Myrtle Beach commits to Superblock purchase but wavers at big-ticket renovations

The City of Myrtle Beach is buying three Superblock properties for a new Coastal Carolina University performing arts center — a decision that will cost $1 million … for now.

City council members voted Tuesday to move forward with the purchase of 807, 809 and 811 U.S. 501, contingent upon the Myrtle Beach Downtown Redevelopment Corporation paying the $1 million for the properties and CCU agreeing to terms laid out in the motion.

The DRC, a nonprofit arm of the city, will vote Wednesday as to whether it will put up money for the purchase — which is a feasible option, according to Chuck Martino, chairman of the DRC board of directors. CCU’s board of trustees will make the final vote on the terms Thursday morning.

“If we want to redevelop this downtown, we can’t say no,” Councilman Gregg Smith said. “This is what we’ve got to do. This is not a perfect opportunity, but everybody knows perfect is the enemy of good. We’ve got to do something, or we’re going to be sitting here with nothing to show.”

If the deal moves forward as is, the City of Myrtle Beach will be put in the landlord’s seat, meaning they will be responsible for repairing the buildings, fixing any issues with mechanical systems and repairing the roof, if necessary.

Coastal, which would not start paying its $95,000 a year rent until Year 5, would be responsible for utilities and installing $400,000 worth of theater equipment already in use at their location on 79th Avenue North.

Downtown redevelopment has been at the head of city council’s initiatives since former Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes proposed a new children’s museum and library for the Superblock area.

Councilmen Mike Lowder and Phil Render voted against the motion, disagreeing that a performing arts center — which would hold about 250 seats — is the best option for the area.

“I do support the idea of trying to get that area there going, and the whole thing with me about this is the deal has changed and it has changed significantly,” Lowder said. “Over a six-month period of time, this deal has changed significantly, and we’re not where we were.”

If CCU votes to move forward, the city council will be tasked with deciding how much it’s willing to spend on the renovations, initially estimated at $5.6 million. Once CCU makes a decision, City Manager John Pedersen will hire an architect to get a firm number on renovation costs.

The initial recommendation presented to council included an all-inclusive motion to buy the properties and spend millions to renovate the properties. But after lengthy discussion, the city council chose to only approve the purchase.

In order to pay for the project after another approval by council, the city will take out a $5.1 million loan to pay for the properties, and use $500,000 from an amended Santee Cooper franchise agreement.

“This is a really great thing for the community and it’s positive,” Mayor Brenda Bethune said last week. “It’s a really great collaborative partnership and will really help with what we’re trying to do downtown and what our priorities are.”

Bethune recused herself from the vote, citing her husbands involvement with CCU.

Performing arts center

The hope for the center is that it will act as a catalyst for an arts district in downtown Myrtle Beach — a goal city-hired consultants are helping bring to fruition.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Jason Epley and Dan Douglas from Benchmark Planning elaborated on the potential district for the city, attracting both locals and tourists.

For Douglas, the district will have a mix of live music and performances, a small market and food hall and an area for craft beer, an idea that was echoed by DRC director Lauren Clever.

“It could become, really, a hub for meeting space, quiet space, if there’s other restaurants, breweries,” Clever said. “It will begin to kind of mold into what that area’s going to become.”

The DRC has been working to activate Nance Plaza by adding lights to the trees and working to install a fence around the park.

“I know our board would be supportive of adding that element to the downtown,” Clever said about the performing arts center.

This isn’t the first time a performing arts center has been proposed for downtown Myrtle Beach.

In the early 2000s, the city first talked about a combined performance arts center and amphitheater alongside the convention center.

In 2013, the $10 million project was put up for voter referendum. At the time, nearly 54 percent of residents voted in favor of tax raises to fund the project.

But in April, council voted to ax the project, shifting their focus to redeveloping the downtown area.

“The center that they had hoped for is much much larger than this,” Bethune said last week. “This truly is a community theater and is meant to be smaller productions, more intimate productions, similar to what you have in Conway at the Theater of the Republic.

“So I don’t know that it will fill all of their needs, but I think we need to look at it as what is right for our downtown area? We have a great partner who’s willing to work with us if they vote to approve this, and I think that’s where our focus needs to be.”

This story was originally published November 13, 2018 at 6:27 PM.