Voting against the recommendation of its planning commission, the Conway City Council unanimously rejected a request Monday night to annex 40 acres on West Cox Ferry Road for a 131-home subdivision.
Four people spoke against the subdivision pointing to what they believe will be increased traffic woes, possible flooding and harm to area wildlife due to its nearness to the Cox Ferry Wildlife Refuge.
Property owner Steve Dunn told the council that his family had owned the property for 125 or 130 years and, due to his age of 71, he believes it is time for him to sell it so he and his wife can move closer to their grandchildren.
鈥淚t鈥檚 too much property for me to take care of anymore,鈥 he said, adding that he鈥檚 too old.
In regard to the four people who spoke against bringing the property into the city and 17, who raised their hands indicating their opposition, Dunn said, 鈥淚 know it鈥檚 tearing their hearts out鈥 don鈥檛 want to sell the property, but I have to."
Dunn had already commissioned Conway developer Tripp Nealy to help with the subdivision saying he does quality work.
Nealy told council the plan, which they hoped to have approved, used a conservation/preservation zoning designation and had a 100-foot buffer all the way around it. He said the property isn鈥檛 a 鈥渕ud hole,鈥 it鈥檚 a hill.
He also said he had walked the property and surveyed the trees and ensured council that he could create a beautiful place for working people, near the Coastal Carolina University stadium.
But the issue that appeared to most influence council was the stretching of the Conway city limits.
City Administrator Adam Emrick said the property is already in Conway鈥檚 fire territory, but Conway Councilman William Goldfinch said he worried that it would stretch Conway police, sanitation and other services too much.
Goldfinch said typically there are seven police officers working the night shift and he doesn鈥檛 want to increase the area they have to cover.
He said the city鈥檚 footprint has grown tremendously in the past three decades, and the city鈥檚 growth doesn鈥檛 bring in enough tax money to cover the added cost it brings to the city.
He said if he could go back 20 or 30 years, he might not have voted to annex all that they already have.
The property is zoned Commercial Forest Agriculture (CFA) now and can still be developed.
Councilman Alex Hyman said the issue posed a conundrum for the council because if the property stays in the county it can be clear-cut, but if it isn鈥檛 annexed its development may be less restrictive.
There was a tense moment during the meeting after four people had spoken to council and Conway Mayor Barbara-Blain-Bellamy thought that was enough so council voted to end public input.
That didn鈥檛 suit one opponent who continued to speak up after Blain-Bellamy told him a second time that public input was done.
When he continued to speak, Conway Police Chief Dale Long and downtown officer Wayne Calhoun both started to move toward the vociferous man, but when the mayor banged her gavel saying one more time that public input was done, the man quieted down.
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