Are hundreds more homes headed to Market Common? Questions must be answered before vote

For the nine years Richard Shaffer has lived in Market Common, he’s enjoyed watching eagles flit across treetops behind his home.

So has neighbor Bonnie Fahey — the birds of prey cutting across the sky a gentle reminder that parts of Myrtle Beach’s lavish planned community built atop an old Air Force base is a development.

Shaffer and Fahey live in The Reserve, a high-end enclave of 100 homes between $280,000 and $500,000 less than a mile from the Myrtle Beach International Airport and Coastal Grand Mall.

But change is coming quickly to still raw land that abuts anchor stores including Barnes & Noble — up to 206 homes with a clubhouse and swimming pool, according to a concept called MarketWalk made public at a Jan. 3 city planning commission meeting.

The privately run development would blend 94 townhomes with 107 cottage-style properties all running on leases with terms of at least 12 months.

MarketWalk carves out 440 more parking spots as well near at the intersection of Farrow Parkway and Phillis Boulevard. City planners said they want more information on how that much more year-round activity will affect traffic flow and access for public safety crews.

“It’s going to be developed one way or the other, so for me it’s important we come up for the best use of the site,” commissioner Aaron Guyton said.

In 2017, the Market Common master plan was amended to allow the construction of a five-story, 100-room hotel and more homes at the corner of Farrow Parkway and Phillis Boulevard.

While the hotel concept never took off, residents at the time worried about environmental impacts, increased congestion and public safety constraints that would come with more construction — and those complaints surfaced again this week.

“This has the potential to end up being a disaster to the people that move in here, so I would encourage you to look at other alternatives,” resident Bill McClure said.

Walter Warren, a principal at Thomas & Hutton Engineering, said the homes would be occupied through annual lease agreements with competitive price points.

“It is a very in-demand housing type for working class: Educators, first responders,” Warren said as examples of the project’s target demographic.

The City Council will have the final say over any major changes to Market Common’s footprint. Still, the planning board that serves as its advisory panel said a lot more information is needed before it can make a recommendation.

MarketWalk’s boundaries are close to the site of a large data center being built by DC BLOX.

Officials asked engineering firm Thomas & Hutton for traffic studies, potential environmental impacts and possible road adjustments which could be brought to them next month.

“It shouldn’t be painful to live in your neighborhood,” commission chairman Joyce Karetas said. “I think you heard from people in slightly different neighborhoods, and that is representative of the people who are going to live with the consequences, so we need as many answers as we can get.”

The MarketWalk project isn’t the only new housing planned for Market Common.

Last month, the city’s community appearance board delayed approval for 26 apartments split across four barracks-style buildings at the intersection of Meyers Avenue and Pampas Drive.

At 600 square feet each, those units would help fill the city’s need for more affordable housing.

The MarketWalk venture wouldn’t include subsidized living — a key factor for some commissioners.

“A year (lease agreement) definitely helps construct a stronger neighborhood than in and out,” Karetas said.