MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Horry County council chairman Mark Lazarus suggested Tuesday creating a county-wide parking authority after years of disputes about beach parking.
Lazarus made the announcement at a meeting of the Coast Alliance, which includes the mayors of Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and Surfside Beach.
The parking authority would be a partnership of county government and city and town governments along the coast. The Coast Alliance plans to appoint one person from the county’s, and each city’s planning department to the committee.
“Let’s create a county-wide parking authority to look at the possibility of purchasing properties to park on,” Lazarus said. He suggested “park and rides”, drop-off areas, and bathrooms.
Lazarus said the planning staffs at each government needed to meet and develop proposals.
Parking rules implemented in 2016 in Myrtle Beach outraged some people in Horry County. City council ended free parking in parts of Myrtle Beach, including the Golden Mile, for non-city residents. The city allowed non-city residents to buy a $100 parking permit, but they wouldn’t have the same parking privileges as city residents.
“We gotta get the community involved,” Lazarus said.
