening did not make the final recommendations. The project is in the Grand Strand Transportation Plan as a Tier 2 priority A for $5 million to widen it to three lanes with a multipurpose path and construct a roundabout north of Hill Street. As a Tier 2 project, its construction can occur only if the project is a Federal Highway Administration Priority, or fundable from some future RIDE tax. It is not eligible for State Infrastructure Bank funds as the Bank only considers projects costing $100 million or more. There are 29 projects requiring $500 million in funding ahead of the widening of LRN Rd. The likelihood of it occurring with these funding sources in time to accommodate future growth is extremely low in our opinion. Continued lobbying by our elected officials to either raise the priority or identify sources of funding is critical.

The Northeast Transportation Plan also has other recommended improvements. A dedicated bike lane from Hill Street to Tidewater by 2015 at a cost of $648,000 and a round-about at Hill St, 27th Ave and LRN Rd by 2012 at a cost of $500,000.

The City Director of Public Works advises that the Long Rang Transportation Plan will be updated during 2016 and notes that adequate right-of-way exists for a 3-lande section with multi-purpose path but not for a 5-lane section.

Before a density designation greater than R-1 be given to any property on the Neck, the comprehensive transportation plan called for in the Comprehensive Plan must be developed that includes costs and, more importantly, sources of funding and timing for Little River Neck Road improvements.

EVACUATION

Because of the “one-way in, one way out” nature of the LRN Rd cul-de-sac, the LRN community is vulnerable to many natural hazards.

As the December 2010 North Myrtle Beach Hazard Mitigation Plan notes: The most likely areas for wildfires in the City are along Little River Neck Road and the Barefoot Resort areas. The Highway 31 wildfire that burned 15,000 acres in 2009 was not that long ago and was started by a homeowner burning debris on his property when it got terribly out of hand. With a goodly portion of Little River Neck in County jurisdiction where burning debris is legal, the Neck is at high risk of wildfire. Tidewater Plantation Community Association (TPCA) recognizes that each community must do its part to reduce the risks associated with wildfires and, after the 2009 wildfire, along with representatives of the SC Forestry Service conducted a “Firewise’ audit of the community. Since then, tree removal restrictions enforced by TPACA were reduced and around 4,500 trees have been removed or permitted to be removed.

While the Tidewater Community has made a major step forward, the risk from wildfire did not disappear. Both the City and County Councils must recognize that an increased density puts existing and future residents at risk should a wildfire occur in the Neck. Because there is only one way in for firefighters and only one way out for residents, lane control – making both lanes one direction towards Sea Mountain to speed evacuation - is impossible as this would prohibit access by firefighters. Extreme congestion and bottlenecks are thus highly likely and will become even more extreme and even more likely as the population grows within the Neck.

While hurricanes strikes has been low since Irene came through in 2011 and since an evacuation has not been ordered since Hurricane Charlie in 2004, accepting this long lull as a norm would overlook Fran in 1996 and Hugo in 1989. Land use and density planning must take into consideration the likelihood of a hurricane requiring evacuation of North Myrtle Beach. A big challenge in evacuations is the limited routes that LRN Rd feeds into – Sea Mountain HWY which will bring the Cherry Grove Beach population in contention with LRN residents and then both populations must fight for access to HWY 17 with half the population of North Myrtle Beach. Congestions, bottlenecks, and accidents are all likely and put our community at risk – a risk that will grow as the Neck population grows.

The North Myrtle Beach City Council has consistently focused on developing alternate evacuation routes for residents of Barefoot Resort. The Council paved Watertower Road and now plans to extend Champion Boulevard to Barefoot. We would appreciate the same concern for our safety. Unfortunately, residents of Little River Neck do not have the option of alternate evacuation routes and must therefore count upon the City to hold the Neck to low density development to reduce our risks and those of future populations.

GROWTH

The Neck will eventually be developed. Not counting the 1074 acres owned by the Coastal Education Foundation, there are currently 2,493 acres of raw land in the Neck. With about an estimated 30% (from the Comprehensive Plan) of the property in wet lands, a zoning of R2 (8 units per acre) would create the potential of an additional 13,961 residencies versus 6,885 with a R1 zoning (4 units per acre). An R2 designation would put the equivalent of twice the entire current permanent population Note1 of North Myrtle Beach on a cul-de-sac. Imagine in a hurricane or a wildfire trying to evacuate double the current population of North Myrtle Beach along the two-lane substandardNote 2 Little River Neck Road funneling into Sea Mountain Highway.

Just one profile of a major Neck landowner provides a glimpse into the real potential for development. A major developer, Riverstone Properties owns 1,011 acres (about ½ of the available raw acreage). The Riverstone Group owns and operates The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia; Keswick Hall in Charlottesville, Virginia; The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee; Kiawah Island Golf Resort on Kiawah Island; and Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head, South Carolina. The Riverstone Group is not a typical developer; its hotels and resorts are financed internally—a rarity in the industry.

Note that Riverstone bought in 2000, at that time the Comprehensive Plan did not include what is now the Riverstone property however, there was Low Density indicated just short of it. It was not included in the Comprehensive Plan until the 2005 plan. At that time it was designated “Resource Protection and Conservation” because there were some discussions with the state to create a park that would include the property. Concurrently, the Horry County “Envisioning 2025 – Future Land Use Map” shows the future use of the property as “Preserved Open Space” and “Scenic and Conservation Area.” However, the Horry Count Current Land Use Map defines the use as “Residential – undefined.”

TRAFFIC

The State of South Carolina maintains three traffic count stations in this area. Station #347 is located just south of Tidewater at the Santee Cooper distribution station on LRN Rd. Station #348 is near Palmetto Shores on LRN Rd. The third, Station # 202 is on Sea Mountain at Hill St. These stations report the following Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT). For 2014 the reported counts are Station# 347: 4,100; Station # 348: 4,000 and Station #202: 23,100. With these traffic counts, LRN Rd and Sea Mountain are rated a level of service (LOS) of “A-C,” which is considered good.

Complicating the traffic mix in the area is the fact that LRN Rd is also a “Share the Road” bicycle Greenway Route. This particular route is intended to connect the Little River Neck area with Hill Street Park, Cherry Grove Park, and the East Coast Greenway. However, sidewalks on this designated route do not exist on LRN Rd but are limited to Hill Street and Sea Mountain Highway. As pointed out in the Northeast Area Transportation Plan, “These limited facilities create a disconnected network that forces cyclists and pedestrians to mix with motor traffic in an unsafe manner.”

Further the Northeast Area Transportation Plan stated: “The distance from the focus area to employment and shopping centers necessitates travel by automobile due to the lack of connectivity between neighborhoods. Likewise, the lack of connection creates longer trips by these vehicles. Little River Neck Road currently does not provide safe or efficient pedestrian, bicycle, or transit amenities. Access to the site currently is limited to one point at the intersection of Little River Neck Road and Hill Road.”

Into the overall assessment of traffic and safety should be brought forth that LRN Rd is not built to the standards for which the LOS is set for a secondary road. It has only 9 foot lanes versus SC’s standard 12 foot lanes and has no road shoulders. Note that although LRN Rd is twenty (20) foot wide and thus implies ten foot lanes, the American Association of State Transportation Officials’ (AASTO) Green Book specifies a different calculation. AASTO sets the design standards for highways and streets throughout the U.S. and recognizes the constriction imposed by lane striping when double yellow center lines are involved as in the case of LRN Rd. When that occurs, the lane width is defined as the space between the stripingNote 2. In the case of LRN Rd, the variability of the placing of the outermost white strip from one to four inches from the edge of the pavement produces an interior lane that varies from 8 foot 10 inches to 9 foot 4 inches as sampled multiple times along the road.

Federal Highway Administration studies show a 50% increase in accidents on 9 foot widths compared to the standard 12 foot lanes and a reduction in free-flow speed by 6.4 mph with no shoulders.

As it is built, drivers along LRN Rd have observed that trucks, vehicles pulling trailers and other large vehicles like the fire trucks stationed on LRN Rd affect safety and operations by off-tracking into adjacent lanes or veering of the road. Drivers on LRN Rd tend to shift even closer to the centerline as they become less comfortable in narrow lanes and traveling next to a missing shoulder. At other times, they may shift closer to the road edge and are at greater risk of driving off the paved portion of the roadway (and over potential edge drop-offs) as they meet oncoming traffic especially large trucks. This affects the safety of other drivers, as well as non-motorized users such as the many bicyclists who share the substandardNote 2 lanes.

Again, the fact that LRN Rd is a cul-de-sac also affects the LOS. When an accident occurs there are no detours possible and traffic comes to a halt. Many times residents have been blocked in traffic for hours.

These factors are not taken into consideration in determining the current LRN Rd LOS rating. Lane and shoulder widths and the lack of alternate routes have a dramatic effect on highway capacity. The real life experience of residents along LRN Rd is that the level of service is poor.

Widening of LRN Rd must get ahead of growth. Even with a consistent zoning of low density development, this growth will still result in an estimated 17,600 annual average daily tripsNote 3 when LRN Rd is fully built out.

DEVELOPMENT

LRN Rd is recognized in Horry County (HC) Ordinances as an artery along which it is important to preserve the county’s natural environment and to enhance the county’s built environment (section 527). Specific buffer and landscape provisions along with tree preservation requirements are spelled out in HC ordinances. Some requirements include

  1. A buffer of existing and undisturbed woodlands in a continuous strip at least 20 feet wide; or where existing trees are not present within the landscape strip:
  2. A single line of evergreen trees, not including pine species, at least six (6) feet in height after planting and space no greater than ten (20) feet apart; or,
  3. A decorative privacy fence or wall at least four (4) feet in height above finished grade.
  4. Specific landscaping standards for nonresidential and multifamily projects.
  5. Detailed tree planting requirements for vehicle use areas which are visible from a platted road right-of-way.
  6. Landscaping requirements for off-street surface parking lots.
  7. Limitation on permanent on-site signage.
  8. Buffer requirement between dissimilar districts or uses.

Tree protection along LRN Rd comes under the Horry County Tree Preservation Section (Section 527.4) and thus requires any parcel developed or redeveloped within the county jurisdiction along LRN Rd file a tree survey/tree location map.

However, most tree clearing has occurred and probably will occur in the future by developers deceptively using the exemption where property can be declared to be used for forest management that would include tree harvesting. Then after the harvesting filing for the zoning the owner needs for development. That was the case with the original developers of River Wynde. When the clear cutting occurred, a complaint was registered with HC zoning officials. After inspection, the County replied that the clear cutting was legal under the forest management exception. After clearing, the River Wynde owners then filed for annexation into North Myrtle Beach with a R1 zoning. Thus the owners had to comply with neither the County nor the City of North Myrtle Beach’s tree preservation ordinances. The River Wynde developers did, however, present to the County a landscape plan that showed 15 foot trees and 15 gallon shrubs on berms that would conform to the buffering requirement. However, with the sale of the property to the City, that seems to be lost.