Here's why Horry County Schools is demolishing this longtime seafood restaurant

A North Myrtle Beach oyster restaurant will get demolished and turned into a parking lot.

And who's demolishing it? Horry County Schools.

The school board voted Monday night to buy the 1.5 acres of land that Steven's Restaurant and Oyster Roast sits on for $425,000.

Steven's Restaurant and Oyster Roast is right next to North Myrtle Beach High School, which needs more parking, according to the board.

"Kids are parking across the street and they’re walking across and we can’t stop that," said school board Chair Joe DeFeo. "They’ve needed it for quite some time."

DeFeo said the board has made offers on the land before, but never got the deal done until now.

"They can take whatever they want out of the restaurant," DeFeo said. "We didn’t buy the business, we just bought the land and whatever shell of what building that they leave. I don’t believe that building is usable for us, but it won’t take much to tear it down."

School board member Chris Hardwick recused himself from the executive session discussion and following vote on the land buy, citing his family's friendship with owner Sylvia Chestnut.

"She’s been longtime friends with my mom and dad," said Hardwick, who added that he's eaten at the restaurant all his life. "Just because of the ongoing relationship that we had, I thought it better to just recuse myself."

Christian Boschult, 843-626-0218, @TSN_Christian

This story was originally published April 16, 2018 at 9:45 PM with the headline "Here's why Horry County Schools is demolishing this longtime seafood restaurant."