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Is a new hotel planned for the Grande Dunes area near Myrtle Beach? Here’s what we know

Land in the Grande Dunes area could be developed into a new hotel site, according to a listing on LoopNet. It’s unclear if the project is scheduled to go forward.
Land in the Grande Dunes area could be developed into a new hotel site, according to a listing on LoopNet. It’s unclear if the project is scheduled to go forward. The Sun News

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A property posted on a real estate listing website suggests a planned hotel could open in the Grande Dunes area.

A three-acre tract of land listed on LoopNet along US Highway 17 Business next to the US Foods Chef’Store at 970 Cipriana Drive in Myrtle Beach is part of a larger 23-acre parcel designated for a hotel site and retail, according to the listing.

The LoopNet listing adds that the hotel is either a three-story 90-room property or a four-story 120-room one. The listing, which refers to the property as the Lake 13 Tract and has a $1.95 million asking price, was initially placed on LoopNet in 2018 and was updated July 1, 2024.

However, the listing is not entirely up-to-date. The proposal lists Lowes Foods as one of the nearby businesses, although the grocery store closed in 2019.

Ansel Bunch, a Vice President at the commercial real estate services and investments firm CBRE, is the listed agent for the property but did not return a request for comment before publication. LoopNet previously listed a 15.4-acre property in the Grande Dunes area, also called Lake Tract 13. However, the listing was removed from the website.

Freehold Communities, a planned development firm that includes Grande Dunes as one of its communities, did not return a request for comment before publication. In October 2023, Freehold Communities acquired the Grande Dunes master-planned community in partnership with investment firm Värde Partners.

The entire Grande Dunes area, one of the most significant planned developments in the Myrtle Beach area, conceived initially by Burroughs & Chapin in the 1990s, could change further. A 2021 Planned Unit Development update presentation for the Grande Dunes area listed parcels of land designated for future commercial development, under construction, or as active planning areas.

A parcel of land designated as “LT 13,” listed as 7.1 acres, was scheduled as a future commercial development in the plan. It’s unclear if the 2021 Planned Unit Development is still accurate in 2024 following Freehold Communities’ acquisition of the Grande Dunes area.

According to Horry County Land Records, the property is more than seven acres, and Nashville, Tenn.-based Grand Strand Regional Medical Center LLC C/O Vice President Real Estate owns the land. The firm acquired the land in March 2024, according to Horry County Land Records.

While the exact details of the project are unknown, the surrounding area is undergoing massive development. The Lively at Grande Dunes is a 322-unit apartment complex built upon a tract of land behind the LoopNet listing. Meanwhile, Willows at Grande Dunes, an apartment complex featuring more than 300 units, was built along US Highway 17 Business. The Lively and Willows featured in the 2021 Planned Unit Development update presentation for the Grande Dunes area.

The Lively at Grande Dunes sits on land behind the proposed hotel location. The large apartment complex is part of ongoing development plans for the broader area.
The Lively at Grande Dunes sits on land behind the proposed hotel location. The large apartment complex is part of ongoing development plans for the broader area. Ben Morse The Sun News

Properties near the beach are also being developed into new properties in the Grande Dunes area. The Promenade at Grande Dunes is an 85-unit townhome community along Grande Dunes Boulevard between North Kings Highway and North Ocean Boulevard. The first construction phase is scheduled to be completed in January 2025.

Site work is also underway for about 25 acres of land that will become a single-family home community built by Lennar, a national home builder.

This story was originally published July 9, 2024 at 5:00 AM.

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Ben Morse
The Sun News
Ben Morse is the Retail and Leisure Reporter for The Sun News. Morse covers local business and Coastal Carolina University football and was awarded third place in the 2023 South Carolina Press Association News Contest for sports beat reporting and second place for sports video in the all-daily division. Morse previously worked for The Island Packet, covering local government. Morse graduated from American University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism and economics and is originally from Prospect, Kentucky.
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