‘It will not be another theme park’: Former Myrtle Beach Mayor bought Freestyle Park site
For the first time in a long time, work will soon begin to revitalize the old Freestyle Music Park site in the Myrtle Beach area.
Former Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes bought the site in December. Two months later, he applied for permits to clean up his multi-million dollar investment.
Rhodes said he bought the site for $3.54 million because it was a good deal in a good location. He applied for an Horry County demolition permit on Monday, but said he isn’t looking to tear down the existing structures quite yet.
“Right now we have to go in and clean it out,” he said. “Make it look more presentable.”
The property was in the news last week after a fire at a nearby commercial building. Crews responded to the scene shortly before midnight on Feb. 17 for a three-alarm blaze. No one was injured in the fire.
Horry County Fire Spokesperson Tony Casey said the department labeled the fire suspicious and expect it to take weeks to complete its investigation.
The 125-acre property is along the Intracoastal Waterway in Horry County. Rhodes said he hopes to take advantage of the waterway and the business opportunities it provides. While he has some ideas of what he would like the property to be, he said he hasn’t decided exactly what to do with the site.
“I promise it will not be another theme park,” he said.
Rhodes said he met with one of the contractors who worked on an existing building on the property, but for now he is just trying to clean the site up.
Previously called the Hard Rock Park, the area once was expected to be a major attraction just on the outskirts of Myrtle Beach. It has changed hands a few times, including when a Chinese company bought the land back in 2016. Some of the rides for the park have gone international, with one being used in Vietnam.
The Myrtle Beach area is seeing unprecedented growth, and Rhodes said there aren’t many properties this big in such a prime location on the market.
He is not alone in seeing value along the Intracoastal. Further north, the Myrtle Beach Mall is in the early stages of a redevelopment. DDC Engineer’s Mike Wooten, the agent for the mall project, said the old mall did not take advantage of the waterway. The new plans will feature a waterfront hotel and shopping center.
Rhodes said these properties are attractive to many businesses, from restaurants to boat rental sites.
This story was originally published February 26, 2019 at 11:25 AM.
