New Market Common apartments spark rumors, worry over crime

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Rumors surrounding new apartments going up in Market Common have Myrtle Beach city leaders working to clear up fact from fiction.

Myrtle Beach Planning Director Carol Coleman has been getting a lot of calls recently about Lively at Market Commons, a new apartment complex planned for the city.

“My understanding is a letter went out, or maybe something on social media went out, indicating that it was a public housing project,” explained Coleman. “It is not a public housing development. It is a private developer.”

The rumor created a bit of a stir, but conceptual designs show four new luxury apartment buildings at Farrow Parkway and Meyers Avenue, not public housing.

“When you’re doing public housing, you can’t typically put the amount of money that you’re putting into it that this developer is putting in. It should be an upscale rental project,” said Coleman.

Coleman says similar apartment buildings have one room studios that start in the $1,000 range. “I have not seen a business plan, so I can’t say, but my understanding is they have the ability to go up to three bedrooms, but in that case, you’re talking $2,400 to $2,500.”

High or low end, it would still bring 303 units right down the road from Mike Kressin’s house.

“I’m really not in favor of apartments,” says the Market Common home owner. “I’d rather see townhouses or something to that effect that matches the neighborhood.”

Kressin is worried that apartments could eventually bring more crime into the area.

“Where I’m from, they started out with the same thing in Wisconsin,” explains Kressin. “They built some high end, what they called high-end buildings along the river, and they said it would be just fine, ‘don’t worry about it.’ What it turned out to be, is after a while, stuff filters in.”

Kressin says he doesn’t want to see the same thing happen to his new home.

“It’s just my opinion, but that’s what seems to happen,” explains Kressin. “It happened up north where I was from and my fear is that’s what’s going to happen here, that more crime is going to filter into the area.”

Developers are currently working with the Myrtle Beach Community Appearance Board to make sure the apartments stay in the same style as the rest of Market Common.

Plans still need to go through a final conceptual review.