Fact check: Is a new Walmart coming to the Myrtle Beach area?
Walmart trips are a regular activity for many Myrtle Beach area residents and some on the north end of the Grand Strand hope to cut down their shopping commute.
Last week, Reddit users asked if a Walmart would be built at a previously proposed site in Little River or if one of the stores could be coming to cleared land on Longs’ Camp Swamp Road.
Currently, residents near the North and South Carolina state line can choose between the North Myrtle Beach and Shallotte Walmart Supercenters.
The Sun News looked into these questions and here is what we found.
Is Walmart coming to Little River?
In 2016, The Sun News reported that Walmart submitted plans to Horry County for a Little River store. The 159,000 square-foot location was expected to be built directly west of Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links on Highway 17.
Walmart spokesperson Brian Little wrote in an email, “Currently, there are no plans for construction in Little River, S.C.”
According to county records, the land is worth $1.9 million and owned by Burroughs and Chapin, which had not responded to Sun News inquiries at the time of publication.
Is Walmart coming to Longs?
Horry County’s planning department has “not had any discussions with anyone representing Walmart,” said Mark Causey, county council member for Loris and Longs. Horry County Planning and Zoning did not respond to requests for comment.
Homes are already being sold in a new subdivision on the east corner of Camp Swamp Road and Highway 9. Two other parcels off Camp Swamp Road are zoned for major subdivisions, according to county records.
