The Myrtle Beach Downtown Redevelopment Corporation held a Superblock brainstorming meeting on Wednesday, inviting community members to contribute ideas for the vision of downtown.
Last week, Myrtle Beach city leaders toured a city museum in Columbia and downtown Greenville to get ideas for downtown Myrtle Beach. DRC chairman, Chuck Martino says they are hoping to include a younger crowd in the discussion in order to create a downtown that is attractive to wider demographic.
“Part of this process is what do we do, and how do we engage that millennial population to give some guidance how would they spend the money,” Martino said.
Coastal Carolina University tourism professor Taylor Damonte helped to conduct one of the focus groups and says he thought one of the most transformational ideas that came up was the discussion to add residential properties to the Superblock.
“Single family, multi-family, café shops and restaurants all around sort of an urban village,” Damonte said.
Long-time Superblock store owners were vocal during the meeting about frustrations in regards to a lack of movement on plans for the area. Some of them shared what it was like to worry that their businesses were going to be forced to close to make way for the Chapin Memorial Library and a new children’s museum.
Owner of Sun City Grill, Cary Boyles, says he would love to see Main Street thrive with business and activity the way it did 50 years ago.
“A new restaurant that opened up a few weeks ago is bringing positive energy to the area, another restaurant is opening as well,” Boyles said.
On Friday, the DRC is meeting with city leaders to discuss how to put these ideas into motion and create a timeline. No date has been set for any development plans.
