HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) -- The team behind a proposed 78-bed adult psychiatric facility is suing Horry County's zoning appeals board, saying its decision to deny the plan violates federal law.

At a standing room only Sept. 8 meeting, the county council-appointed panel rejected Fran Sauvageau's application, which would have allowed his company to upgrade an existing 48,334-square-foot building that from 2015 to 2019 ran as Hope Arbor Assisted Living at 12287 Highway 707 in Murrells Inlet.

The 6.28-acre property is steps from several neighborhoods including Oak Arbor.

Under county guidelines, healthcare facilities are allowed in the highway commercial zone where the site is located, but standalone psychiatric services must be added as a special use, and only then as long as they're at l

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