Exclusive: Santee Cooper ‘pauses’ animal shelter land donation and cites single complaint

Santee Cooper has paused progress on a land lease donation to the Grand Strand Humane Society after receiving pushback over the weekend from neighbors about the location.

The pause in the land donation was revealed after Horry County Council revoked Tuesday its approval for the animal shelter’s new location.

The recent development could put the animal shelter’s plans to build a new facility in jeopardy for a second time. The shelter has tried to relocate previously, but met with resistance and problems from the county council and residents in finding a new location.

In November, Santee Cooper began the process of leasing land to the Grand Strand Humane Society to build a new facility, The Sun News reported . The land is located on Waterside Drive, off Highway 17 near the Coastal Grand Mall.

Santee Cooper was vague on the exact location at the time, saying it was 5 to 7 acres of land near the Myrtle Beach International Airport and the mall but not giving a specific address.

In November, the Horry County Council approved a support resolution of the land lease but rescinded it on Tuesday after hearing neighbor complaints, adding that they did not realize how close the shelter would be to homes. Santee Cooper is also now pausing progress on the donation.

Jessica Wnuk, Grand Strand Human Society executive director, said Wednesday that the Horry County Council specifically told her to find a piece of land that was zoned for a shelter, which she did. The plot is zoned as a light industrial lot and is next to a small neighborhood.

Tracy Vreeland, Santee Cooper public relations specialist, said Wednesday that Santee Cooper received a letter from a neighbor talking about concerns they have with the location of the shelter. The lease was supposed to be approved by the South Carolina Joint Bond Review Committee later this month.

However, Vreeland said Santee Cooper will wait to ask for approval from the committee until the company has met with the neighbors located near the property to talk through issues. Santee Cooper decline to provide the letter or the author’s identity.

Wnuk said the committee’s reversal caught her off guard.

“We hope this won’t impact the forward motion of this property,” Wnuk said. “The community needs a new facility.”

Council revokes support resolution after neighbor complaints

Originally, Horry County Council showed support for the donation by voting on a support resolution. The council reversed its decision on Tuesday after at least 14 community members showed up to a meeting to voice their problems about the shelter. Council members also said they had received calls from residents about the issue.

The Sun News has requested these communications through the Freedom of Information Act.

This is the second time the Horry County Council has reversed a resolution after approving it. The first happened in 2022 after the council voted to officially declare June Pride Month. Council members later revoked it after getting pushback from conservative constituents. This year, the council stood by its second decision and did not have a Pride Month proclamation, The Sun News reported.

Councilman Bill Howard told The Sun News Wednesday that the approval for the animal shelter’s location is purely ceremonial.

“The resolution was a congratulations resolution, we didn’t realize the site was where it was and they could clear cut all the way back to the houses,” Howard said.

Howard said the council reversed the resolution so it could have a neutral stance on the land lease. The council does not have a say in the Grand Strand Humane Society receiving the land. The land is zoned appropriately for a shelter so the council will not have to approve a zoning change, according to officials.

With the land location, the shelter could build across the street from five houses and within a half mile of 40 homes. Since the show of support in November, neighbors have complained to council members about the potential shelter’s proximity to their homes. Complaints include noise from dogs and pet waste.

Wnuk said there should not be a lot of noise coming from the potential new facility as it will be built to mitigate sound. She said plans call for leaving a line of trees between the facility and the houses as a natural barrier.

“We want to be good neighbors and we don’t want any sound issues,” Wnuk said.

As for pet waste, the facility has been designed to handle more water and waste removal than is needed, Wnuk said.

This is the second location the Grand Strand Humane Society has chosen for a new facility. This summer, the animal shelter withdrew its zoning application for a location along River Oaks Drive after neighbors, many of those with homes priced in the mid six figures, expressed it was too close to a residential area, The Sun News reported.

The decision to pull its request in June was a strategic decision by the 50-year-old nonprofit as an outright denial would have barred it from pitching the project for at least a year.

The Grand Strand Humane Society wants to build a larger facility as the organization has outgrown its current building.