COASTAL OBSERVER

A zoning change to limit redevelopment of two of the oldest golf courses on Waccamaw Neck is moving forward while Georgetown County rewrites its ordinances.

That is likely to require creating a new zoning district, even though officials say the 32 districts contained in the current ordinance are too many.

“We kind of hate to add another one,” said Holly Richardson, the county planning director.

But it is the best way to achieve the goal of maintaining the courses as recreational property or open space as the county’s comprehensive plan envisions.

The Founders Club at Hagley and the the Litchfield Country Club were both built in 1966. The county didn’t adopt zoning until the 1970s. The two courses now have the same zoning as the surrounding neighborhoods, “residential – 10,000 square feet.” That would allow up to four units an acre on the golf course property if they could meet other requirements, such as street frontage, setbacks and other infrastructure.

But the land use element of the comprehensive plan that was updated last year shows the courses as “conservation-agriculture.” That envisions the property will be used for recreation or protected from development in the future.

While that is expected to be done by an update of the zoning ordinance and the county development regulations, which will be combined into a “unified development ordinance,” that process is expected to take 12 to 18 months, Richardson said.

The county this week posted a request for qualifications from firms to help draft the new ordinance, which would require public hearings, review by the Planning Commission and approval from County Council.

The finalists are tentatively scheduled for interviews in April. By then, Richardson hopes to have a draft of a “neighborhood amenity” district ready for review.

She told County Council this week the district could allow public facilities or community amenities. “Obviously we would allow for a golf course,” Richardson said.

It could also allow for some housing at a density of one unit for every five acres, provided certain conditions are met. Those units could be clustered, but the minimum lot size would be one acre.

“It’s a breath of fresh air,” Council Member Bob Anderson said. The Founders Club is in his district.

He credited Council Member Stella Mercado with promoting the change at the council’s annual retreat this month. Her district includes Litchfield Country Club.

The proposed change follows a reduction in the maximum density for “general residential” districts from 16 to five units an acre. That was also done in anticipation that the creation of a new ordinance would take some time.

“We’re not aware of any current plans for closure,” Richardson said.

The courses, both owned by Founders Group International, are doing well, according to information provided to the property owners associations at Hagley and Litchfield Country Club.

Tom Stickler, president of the Hagley association, said he saw a survey that placed Founders Club among the most popular courses in the country.

“If  Founders is that highly ranked by golfers, I can’t see why anyone would want do anything with it,” he said.

If they did, Hagley’s deed restrictions would prevent the subdivision of the property, Stickler said.

“They really can’t get higher density in Hagley,” he said.

Even the current zoning would not allow multi-family development. That would require a zoning change. Founders Group drew opposition to a request to change the zoning at the former Litchfield Racquet Club for multifamily units in 2019.

“My preference would be no development,” said Robin Agnew, president of the country club association, but she added that she could live with the “farmhouse” density of one house on five acres.

The association was told at its annual meeting in January that “this particular course is very popular and financially successful,” Agnew said. “I would be surprised if anything happened.”

But she also said she was glad that the county is moving forward rather than waiting on the update of the entire ordinance.