Myrtle Beach officials hope development happens soon on former Pavilion, mall sites
Anyone driving down Kings Highway in the heart of Myrtle Beach cruise by two large pieces of land that have been vacant since 2006 – what some have referred to as “untapped potential.”
The former Myrtle Beach Pavilion, an amusement park between Kings Highway and the ocean from Eighth and Ninth avenues North, and the former Myrtle Square Mall, between Kings Highway and Oak Street from 21st Avenue North to 27th Avenue North, make up nearly 60 acres of vacant land in the heart of Myrtle Beach.
“Clearly I think about it – in the center of Myrtle Beach, which is in the center of the Grand Strand, which is in the center of Horry County – to have these two large, vacant tracts,” Myrtle Beach City Councilman Wayne Gray said.
Seen as a blemish on the city, some Myrtle Beach officials, residents and tourists say they would like to see permanent development on the large pieces of land owned by Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc. that now only see small bursts of action when special events use them. Burroughs & Chapin declined to comment for this story, including answering questions about any future development on the properties and the vacant lots’ impact on the community.
Myrtle Beach Planning Department Director Jack Walker said having vacant land in a city is not an unusual thing, though it could have more of an impact in a tourist town.
“You have those [empty lots] in every city,” Walker said. “But you don’t want to see that when you’re on vacation. That’s been kind of a dark spot. As a local you kind of get used to it, but when you come here the first time … it makes you question how healthy the economy may be. That’s also how some developers look at it.”
Andrea Robinson of Chicago, who was visiting Myrtle Beach for the first time, said Thursday that seeing the vacant parking lot where Myrtle Square Mall once was did not give her a negative impression of the city as much as it was a confusing sight to see.
“It’s just a big old empty lot,” Robinson said. “When I saw it, I just said, ‘what is this?’ … It just looks strange. It looks out of place to be so empty. They need to put something there.”
No comments:
Post a Comment