Here’s how many contaminated but developable sites are in Myrtle Beach. Why it matters
While Myrtle Beach grows and more development starts throughout the area, there are some spots where more care is required before building can commence.
These locations sometimes have hazardous materials and require cleaning before new development begins.
Called brownfields by the Environment Protection Agency, these plots may have pollutants or contaminants that require cleaning before re-development starts. According to the EPA, the United States has more than 450,000 brownfields.
The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services keeps an interactive map of brownfield tracts in the state. A SCDES spokesperson wrote in an email that these sites face contamination typically due to previous heavy industry or manufacturing on the property.
According to the map, there are 765, most clustered near cities like Charleston, Columbia, Greenville and Spartanburg. Meanwhile, the map shows Horry County has 11 brownfields. The map lists these sites near Top Golf, the former Possum Trot Golf Course and other locations.
However, not all properties listed on the locator tool remain undeveloped. For example, the map lists 961 Meyers Ave in Market Common as a brownfield, the current location of field seven at the Grand Park Athletic Complex. The locator tool lists the property’s project master status as “CLOSED.”
Other former Myrtle Beach area brownfields received re-development. Sandy Davis is the president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation. MBREDC helps bring industrial firms and growth to the Grand Strand area.
Davis said the Ascott Valley Industrial Park in Conway was previously a brownfield site due to a mill that once operated there. A grass field before Ascott Valley opened, Davis said the industrial park now houses five businesses. She also said the area benefits from converting abandoned brownfield land for industrial use because it can generate tax revenue.
“(As) opposed to land that would probably just be zoned as FA and not receive very much tax revenue,” Davis added.
The state also has programs for dealing with brownfields.
The SCDES spokesperson added that owners not responsible for contaminating a site could enter a voluntary cleanup contract for an environmental assessment of the property and/or clean the tract for future buildings.
The spokesperson wrote that owners who enter a voluntary cleanup contract receive liability protection from lawsuits filed by a third party due to the previously present contamination.
Some land plots not designated as brownfields also face hurdles before being built upon. Sometimes, land can be unsuitable for construction without contamination. A new surf park and resort will open at Broadway at the Beach, the retail destination’s owner, Burroughs & Chapin, announced in November 2024.
However, Broadway at the Beach wasn’t the original location for the surf park resort. It was previously supposed to open on a City of Myrtle Beach-owned property along 21st Avenue North before the deal fell through in November 2024. City of Myrtle Beach Director of Public Information Meredith Denari wrote in an email to The Sun News that the 22-acre parcel is not a brownfield. While not hazardous or contaminated, other factors made building on the tract problematic unless the project moved the spoiled dirt first.
While the city hasn’t given a reason why the 21st Ave North deal wasn’t successful, one item Myrtle Beach and developers previously worked on dealt with “spoiled dirt.” The Sun News reported in 2020 that about 295,000 cubic yards of spoiled dirt lay on the property.
In an email to The Sun News, Denari said that the dirt was not contaminated but too soft to build on, referring to it as “squishy.” Dumped during the construction of Broadway at the Beach, the dirt required moving before building the surf park could’ve gotten underway.
