Proposed development could bring new Spiritual Center, housing to Myrtle Beach

Plans for a new Planned Unit Development for Chabad of Myrtle Beach, a Jewish community, could transform a block near downtown Myrtle Beach.

The City of Myrtle Beach Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend two annexations totaling roughly 0.72 acres of land off of 29th Avenue North and the creation of the proposed Spiritual Center PUD totaling 6.4 acres running from North Oak Street to Topgolf Myrtle Beach.

According to plans, the PUD is the continued mission of Chabad of Myrtle Beach and will contain housing, a Mikvah ritual bath and a Spiritual Center, with a traditional school and worship center, across 37 buildings on eight parcels. The development would also serve as a religious travel destination for visitors coming for holy days, ceremonies and events.

“What you’re seeing is a really forward-looking ability to protect that worship community as everything around it continues to grow up,” said attorney Richard Guyton, who is representing Chabad of Myrtle Beach. “So, to me, it takes a lot of foresight to do something like this, rather than wait until it’s too late.”

Plans envision the 8,000-square-foot Spiritual Center with multiple apartment floors as the PUD’s anchor. With a mix of long-term housing and short-term rentals, the PUD isn’t to exceed 86 units or 232 bedrooms.

According to Guyton, “there are elements of this that are exactly” like retirement communities like Brightwater or Covenant Towers. Although the housing would accommodate older worshippers, it wouldn’t offer any long-term or memory care services.

Development for the PUD consists of five phases, which can be executed simultaneously and in any order. The first phase includes the existing school and worship center, the middle three phases each include a third of the residential units and the final phase includes amenities and accessory uses.

Guyton said Tuesday there weren’t plans to tear down any buildings, simply to renovate the existing structures. With plans for a new school, the existing school is set to be updated and repurposed once the new building is complete.

Florist shop Flowers by Richard Inc., owned Chabad of Myrtle Beach, will also be repurposed as a commissary, which will be the lunchroom for the school, and a small welcome center.

The committee recommended approving the Spiritual Center PUD’s creation, with notes to include a sidewalk, landscaping and a 60-foot height allowance. Next, the PUD will need to go before Myrtle Beach City Council in two meetings for approval.

This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 5:22 PM.