News Title:110.59 Acres along Gardner Lacy Road Proposed for Residential Development Alongside Thousands of Acres of Protected Conservation Land
A significant residential development proposal is taking shape on a portion of a much larger 825.08-acre tract in the Carolina Forest area. This property neighbors Waterford Plantation and is across Gardner Lacy Drive from Clear Pond. The acreage being considered for residential development represents only a small portion of the overall 825.08 acre property.
The property, currently owned by Cottonpatch Timber Company, encompasses approximately 825.08 acres. Of particular importance to the current rezoning request is approximately 110.59 acres, which is the portion of the property being considered for rezoning to MRD-3 to allow for future residential development. This rezoning request was planned for the October 1, 2026 Horry County Planning Commission Meeting but has been deferred.
The remaining approximately 715 acres of the larger tract are already protected through a permanent conservation easement, creating an important distinction between the portion being considered for development and the much larger area that will remain protected from future development.
Horry County's open-space planning documents separately identify the Cottonpatch conservation property at approximately 714.86 acres, protected through private conservation, while also identifying the much larger Independent Republic Heritage Preserve as a separate conservation property encompassing approximately 3,687 acres.
A small portion of a much larger property
The proposed rezoning therefore involves approximately 110.59 acres out of the 825.08-acre Cottonpatch tract — roughly only 13% of the total property.
That means the residential component likely to be proposed is not a rezoning of the entire Cottonpatch property. Instead, the request would be focused on the remaining portion of the larger tract after approximately 715 acres have been placed into permanent conservation protection.
That conservation component is particularly significant because of what surrounds the property.
Immediately nearby is the Independent Republic Heritage Preserve Wetland Mitigation Bank, a roughly 3,700-acre conservation property owned by Horry County. Horry County purchased the property in 2018 using funds from the county's RIDE Program. At the time, the property was acquired in large part because of its potential for wetland restoration and mitigation.
Independent Republic Heritage Preserve adds another layer of protection
The Independent Republic Heritage Preserve property has now entered a very different chapter.
In 2025, Horry County placed the Independent Republic Heritage Preserve property under a permanent conservation easement, restricting future development while establishing a long-term plan to restore its unique Carolina Bay and wet-pine savanna ecosystems. Horry County formally celebrated the unveiling of the Independent Republic Heritage Preserve Wetland Mitigation Bank in September 2025.
The Independent Republic Heritage Preserve property has a particularly interesting history. Before becoming a major conservation project, portions of the land were used for farming, mining and as a World War II artillery range. The property has also experienced significant wildfires, including the Covington Fire in 2025.
Today, the focus is on restoration rather than development.
Horry County officials are indicating that the restoration of the Independent Republic Heritage Preserve property is expected to continue for seven to 10 years. The work includes establishing several miles of fire breaks, conducting prescribed burns, reducing overgrown shrub and scrub vegetation, opening the forest overstory, encouraging native herbaceous vegetation and managing invasive species.
The wetland mitigation bank will also generate mitigation credits that can be used to offset unavoidable wetland impacts associated with eligible future RIDE projects.
A unique setting for future residential development
This all makes the proposed 110.59-acre residential component particularly interesting.
On one side is a large portion of the Cottonpatch property that is already permanently protected through a private conservation easement. Nearby is Horry County's approximately 3,700-acre Independent Republic Heritage Preserve, which is itself permanently protected and undergoing a long-term ecological restoration program. The Independent Republic property also sits across International Drive from the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve, adding another major protected natural area to the surrounding landscape.
For the future residential development proposed on the 110.59 acres, that surrounding conservation land will be an important part of the property's setting.
The proposed MRD-3 rezoning represents the next step in determining what can ultimately be developed on this portion of the Cottonpatch tract. The zoning request will need to work its way through Horry County's review process before any future residential development can move forward.