City gets nearly $50 million overhaul. More parking and infrastructure is coming.

A nearly $50 million overhaul in an Horry County enclave known for its pier and beaches will create a network of pedestrian-friendly streets and strengthen it against from future storm damage.

The $46 million commitment, being paid for through local hospitality tax fee revenues, is the largest investment ever to be made in Garden City anchored by a 1.9-mile realignment of Waccamaw Drive, the town’s main thoroughfare. County officials plan to construct more parking spaces along the road while installing new sidewalks, streetlights and beach bathrooms.

“It is your gateway to your community, and so we’ve got to treat it as such. It needs to be inviting, it needs to be safe and it needs to be beautiful and convenient,” Stantec transportation planner Mike Rutkowski said Thursday during a virtual workshop.

His firm is working with the county to guide public input and create design standards for the work, which could begin some time next year.

Located roughly 10 miles south of Myrtle Beach, Garden City has a population of 10,000 but remains under the county’s control.

The project would also reduce .15 miles of Atlantic Avenue from three lanes to two and add a multi-use bath from the boardwalk to Waccamaw Drive.

The road projects will be primarily funded with the county’s hospitality fee, a charge on hotel stays, restaurant meals and event tickets. Other improvements, like additional parking spaces and beach bathrooms, will be funded with federal American Rescue Plan funds and county impact fees.

Crash data presented Thursday shows more than half of all wrecks along Atlantic Avenue and Waccamaw Drive between 2015 and 2020 took place during the summer months when tourism is at its peak.

Add to that potholes, more than 1,400 linear feet without sidewalks and a lack of curb and gutter for a corridor that’s no longer functioning as it should, Rutkowski said. Right now, the roads are owned and managed by the S.C. Department of Transportation but county leaders are in talks to take them over.

“We are moving forward at a pretty rapid pace to to come up with a design for this project,” said Leigh Kane, a county planner. Local ownership of the roads is a key part of that, she added.