Myrtle Beach panel sets city's trends

Like death and taxes, change is inevitable.

"Everything matures," said Myrtle Beach Community Appearance Board Chairman Larry Bragg, who has been part of the board for a quarter of a century. "Even philosophies change, over time. All you have to do is look around to see how far we've come."

Many people would argue that the last time the board - known widely as the CAB - made a decision that made an impact on the whole area was three years ago, when it put the kibosh on a new west-side terminal for the Myrtle Beach International Airport. It's going to give the current airport terminal plans a final review at today's meeting.

Others would say the CAB's decisions often reach farther than many people recognize.

Three-year appearance board member Susan White said when she considers the presentations that come before the 30-year-old board, she considers the business community, tourists and residents, and that everyone on the board is trying to help the business community, especially in the current economy.

The CAB is tasked with overseeing all commercial development within the city, as well as oceanfront residential. That means the board has approval of all commercial building designs and any proposed changes to existing commercial buildings, including lighting, paint colors, landscaping and signage.

"I know I am working toward a more upscale Myrtle Beach," she said. "But what does that mean? Does it mean everything is so expensive that no one can come here? Of course, no one wants that. But do we want 25-foot-tall signs every 25 feet? No one wants that, either."

Bragg and White both said people who love Myrtle Beach don't much like the nickname "Redneck Riviera" but still want the city to be a family friendly and affordable place that offers a variety of activities for everyone.

"I want it to be a place everyone can enjoy," Bragg said, "a place where you still get value for your money, but that is attractive and portrays quality. That's a project that will never end."

City spokesman Mark Kruea said it's not so much that Myrtle Beach's goal is to become more "upscale," but tourists' expectations have changed over the years, and that means the marketplace produces more upscale products.

"Visitors are looking for a nice place to vacation with their families, but they also want indoor pools and wireless Internet connections and a nice restaurant nearby," Kruea said. "Many of our 30- and 40-year-old motels have been redeveloped into larger properties with more amenities."

For the past 30 years, that redevelopment has been overseen by what Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brad Dean smilingly calls "the forceful, guiding hand of the CAB."

"Over the long run, the CAB has influenced development trends in the city by what it approves and doesn't," Dean said. "And when you look at the changes in the city, there's no mistaking the impact the CAB has had on the city's visual appeal."

Bragg recalled a developer who approached the board for permission to bring giant faux sharks and whales to the doorways of beachwear stores.

"We rejected that, and he predicted the city would dry up and blow away without them," Bragg said. "But can you imagine if we had let one in? Where would it have stopped? If we said yes to one, we couldn't have said no to the next one and the next one."

He said over the years, the CAB has put an end to the giant "stadium" lights businesses used to use to let potential customers know where they were, because businesses often stand near homes, and that wasn't fair to residents. And the board began approving monument-style signs, which, he said, research shows are more effectivethan tall, overhead signs, because the they are in eyesight of drivers and pedestrians.

Over the years, he said, paint colors in the city have become more muted, parking garages on Ocean Boulevard have become more attractive because they have to fit with the design of the business they accompany, and even trees have been saved because of the CAB's influence.

Not everyone has a good time going before the board.

Because the only appeal of a CAB decision is through the courts, Bragg said every applicant is sworn in, and all meetings are tape recorded. And it's not easy to hear that your designs have been rejected.

But he said the board tries to offer suggestions for how an applicant can gain approval and to get them back on the agenda as soon as possible so they don't lose too much time.

"Almost every time, when they come back again, they hit a home run," Bragg said.

White said the decisions the board makes are subjective, and that what one member likes, another might think is unattractive.

"It's not up to me to say which color is more beautiful. It's an opinion," she said. "But we are all working toward the same goal."