Mayor’s China trip is an investment, not a cost, for Myrtle Beach

Mande Wilkes' recent column criticizing the City of Myrtle Beach (Sept. 20, “Myrtle Beach leaders favor China, snub locals”) and its business climate demands a response. Please consider the following:

Mayor John Rhodes currently is traveling to Israel and China, but the city did not pay for his plane ticket. In fact, his international travel is being sponsored by his hosts and other organizations, at their request.

In China, the mayor will meet with his counterparts and tourism officials in several cities, again at their request and expense. With 1.4 billion people, China has millions of international travelers, some of whom will consider Myrtle Beach as a vacation destination.

Contrary to Ms. Wilkes' assertion, the China trip is for tourism development, not specifically business recruitment – although tourism certainly is our business. That said, we are seeing increased economic investment from Chinese-Americans based in the United States who very much like the business climate in Myrtle Beach. No one is “begging for Chinese charity.”

In Tiberias, Israel, the mayor returned an official visit that we received earlier this year and signed a friendship agreement. As a coastal tourism town of about our size, with significant sports facilities, Tiberias and Myrtle Beach have much in common. Again, increased tourism is the goal.

Similarly, the facts do not support Ms. Wilkes’ opinion that Myrtle Beach has a “suffocating environment for businesses.” The opposite appears to be true, as new businesses are actively choosing Myrtle Beach and existing ones are expanding.

For example, the city has issued 44 permits so far this year for new commercial buildings valued at $28,187,845. The city has issued another 247 miscellaneous commercial building permits valued at $13,789,725. That’s $32 million worth of business investment in eight-and-a-half months, all of it inside the City of Myrtle Beach.

Ms. Wilkes also wrote of “bizarre zoning laws, the oppressive signing ordinances, the climbing licensing fees, and the restrictive parking policies.” Again, the facts tend to disprove her opinion.

The city’s zoning laws are responsible for protecting both commercial and residential property uses. They strike a reasonable balance between businesses and neighborhoods. Judging by our economic growth and commercial investment, businesspeople must think the city is doing something right.

The city’s zoning and signage requirements also are one of the main reasons why Myrtle Beach is an attractive destination for both businesses and visitors. Compare how the city looks to other areas, and then thank our zoning and signage requirements.

Rather than “thwarting commerce,” as Ms. Wilkes opines, the City of Myrtle Beach actively encourages it. When Myrtle Beach updated its business license ordinance last year, many of the license fees went down, not up.

Her claim also is not supported by business license numbers. In 2014-15, Myrtle Beach had 5,416 in-city businesses (that’s 228.5 businesses per square mile) and another 3,078 out-of-city businesses that did a portion of their work inside the city. In all, that’s 8,494 businesses profiting from their activities inside the City of Myrtle Beach. It hardly sounds like a restrictive climate.

The city actively supports and recruits businesses locally, although Ms. Wilkes wrote that she believes “the government should not be trying to ‘promote growth’ or ‘create jobs’.” Among other things, the city is working with StartUp SC to foster more tech companies in Myrtle Beach.

The city also is partnering with Horry-Georgetown Technical College on several projects to provide internships and job placement for students. The city also paid $2.5 million for infrastructure at the International Technology and Aerospace Park and supports the work of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation.

Finally, consider that the City of Myrtle Beach’s 23.7 square miles account for only two percent of Horry County’s land mass, but the city generated 41.4 percent ($2.4 billion) of the county’s gross retail sales in 2014.

In other words, four out of every 10 dollars spent last year in Horry County were spent at businesses inside tiny Myrtle Beach. By the way, the city also provides a whopping 22 percent of the county’s taxable property value.

Perhaps Ms. Wilkes will change her opinion and agree that all of the above indicates that Myrtle Beach’s business climate already is exceptionally strong – and getting stronger.

The writer is public information officer for the City of Myrtle Beach.

This story was originally published September 26, 2015 at 8:40 AM with the headline "Mayor’s China trip is an investment, not a cost, for Myrtle Beach."