Business owners voice concerns of ‘parking lot parties’ on Memorial Day weekend

A small group of business owners and residents voiced concerns over the policing of “parking lot parties” on Memorial Day weekend during a meeting with local law enforcement Wednesday morning.

Horry County officials hosted the meeting with business owners near Restaurant Row to share information and answer questions about safety plans in place during Memorial Day weekend.

Tens of thousands of people travel to the Grand Strand during Memorial Day weekend for Atlantic Beach Bikefest or to enjoy a three-day weekend at the beach. Three people died and seven were injured in eight shootings last year along Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach.

Business owners said they hope there is a visible police presence in the Restaurant Row area to cut down on drivers who may want to avoid traffic and decide to pull into one of the large parking lots along U.S. Highway 17.

Horry County police Chief Saundra Rhodes said officers who patrol that area will shut down parking lot parties if they see them, but urged business owners to monitor their properties and alert police if necessary.

“If you’re a business owner and have a large parking lot and worry about people pulling off – or people have in the past – consider hiring private security,” police spokesman Lt. Raul Denis said. “State law requires that the property be posted [no trespassing or no parking signs] in four conspicuous spaces – that’s the property owner’s responsibility. We can’t take that on for you.”

Horry County fire Chief Fred Crosby also urged residents and visitors needing to access the emergency room at Grand Strand Medical Center to do so from U.S. 17 Bypass and not from the main hospital entrance along 82nd Avenue North.

Grand Strand officials are planning to enact a 23-mile loop from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. May 22 to 24 aiming to ease traffic on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach.

The traffic loop routes drivers from 29th Avenue North on Ocean Boulevard south and around to Kings Highway, north to Harrelson Boulevard – which turns into George Bishop Parkway – west to Waccamaw Boulevard, which runs next to U.S. 501, onto S.C. 31 heading north to Grissom Parkway south, then onto U.S. 17 Bypass and down 29th Avenue North.

Robert Shelley, who lives in Myrtle Beach and owns properties along the traffic loop, questioned why police are waiting until 10 p.m. to put the loop in place.

“We looked at the calls for service and the majority of incidents occurred between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.,” Myrtle Beach police Lt. Joey Crosby said. “The primary goal for this loop is to keep the traffic moving and keep crime from occurring.”

Horry County will host two more meetings with business owners and residents next week. Officials will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday at Beach Church at 557 George Bishop Parkway and at 5 p.m. Tuesday at South Strand Recreation Center at 9650 Scipio Lane.

This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Business owners voice concerns of ‘parking lot parties’ on Memorial Day weekend."