‘We don't want this:' Conway leaders mulling future of planned workforce housing development
'We love our neighborhood. We don't want this,' Chicora Boulevard resident Elizabeth Orlando told the city's planning commission March 6. 'We really don't need more low-income housing for other people who aren't from here to make money from. We need to take care of the residents of the city of Conway.'
On Monday, the city council responded — delaying a rezone vote that would clear the way for North Carolina-based Taft Mills Group to create 80 workforce housing units on 7.8 acres fronting Highway 701.
Officials said they support TMG's concept, but want to find a more suitable spot.
'I would vote 'no' to rezone it, but I would look forward to working with the developer to find a different location that everything would match up better,' councilwoman Julie Hardwick said.
Nate Broman-Fulks, TMG's vice president of development, said the firm would need to have the rezone complete by May 19 in order to apply for tax credit financing through SC Housing.
Conway, he said, makes sense for the project — which would be open to people who make 70% of the area's median income, or $55,500 for a family of four. The multi-story buildings would offer units with up to three bedrooms.
'It's an incredible location near grocery stores and several parks, shopping centers and doctors downtown as well as schools, so it checks all those boxes for us,' Broman-Fulks said March 6.
If approved, the development would be Conway's first tax-credit funded workforce housing project in nearly 20 years and come at a time when average rents in the city are $1,850.
'It's a vibrant community. A lot of people want to be here, so I don't see that going the other direction,' Broman-Fulks said. 'It's probably going to get harder for people to afford to live here that are working here.'
Residents like Kimberley Daley said adding more traffic and people into the area would create public safety issues.
'It all looks wonderful on paper but for everything good about it, there's 100 things bad,' she said March 6.
At least one prominent community group is backing TMG's efforts.
'Affordable housing provides individuals and families with secure, stable homes. This stability is essential for emotional well-being and overall health. Housing is needed much more than another commercial center. Rezoning this parcel will allow the City to meet the crucial need for housing,' Tara Ostrander of the Family Justice Center of Horry and Georgetown Counties wrote in a letter of support.
* * *
Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
6 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Parts of Europe are suspending postal shipments to the US — and your order may not arrive
Postal services operated by Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Belgium — Posten Bring, PostNord, and bpost — said they will suspend parcel shipments to the US ahead of the end of a customs exemption that allows low-value packages to enter the country duty-free. The conundrum facing postal operators comes as the Trump administration prepares to suspend the " de minimis" exemption starting on August 29. The exemption used to allow international shipments under $800 to cross the border with minimal paperwork and no duties. Now, these shipments will face tariffs, and not every operator can handle the customs declaration paperwork, have a payment mechanism in place, or be responsible for returns should a receiver refuse to pay tariffs. It's unclear when the temporary freeze on shipments will resume. "Due to the short timeframe to adapt to the new specific requirements, PostNord will temporarily halt shipments to the United States and Puerto Rico until a compliant solution has been developed and implemented," wrote the operator owned by the Swedish and Danish governments in a statement on Wednesday. Separately, Posten Bring, Norway's primary postal provider operated by the government, said in a statement that postal services have not been given clear instructions and solutions on how the duties will be paid or who would be responsible for returns. Therefore, Posten Bring sees suspension as the "only option." All three European postal services will suspend shipments starting August 23, which applies to all packages other than letters. This means that if you have a pending purchase that is not shipped by the deadline, your seller may need to cancel your order or arrange alternatives. But even if you're not purchasing from these specific European countries, your shopping options might still dwindle and become more costly. Etsy, the US e-commerce giant and a hub for independent crafters, posted a notice Wednesday that shipping label purchases for Australia Post, Canada Post, Evri, and Royal Mail for US-bound packages will be temporarily suspended starting August 25. Etsy wrote in a statement that these operators are unable to support prepaid duties at the moment, which may result in a large number of rejected packages due to unpaid duties and surprise costs for buyers not listed at checkout. Across social media platforms, many independent sellers based in the UK are also announcing that they can no longer support orders to the US, citing the introduction of an $80 flat fee plus handling charges for using Royal Mail to ship parcels to the US. "We hope to resume shipping as soon as we can, but we really don't want our customers to be hit with an $80+ fee," wrote the Citrine Circle, a UK-based crystal shop, on Instagram. "It feels like the world is getting smaller and smaller."
NBC News
6 minutes ago
- NBC News
These little robots are changing the way solar farms are built, saving time and money
Private renewable energy projects are still moving forward despite a pullback in government support, and new technology is making that construction more efficient. Solar farms, for example, take meticulous planning and surveying, involve long hours and require significant labor. Now, robots are taking on the job. CivDot is a four-wheeled robot that can mark up to 3,000 layout points per day and is accurate within 8 millimeters. The machine can ride over rugged terrain and work through rough weather. It is the brainchild of California-based Civ Robotics. 'Our secret sauce and our core technology is actually in the navigation and the geospatial -- being able to literally mark coordinates within less than a quarter inch, which is very, very difficult in an uneven terrain, outdoor surfaces, and out in the desert,' said Tom Yeshurun, CEO of Civ Robotics. The data for manual surveying is uploaded into the Civ software, then the operator chooses the area they want to mark and presses go. The robot does the rest, saving both time and money. 'The manual surveying equipment, if you use that in the field and you have three crews, they will need three land surveying handheld receivers. That alone is already equal to how much we lease our machines in the field, and all the labor savings is just another benefit,' Yeshurun said. Civ Robotics has more than 100 of these robots in the field that are primarily being used by renewable energy companies, but they are also used in oil and gas. It is currently working with Bechtel Corporation on several solar projects. 'These were usually pretty highly paid field engineers that we would send out there, and they might be able to do 250 or 350 pile marks a day. With the CivDot robot, we're able to do about 1250 a day,' said Kelley Brown, vice president at Bechtel. Brown said the company has used the robot in thick and muddy terrain in Texas and out in the deserts of Nevada. 'And so you have to think about things like the tires, or you may have to think about clearance. Are you trying to get over existing brush and such, across the solar field? So that's one thing that we contemplate. I think the other is, you know, this runs on batteries, so you've got to contemplate battery swaps,' she added. Civ Robotics is backed by Alleycorp, FF Venture Capital, Bobcat Company, Newfund Capital, Trimble Ventures, and Converge. Total VC funding to date is $12.5 million. There are other robotics solutions for markings, but the competition is mostly doing work on highways and soccer fields. Yeshurun said those rivals can't handle the terrains that the solar industry faces as it expands into new territories.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
State Street Stock: Analyst Estimates & Ratings
With a market cap of $31.5 billion, State Street Corporation (STT) is a leading financial holding company serving institutional investors worldwide. Through its subsidiaries, it provides investment servicing, investment management, trading, data, and analytics solutions to mutual funds, retirement plans, insurance companies, investment managers, foundations, and endowments. The Boston, Massachusetts-based company's shares have outperformed the broader market over the past 52 weeks. STT stock has surged 37.2% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has increased 14.9%. In addition, shares of the company are up 13.3% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX's 9.6% gain. More News from Barchart Trade the Warren Buffett Rally in UnitedHealth Stock With This High-Reward, Low-Risk Options Strategy Apple Expects $1.1 Billion Tariff Hit in 4th Quarter After $800 Million Q3 Hit; CEO Tim Cook Warns 'Many Factors That Could Change' Cathie Wood Is Buying BLSH Stock After the Bullish IPO. Should You? Tired of missing midday reversals? The FREE Barchart Brief newsletter keeps you in the know. Sign up now! Looking closer, shares of State Street have also outpaced the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund's (XLF) 19.6% return over the past 52 weeks. Despite beating estimates with Q2 2025 adjusted EPS of $2.53 and revenue of $3.45 billion versus $3.38 billion expected, STT shares fell 7.3% on Jul. 15. Adjusted expenses rose 6.3% year-over-year, provisions for credit losses tripled to $30 million, and net interest income declined due to lower rates and an unfavorable deposit mix, leading to a 17-basis-point drop in net interest margin. For the fiscal year ending in December 2025, analysts expect STT's adjusted EPS to grow 13.6% year-over-year to $9.85. The company's earnings surprise history is promising. It beat the consensus estimates in the last four quarters. Among the 18 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a 'Moderate Buy.' That's based on eight 'Strong Buy' ratings, three 'Moderate Buys,' six 'Holds,' and one 'Moderate Sell.' On Aug. 14, Truist raised its price target on State Street to $125 with a 'Buy' rating. As of writing, the stock is trading below the mean price target of $116.70. The Street-high price target of $131 implies a potential upside of 17.4% from the current price levels. On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
