Would this possible Myrtle Beach-CCU project lead to a better downtown?
A former church, historic library and public park could soon see major changes as part of a proposed partnership between Myrtle Beach and Coastal Carolina University.
A memorandum of understanding outlining the partnership will be discussed during Myrtle Beach’s city council meeting on Tuesday, according to the agenda.
The agreement, which the university has already approved, would set in motion the transformations of the former First Presbyterian Church into a new charter/laboratory school and Chapin Memorial Library into an academic building for CCU’s graduate school of education.
The Chapin Foundation is purchasing the church, at 1300 N. Kings Hwy, for $2.8 million with the intent to donate it to a nonprofit that will be created to operate the school, according to a presentation created for city council.
Like any charter school in South Carolina, this new school would be state funded with a lottery-based admissions process to ensure equal opportunity and requirements that the student body reflects the area’s demographics.
As a lab school, it would operate as a division of CCU’s Spadoni College of Education, offering project-based learning and internship opportunities for the university’s graduate students.
The intent is for the new school to offer spots for 20-40 students per grade K-8, but city manager John Pedersen said it will likely take time to grow, suggesting it might initially operate as a K-4 school.
Nearby Chapin Park would be used exclusively as a playground for the new school during school hours, while it would remain open to the public at all other times.
The city would have no ownership stake in the new school, but it plans to continue ownership of the library and enter into a long-term lease of the property to CCU for $1 per year. The initial term of the lease would end in 2050 with options to extend it into 2090.
Project costs and funding plan
The total projected cost of the project — which includes renovations to the church and library, fencing around Chapin Park and converting streets to public parking — is $9.3 million, according to the city’s presentation.
The Chapin Foundation’s purchase of the church and other anticipated private donations would cover $4.3 million, while the city would be responsible for the remaining $5 million.
The city is planning to reduce its contribution by using various tax credits. Pedersen told The Sun News the city is confident it will receive approval for a historic tax credit on the library and abandoned building tax credit on the church, with a possibility the church could also receive a historic tax credit.
Those planned reductions will leave the city’s obligation about $3.4 million or $3.9 million depending on the church’s eligibility.
Myrtle Beach has a $10 million standing line of credit it would use to pay the upfront costs, with plans to make about $300,000 in annual debt payments on the project from a newly created downtown improvement fund.
The fund will annually accrue about $620,000 from parking revenues that once funded the now-defunct Downtown Redevelopment Corporation.
The Chapin Foundation’s involvement in such a project is unusual, as its website specifically states it does not make grants for programs or projects generally considered to be the role of government, but this purchase was within its giving guidelines because it supports the work of a church, one of its five focus areas.
Tory Mackey, executive director of the foundation, said the foundation’s board was really intrigued by the possibility of adding a university presence downtown, which has proved to be a winning solution for many other city revitalization projects.
Impact on downtown revitalization
The city’s financial commitment would be made in hopes of jump-starting its downtown master plan by creating an influx of young professionals.
Pedersen worked for the city of Durham, North Carolina before coming to Myrtle Beach, and he said he saw firsthand with Duke University the major role that a college campus can have on a downtown’s economy.
This new project would be the city’s second step in establishing a long-term partnership with CCU, with the first step being redevelopment of the former Broadway Theater into a performing arts theater for the university. That facility is anticipated to open in Spring 2022.
The third step, Pedersen said, would be bringing additional CCU graduate school programs into the city, allowing the university to expand its undergraduate programs on its current Conway campus.
James Lima Planning + Development, a New York-based firm, studied the proposed plan and issued a report detailing the various benefits of a CCU campus in downtown Myrtle Beach.
The study, privately funded by local businessmen interested in downtown redevelopment, estimates the construction phase of the project, about 8-10 months, will bring 179 jobs and generate $26.4 million of total industry output, while the long-term operation of the charter school and graduate facility will create 88 jobs and generate $8.4 million annually.
The report points to student and employee year-round consumption and an increased demand for housing that could spark investment in nearby businesses and real estate.
“The introduction of students to downtown Myrtle Beach … could catalyze this shift and help sustain the energy around projects as other components of the downtown revitalization plan are being implemented,” the report states.
Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said she believes the project is a great collaborative opportunity for both sides, noting the proximity to the beach as a potential student recruitment tool for CCU and a new educational option as attractive for parents moving into the city.
“It’s important to make Myrtle Beach more than just a tourist destination,” she said.
History and future of the library
This new project would also accelerate the need to build a new library, which the downtown master plan suggests being placed at a currently vacant lot owned next to the Train Depot near the intersection of 9th Avenue North and North Oak Street, according to Pedersen.
Chapin Memorial Library, the first city-owned library in South Carolina, first opened in 1939 and then moved to its current location in 1949 with four expansions since, according to the library’s website.
No estimates have been made on the price of constructing a new library, but the city will have to pay for it without support for the county, which voted last year to pull money it had previously set aside to aid the city’s plans and stopped financially supporting the current library after city council voted for paid parking along the Golden Mile.
Bethune said the new library is a top priority of council and staff with the design process already underway, but no specific timeline has been set.
She acknowledged that it’s a possibility the current library is renovated for CCU use before the new library is built, but city officials hope to figure out a way to avoid that.
History and future of the church
The former First Presbyterian Church building, constructed in 1948, has been in the city’s sights since the organization began moving its operations to its new location on Robert Grissom Parkway.
Myrtle Beach had an option agreement with the church in 2018 as city officials considered buying the building for city office space, but that deal never materialized, Pedersen said.
Emails between Pedersen and CCU President David DeCenzo show the church was discussed as the location for a new charter/lab school as early last November.
The emails, acquired via Freedom of Information Act, show that DeCenzo had agreed to meet with city council Nov. 25, and Pedersen had asked James Lima, president of the firm conducting the study, whether he could complete his analysis before then.
“… given the deadline with the church, I think it behooves us to place this purchase on the agenda for Council’s consideration,” Pedersen wrote to DeCenzo, though Pedersen later told The Sun News that the meeting was canceled because further details needed to be discussed.
Martha Hunn, a spokeswoman for CCU, said university officials didn’t want to discuss the potential project until it comes before city council.
Pedersen emphasized that the memorandum of understanding, even if approved by city council, is just conceptual and details could change before more formal documents, including leases, are signed, but he’s hopeful everything is approved to move forward within the next month.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
