Communities

by the City of Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach’s unique musical history is part of the story being told through the restoration and reuse of Charlie’s Place on Carver Street.  Charlie Fitzgerald and his wife, Sarah, owned the Myrtle Beach nightspot from the late 1930s to the early 1960s.  The Shag and “beach music” all have their origins here. Famous African-Americans entertained at Charlie’s Place in the days before integration, and many stayed at the Fitzgeralds’ Hotel, which was next door.  Charlie’s Place was part of the “chitlin circuit,” which catered to early Motown stars who were excluded from other venues.  Those who performed at Charlie’s Place included Dizzy Gillespie, Little Richard, Billie Holliday, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Lena Horne, Count Basie, Muddy Water and Ray Charles.  The nightclub itself it gone, but the Fitzgeralds’ home and part of a small motel they operated still exist in the Booker T. Washington neighborhood. Members of the community asked the City of Myrtle Beach to help preserve the cultural and historic significance of the property.  The city honored the request by buying the land. Phase One of the preservation project was completed earlier this year. It included reconstruction and remodeling of the Fitzgeralds’ house for use as a community center and event space.  The work involved 1,264 square feet of interior space and 240 square feet of screen porch reconstruction. Crews added space to the rear of the building to include restrooms for visitors.  Phase Two of the renovation includes restoration of the first four motel units and reconstruction of eight other units. A few of the rooms will be kept as a museum to the era, showing what “Green Book” travel was like in the day. Other rooms will be reconstructed and used for small shops and community classes or crafts.  In addition to preserving the history and musical culture of that time, the city’s goal is to restore the economic contribution the club made to the community. The Fitzgeralds’ home now has a new life and use as part of a larger event space for the neighborhood and community.  Looking back at that troubled time, Charlie Fitzgerald created a place of harmony at Charlie’s Place, where music lovers could mingle and dance together, long before the barriers of segregation fell.  The musical tradition continues when the site hosts the fourth annual Myrtle Beach Jazz Festival, October 4-6. Everyone is welcome to attend. 

by the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Hurricane Season is June 1 through November 30. So the time to prepare to protect your home, business and vehicles is now.  Here are a number of tips to help keep you and your loved ones safe, and to protect your property if a hurricane arrives.  – The first rule is, “Know Your Zone.” Are you in a zone that will require evacuation? The coast is divided into three zones – A, B and C – with A being the closest to the ocean. The “Know Your Zone” tool is a good starting point: https://www.scemd.org/prepare/know-your-zone/. – If an evacuation is ordered, you need to know ahead of time where you will go. Have a plan now, before the storm, so that you don’t waste valuable time trying to decide where to evacuate.  Know your evacuation routes in advance. Which roads you’ll use will depend on where you live along the Grand Strand. It may take 30 hours or more to evacuate the coast ahead of a major storm. Major roads west include SC 544, US 501, SC 22 (Carolina Bays Parkway) and SC 9. Lane reversals may be ordered by state officials west of Conway to improve traffic flow. Again, having a plan and following it is critical to a safe, successful evacuation.  – As part of the plan, keep a list of relatives and friends to notify in case you do need to leave home. They will be worried if they don’t know where you are and whether you are safe.  -Keep an emergency kit of supplies. If a storm strikes Myrtle Beach directly, electricity and other utilities could be disrupted for days. Have at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food, along with essentials such as batteries, paper products and hygiene supplies. -It’s recommended that you have three days’ worth of drinking water for every person in your household. And if a storm threatens, keep the car filled with fuel and have enough cash on hand to last a few days.  – Have your important papers, insurance documents and valuable items in a “to go” kit, ready to take with you when you evacuate.  Being ready is more than half the battle when it comes to hurricane season.  Be sure to bring in or tie down any loose items such as chairs and trash receptacles to keep them from causing damage or injury if they are carried away by wind or water.  Storm surge, or higher-than-normal ocean levels brought about by a low pressure system and wind, is the leading cause of hurricane-related deaths and damage in the United States. An evacuation is ordered because of storm surge, not wind. Storm surge can travel miles inland.  After a storm, re-entry into the area will occur in three stages. In the first stage are public safety personnel and others who assess the damage and begin to make things safe.  In the second stage, are utility workers and contractors who restore electricity and clear streets. Once the streets are safe, the evacuation order may be lifted for residents and business owners so that they can return to their properties and make any repairs.  The amount of damage received will determine how quickly an evacuation order is lifted.

by the City of Myrtle Beach Work is underway to create a new Arts and Innovation District in the heart of Myrtle Beach. The area includes Main Street, Broadway Street, Oak Street and Ninth Avenue North. Buildings along Ninth Avenue North may be the first to redevelop, with plans already underway for a co-working and events space. In March, the Myrtle Beach City Council adopted a new master plan for the downtown area. Benchmark consultants spent six months gathering input from residents, business owners, city leaders and others, to craft a plan for redeveloping what’s been known as the Super Block and surrounding areas.  The downtown master plan focuses on four districts: Oceanfront, Kings Highway, Historic Main Street and an Arts District. The goal is to create a vibrant and thriving urban center that capitalizes on diversity and serves residents and visitors for many years.  The city is hiring an architectural firm to begin crafting a design vision for the area. As proposed, the Arts and Innovation District will include new city offices, a new library, a new museum or two, a performing arts center, a co-working space for entrepreneurs, and a new city square for events and activities.  The city’s Technology Advisory Group is working to create the co-working office where start-up businesses and entrepreneurs could share creative space. The proposed rents would be modest at first, creating an incubator for new businesses.  Bringing entrepreneurs and artists to the area also would create an inviting cultural atmosphere that could attract new business and residential projects. Relocating public facilities within the district will create additional foot traffic and potential customers to support new dining, retail, and living options.  Thanks to RIDE III funding, two blocks off US 501 (Main Street) will be relocated to follow Seventh Avenue North.  This work is scheduled for early 2022 and will provide better traffic flows, more space for redevelopment, and fewer traffic signals, creating less bottlenecks on Kings Highway. 

by the City of Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach’s paid parking season is underway and continues through October 31. Generally, no one feels enthusiasm for parking meters, but they are helpful in managing infrastructure. First, they identify which spaces are available and legal for parking. Second, they encourage turnover so that more people can enjoy a handy parking spot. Third, revenue from the meters goes back into the area to pay for more services, and events.  Residents of Myrtle Beach can receive a parking decal for their personal vehicles if the vehicles are registered inside the city limits and city property taxes have been paid. The decals allow a vehicle to park for free at the public parking meters and pay stations, as well as at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.  The City of Myrtle Beach offers an online registration system for Resident Parking Decals for the 2019-2020 period. See https://www.cityofmyrtlebeach.com/news_detail_T6_R394.php and follow the directions. Commercial use vehicles are not eligible for the Resident Parking Decal. If you live in Myrtle Beach and pay property taxes on your car, the city counts that as your payment for parking, whether you ever occupy a paid space or not. Non-residents simply pay at the meter and only when they actually use the parking space.  If you aren’t a resident of Myrtle Beach, the city offers two options to neighbors and visitors who are not eligible for a decal. 1. A seven-day visitor parking pass is available for $30 from the Lanier Parking Office in the Pavilion Parking Garage, Ninth Avenue North at Kings Highway. The pass is good for seven consecutive days at all paid public parking areas. 2. A non-resident parking placard is available for $100 per year from the Lanier Parking Office in the Pavilion Parking Garage. This pass is good for the public metered spaces between 21st Avenue North and 6th Avenue South, as well as in the metered street ends from 69th to 77th Avenues North. 

Warm temperatures are finally here, which means it’s time to enjoy the outdoors, especially our beautiful beaches.  Here is a handy list of Myrtle Beach’s rules and regulations. The primary purpose of these laws is to protect all beachgoers and the beach itself.  1. Alcohol is NOT allowed on the beach. 2. Glass containers and bottles are NOT allowed on the beach. 3. It is illegal to disturb or damage the dunes, the sand fencing, the sea grass, and sea oats.  Stay on the boardwalks and marked paths at all times! 4. Metal detecting is allowed on the public beach, but NOT in the dunes, the street ends, or any other public property. 5. Littering is illegal.  Please use the trash and recycling containers provided. 6. It is illegal to discharge, sell, store or possess fireworks within the city, including the beach.  Fireworks displays by pyrotechnic professionals may be approved if permitted and supervised. 7. All fires are prohibited on the beach, including barbecues and bonfires. 8. Commercial activity is prohibited on the public beach. Non-commercial weddings (where no one is being paid) are allowed without a permit.  Commercial weddings are not allowed. 9. From May 1 through Labor Day, dogs are allowed on the beach before 10:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m.  From the day after Labor Day to April 30 each year, dogs are allowed on the beach at any time of day. 10. At ALL times, dogs must be on a leash seven feet or shorter, and you must pick up and properly dispose of droppings. 11. Dogs and bicycles are allowed on the boardwalk between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., from May 1 through Labor Day.  From the day after Labor Day to April 30 each year, dogs and bicycles are allowed on the boardwalk at any time.  (The boardwalk is too busy in the evenings during the summer to safely accommodate dogs at that time.) 12. “Umbrellas only” during the busy season.  From Memorial Day through Labor Day, only circular umbrellas, up to seven-and-a-half feet in diameter, are allowed on the beach.  From the day after Labor Day until Memorial Day, tents and canopies up to 12-by-12 square feet are allowed.  Umbrellas must be in line with or behind the lifeguards’ line of umbrellas or landward of the mean high tide line.  Tents and canopies, when allowed, must be another 10 feet behind the umbrella line. 13. Items may not be set up on the beach before 8:00 a.m. and must be removed from the beach by 7:00 p.m., daily. 14. “Thong” style bathing suits are not allowed on the beach or in public. Violations of these beach-related ordinances are misdemeanors, subject to a fine of up to $500 and/or 30 days in jail, upon conviction.  Questions?  Call 843-918-1014.