Myrtle Beach south end redevelopment start: Think of what could be

The key to revitalization in an area locals would call the beginning of the south end of Myrtle Beach is not to focus on how things were or how they are now, Chuck Martino, chairman of the Downtown Redevelopment Corp., said late Wednesday afternoon, but rather “to look at what could be.”

Martino’s comment came at the conclusion of the presentation of the final report by the Urban Land Institute of the redevelopment opportunities of an area from Eighth Avenue North to First Avenue North.

The Redevelopment Corp. hired Charleston-based ULI to focus on the area, at least part of which was the subject of a previous redevelopment plan centered on the old Myrtle Beach Pavilion.

Through the work of a technical assistance panel, ULI drew up a list of challenges and opportunities, and the DRC hired LS3P of Charleston to develop two conceptual plans for part of the overall area, that extends from Ocean Boulevard to Kings Highway.

The company envisioned an entertainment-based district on the old Pavilion site and the blocks inland from it. The area included an outdoor performance area, moving sculpture garden, kaleidoscope photos, one hotel that featured changeable art exhibits and another, dubbed a water park hotel, that would have a visually changing facade.

Additionally, the concept had new-themed and old-themed restaurants, a slimmed-down version of the Pavilion, retail spaces and a public area that could be the site of sand sculptures and other things.

LS3P drew a second development concept within the project area that would be built with a sustainability theme.

It housed the relocation of the Children’s Museum, a parking garage with solar panels, rooftop gardens, a wind turbine and rooftop cistern.

It also had a waterfront hotel with an environmentally-sensitive facade.

Brian Wurtz of LS3P likened the company’s concepts to “a visual wordplay on what this could be.”

The DRC is open to others with other ideas, Martino said.

Some that have already surfaced include a monorail, street cars or even digging up one of the streets between Ocean Boulevard and Kings Highway and making it a canal for water taxis and as a focus for yet another development district.

Another thought is to extend the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk not just along the entire south end, but eventually to connect with the Marshwalk in Murrells Inlet.

“You’ve got to be different,” said David Sebok, DRC’s executive director. “You’ve got to be a little bit different to be the next big thing.”

ULI’s document said the city needs to lessen the perception of bad crime in the area, perhaps through increased law enforcement presence, deal with blighted properties, improve public infrastructure and work to make the area active year-round, among other things.

In turn, it has the opportunity to extend and build on the success of the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, create a concert venue with adjacent open space and mixed-use development, attract millenials to the area’s tourism mixture, create pedestrian and bicycle friendly traffic patterns and encourage adaptive reuse of buildings, among other thing.

Success will require public-private partnerships — Burroughs & Chapin owns the old Pavilion site — and Martino said developers from outside the area already are inquiring how they can become part of the redevelopment.

The DRC and city will work together and with property owners to formulate specific plans for the area.

“We’re poised for something good to happen in this area,” Sebok said. “Properties have been sold. Properties have been bought.”

This story was originally published February 11, 2015 at 7:29 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach south end redevelopment start: Think of what could be."