Mobile Home Sales in Little River, SC

A lawyer based in Little River is suing a towing company after he claims his vehicle was illegally towed from his office parking lot multiple times and then impounded.

James Stevens says in a lawsuit that Coastline Towing and Recovery took his car from the lot that serves his office on Mulberry Street, even though it was legally parked.

A message seeking comment from Stevens’ attorney Monday afternoon was not immediately returned.

The suits also names Richard Pate and Coastline Motorsports Inc. as defendants. Pate is the owner of both businesses, according to the suit.

The “conduct of the defendants, both jointly and severally, have been repeated in the past not only to the consuming public in general but to this plaintiff and his spouse in particular,” the lawsuit states.

A messages seeking comment from the defendants Monday afternoon was not immediately returned.

Stevens had been leaving on an undisclosed date about 6 p.m. when he realized his car was gone from the parking lot. He called 911 and found out the defendant had towed it.

Stevens did not give the defendants permission to take his car, and he requested they bring it back to his office, according to the suit filed April 5.

But the defendant was forced to pay about $200 for the towing company to release his car.

On another date, April 3, Stevens left his office to head home when he realized his car had again been towed.

After confirming the towing company had Stevens’ vehicle, an agent with the company said it would be returned. But it wasn’t.

Stevens was ordered to pay $286 to get his car. However, there was no way for him to pick up his car, so he requested again for them to return it to his office.

But the company ignored his text messages asking for the car and impounded it, the suit claims.

Stevens is seeking damages “in an amount of the highest value of said vehicle from the date of the second conversion of plaintiff’s vehicle until the date of the trial, together with consequential and incidental damages and prejudgment interest,” the suit states.

Food Lion, the top-performing U.S. banner for Ahold DelhaizeUSA, on Wednesday will open a new store in Little River, South Carolina, the Salisbury, North Carolina-based grocer announced Monday.

The Ahold Delhaize USA grocery chain’s newest location will be at 77 S. Highway 57, with an adjacent liquor store. This is Food Lion’s fifth liquor store operating next to a Food Lion grocery store and the fourth in South Carolina.

“I’m excited to open this new store in Little River and offer our neighbors a wide product assortment at the everyday low prices they expect from Food Lion,” said Chris Cheers, store manager of the new Little River Food Lion, in a statement. “With the liquor store adjacent to the Little River Food Lion, we will continue to deliver on our commitment to make grocery shopping easy, convenient and affordable for our customers.”

The new store will feature grocery in all departments as well as a variety of grab-and-go options, including an Asian food bar and a self-service hot wing bar. Locally sourced offerings such as Caroline Plantation Grits, Gillespie’s Salted Peanuts and 5C’s Everything Sauce will also be available.

Doors will open at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, following a 7:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony, with the first 100 customers given the chance to claim a mystery gift card valued up to $200 and a free reusable shopping bag and custom apron. The grocery store will be open daily from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. The liquor store will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The new location will offer self-checkout lanes and the Food Lion To Go grocery pick-up service. Shoppers can order online through the Food Lion To Go website or the Food Lion To Go app. The new store also will feature energy-efficient overhead LED lighting as part of Food Lion’s commitment to sustainable operations, the grocer said.

Last month, Food Lion opened a new store at 1014 N. Main St. Kernersville, North Carolina, which replaced the store previously located at 617 N. Main St. Food Lion has more than 1,100 supermarkets in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 82,000 workers.

LITTLE RIVER – Horry County officials are considering a controversial plan to turn a Little River biker bar site into a high-end apartment complex despite residents’ concerns about traffic and overcrowding.

The plan would rezone an 18.72-acre lot at Pecan Street and S.C. 9 East from commercial forest agriculture to multi-residential, which would allow 374 apartments and more than 600 parking spaces to be built.

The site features the biker bar Harley’s Roadhouse.

Horry County Council will consider first reading of the plan March 7. Horry Planning Commission, the board addressing county development, approved the plan March 2.

John Danford, Thomas & Hutton’s project manager, said March 2 he believes there is good stormwater drainage and road connections on the property, which makes it good for the complex.

″(This project) is something we’ve put a lot of time and effort into,” Danford said. “It’s a really good piece of property.”

Hidden Brooke subdivision residents behind the property are concerned the plan would make the area’s traffic issues worse and reduce their quality of life.

“The infrastructure is not there,” Hidden Brooke subdivision homeowner John Margan said. “I don’t understand what these people are thinking.”

Residents said they already face challenges with leaving Pecan Street, their main subdivision road. The street opens onto Sea Mountain Highway without a stoplight, and S.C. Highway 9 East connects to Sea Mountain Highway with a wide turn. This allows cars to keep coming without reprieve, residents said.

Susan Kreyer, another local homeowner, said school traffic from North Myrtle Beach High and Junior High School also causes backups during the peak school pickup times, which makes congestion worse.

Kreyer said the plan also could increase school and health care facility overcrowding. Some residents have said they had to wait several months before there were available appointments for their local healthcare providers.

All five North Myrtle Beach schools already have exceeded their functional capacity for the 2022-23 school year. Functional capacity reflects a school’s space constraints, according to county documents.

“I don’t know how we’re going to funnel any children that are coming into this area into our already crowded schools,” Kreyer said. “And our children who happen to walk home from the high school will be more at risk with the increased traffic.”

In response, Danford said the Horry Board of Education can address the district’s overcrowding. Also, regarding traffic, Danford said Pecan Street is a public road so his client has a right to use it.

Ready for some seafood? Check out the World Famous Blue Crab Festival this weekend in Little River, South Carolina.

Up to 40,000 visitors are expected to come to the event, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s just a fun-filled family festival with lots of entertainment, great vendors and everyone having a good time,” festival director Hubert Bullard said of the event.

The festival will feature six restaurants steaming up the famed blue crab. Almost 300 vendors will travel from as far away as Minnesota and Texas to sell their wares.

Bullard said the festival is a draw for out of town visitors.

“We get calls from early in the spring, winter, asking questions about when are the dates of the Blue Crab Festival,” he said.

Between the Blue Crab Festival in the spring and the ShrimpFest in the fall, festivals bring an estimated $4.25 million to Little River, according to the event’s website.

Don’t get crabby. Instead, read up on everything you need to know about the 2023 Little River Blue Crab Festival.

The 41st World Famous Blue Crab Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Historic Little River Waterfront, close to the North Carolina border.

You can purchase tickets at the gate or in advance on Eventbrite. They are $7 per person per day and (food not included). Kids 12 and under get in free.

Paid parking lots near the waterfront typically fill up fast, so Bullard recommended parking at a satellite lot. Half a dozen buses will shuttle visitors from the free parking lots to the festival gates at no charge.

For the full nautical experience, take a water taxi from the Grande Harbour Marina to the festival. $20 gets you parking at the marina, water taxi and entrance to the festival. The water taxi is first come-first served.

Satellite parking lot locations

Pizzeli’s back field (wheelchair and golf cart parking)

1698 Highway 17, Little River

Hope Willard

701 Highway 17, Little River

Southwest Brunswick Branch Library

9400 Ocean Highway West, Calabash

Bring your folding chair to enjoy the Blue Crab Festival’s live music. Six bands will perform starting at 10:30 a.m. both days, including Jim Quick and Coastline, Tokyo Joe and the Paul Grimshaw Band.

Young seafood fans can blow off steam in the children’s area, with bouncy houses, rides, stuffed animal making and face painting.

This story was originally published May 17, 2023, 8:00 AM.

Customers of Little River Water & Sewerage Co. Inc. have approved the purchase of the utility by Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority.

Water officials said 6,398 Little River residents voted in favor and 710 were opposed, a 90-10 split which exceeded the 2/3 approval threshold required for the merger.

Christy Everett, CEO of GSWSA, said the merger makes sense for both companies since Grand Strand already provided water by wholesale to LRWSC since 1980. That means water quality will remain the same since Grand Strand already treated LRWSC’s water.

Grand Strand will take over operations of the Little River office and the company’s infrastructure, Everett said. The merger goes into effect Sept. 1.

“We hope the only difference customers notice is the logo on their bill,” Everett said.

The water rates between the two companies differ slightly. Grand Strand has a higher base rate ($12.90 compared to $8.67) but a lower charge per 1,000 gallons. Little River also charged a monthly “customer charge,” which is not on Grand Strand bills.

Little River residents who use more than 2,000 gallons of water per month will see a reduced water bill. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the average person uses about 2,700 gallons of water per month for indoor uses. Everett said a typical usage amount in Horry County is 4,000-8,000 gallons per month.

Sewer rates will also change for former Little River residents. Little River had a lower base charge ($4.94 compared to $12.70) but charges more than double per 1,000 gallons than Grand Strand. Little River customers will pay $4.32 more per month for 1,000 gallons of sewage, $2.52 more for 2,000 gallons, $0.74 more for 3,000 gallons and will save money for more gallons than that.

Commercial customers may notice a reduction in their water bill when the buyout goes through. Little River charged a base $2.75 per 1,000 gallons regardless of usage. Grand Strand does not have a base commercial rate but charges less than $2.79 per 1,000 gallons up to 15,000 gallons. The maximum per gallon rate Grand Strand charges is $3.07 for every 1,000 gallons after 15,000.

Jennifer Walters, president and CEO of the Little River Chamber of Commerce, said the organization decided to not take a position on the merger. The chamber conducted a survey among its members but Walters said not enough feedback and insight was gathered from business owners. The chamber did, however, spread information about the merger to local businesses to help owners make an educated decision.

“I believe the merger will be a good thing because Grand Strand has the resources and infrastructure to better handle the rapid growth of Little River,” Walters said following the approval of the buyout.

Fred Kisner, executive manager of LRWSC, did not respond to a request for comment, but Everett said employees would be retained at the Little River office.

Former Little River members will also be getting checks from proceeds of the buyout. Brochures sent out and the votelittleriver.com website stated that members will receive refund payments of at least $350.