Pool to be built closer to shore

Oceanfront setback line moved seaward for 17 story project at Cherry Grove

By SAMMY FRETWELL
sfretwell@thestate.com

Condominium projects are changing the character of Cherry Grove, long known for homey beach houses and a residential family atmosphere.

Developers of a 17-story condominium project at North Myrtle Beach received state approval this week to build closer to the seashore than S.C. law previously allowed.

An administrative law judge approved moving an oceanfront setback line seaward for the Prince Resort because taxpayers have paid to widen the beach at Cherry Grove.

Setback lines keep development back from the beach. But extra sand from a $20 million beach renourishment work buffers the property from the ocean, say state regulators, who recommended moving the line. The ruling allows developers to build an in-ground pool, a spa and a lazy river in front of the oceanfront condo tower, Prince project manager Larry Brumfield said.

Administrative law Judge Ralph K. Anderson III’s decision continues a recent trend of loosening building restrictions at Cherry Grove because of the renourishment.

Cherry Grove, a narrow sand spit at the upper tip of North Myrtle Beach, is one of the most flood-prone areas of the state’s coast. It’s among the main areas in South Carolina for repeat flood insurance losses after hurricanes and other storms.

But S.C. regulators say more than $20 million in publicly funded beach renourishment justifies allowing intense development closer to the ocean.

Five years ago, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control moved setback lines 50 to 100 feet seaward at Cherry Grove, opening the door for high-rise condos, including the Prince Resort.

In this case, the judge’s ruling Monday moves the line another 25 feet toward the beach at the Prince Resort for its pool, according to DHEC.

Jimmy Chandler, a lawyer who follows state coastal law, said it is a bad idea to build close to the beach because of storm threats to buildings and future beach erosion. He predicted the ruling would lead to similar requests.

“It’s not the best policy for the state to follow,” Chandler said. “All we’re doing is making things worse when we do things like this.”

Brumfield said the development his group plans is not significant. The Prince Resort tried to persuade the Legislature last spring to change state law to allow for the pool, but the bill didn’t pass.

“Hopefully we’ll do a good job, and we’ll be good citizens, I promise you,” Brumfield said.

Setback lines govern how close development can be to the beach. Property owners can petition the administrative law court to move setback lines seaward, although that rarely has happened statewide. The state also will reset setback lines during a normal review every eight to 10 years.

Reach Fretwell at (803) 771-8537.

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More stories about losing the old style of Myrtle Beach proliferate in the papers.
Here’s some opinions pro and con from The State in Columbia..

Locals fear loss of area’s charm
By SAMMY FRETWELL
sfretwell@thestate.com

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH — Kathryn Bassett doesn’t like what’s going in Cherry Grove but figures she can’t do much about it.

Signs of intense development surround the beach cottage her family built 50 years ago.

Across North Ocean Boulevard, workers are constructing a mammoth parking garage and a multistory condominium project. Down the street, they’re putting up a 17-story tower at the Cherry Grove pier. Heavy trucks rumble up and down the two-lane road in front of her house.

For Bassett, a quick-witted 90-year-old with a warm smile, it won’t be long before the small beach community she loves becomes a crowded resort.

“I think it’s all stupid,” she said. “We always thought we had a family beach. We don’t have a family beach anymore.”

More change is expected as developers supplant beach houses with high-rise projects in Cherry Grove, a sand spit at the tip of North Myrtle Beach. Looser state rules for oceanfront development have spurred much of the change since 2000.

More condominiums mean Cherry Grove will lose the homey beach-cottage character that has long defined its seashore, longtime residents and visitors say.

“We love Cherry Grove, but we don’t like that,” Sandy Hoffman of Chapel Hill, N.C., said, nodding at the high-rise down the beach from her rented home. “I was shocked when we drove in this year. That wasn’t there when we came last summer.”

Cherry Grove still has rows of cottages and small motels. A handful of condominium projects have developed over the years, but — for the most part — the little community reminds many people of how the Grand Strand used to be in the 1950s and ’60s.

Year after year, people rent weathered beach houses with names such as “McLeod Castle,” “Whistling Whale,” and “Seacapades.”

Because the state and city have eased oceanfront development rules since 2001, much of the beachfront is open for large-scale projects in an area that previously allowed only beach houses. Dozens of beach cottages are for sale as landowners seek to cash in on the condo boom.

At least four major oceanfront projects are under construction or planned at the heart of Cherry Grove, from 19th to 45th avenues. Some second-row development is tied to those projects.

Property along that stretch is valued at $95 million on the Horry County tax books, but it is expected to rise.

MORE CONDOS

Those rising land values will dictate more high-density development in Cherry Grove, said Brian Haggerty, whose Atlanta company is developing a condominium building where beach cottages stood.

Having favorable rules for building — in this case, less-restrictive oceanfront setback lines — has been a key to the redevelopment craze at Cherry Grove.

“The setbacks are critical in any development,” Haggerty said. “It’s not how much land you buy, but how much land you can build on.”

Lincolnton, N.C., residents Gary and Susan McConnell, whose family owns a beach house near the Cherry Grove Pier, said they have plenty of fond memories of the community, but it’s time for change. Projects such as the Prince Resort will spruce up the area’s image, they said.

“We were delighted when we found out,” he said. “Something like this coming in will obviously be well maintained and would enhance this area.”

Next to the cottage, Greg Hartness, of Parkersburg, W.Va., rents at 2600 N. Ocean Blvd. are empty lots that once held beach cottages.

“Cherry Grove is beach houses,” he said. “But it’s kind of hard not to see the construction cranes around here.”

Haggerty’s company, Vision Investment and Development Inc., will build a $20 million condominium project (The Grove) on the site, with units selling for nearly $500,000. County records show the four beach houses on the property sold last year for a combined $6.8 million.

Bassett hopes to hold onto her land. But real estate agents might one day wear her down.

She was recently offered $3.5 million for the beach house her husband built. She doesn’t remember how much her family paid for the land, but oceanfront lots in the 1950s could be purchased for $1,000 or less.

“Cherry Grove used to be the place to live, but now it’s just getting bigger and bigger,” Bassett said.

Note: Some project news may be dated and obsolete.

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Burroughs and Chapin’s plan to tear down the Myrtle Beach Pavilion has upset tourists and residents alike at every turn. I think everyone will miss the landmarks such as the rides, the bars, the little stores, and the whole package that we’ve grown up with for many years.

But as part of the city’s PUD plan, this redevelopment is going to be a fabulous addition to downtown Myrtle Beach, and the area has become rather run down anyway, attracting a little too much of the underworld in such a highly populated area. It will be very good for the whole city, and especially for new condos in Myrtle Beach such as Bayview Resort Myrtle Beach.

A nice article appeared in the Asheville Citizen Times about it, and the feelings of loss that visitors are experiencing, thinking of losing a part of their childhoods…

Redevelopment consumes the Pavilion
by Susan Reinhardt, sreinhardt@CITIZEN-TIMES.com
published June 30, 2006 12:15 am

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Since their kids were itty bitty, Earl and Betty Ann Young of Burnsville have taken them to Myrtle Beach’s most famous meeting place.

The Pavilion Amusement Park, the heart and soul of the beach, where people met, danced, fell in love and rode rides, is closing after this season.

On Sept. 24, after 58 memorable years, this 11-acre Grand Strand landmark will shut down for good.

Located directly on Ocean Boulevard, the Pavilion has always been a family favorite, a place to see and be seen. To ride the rides, eat footlong hotdogs and dance at Attic, a club right on the ocean.

“We’ve been going down there since our kids were small, at least 48 years,” said Betty Ann Young, whose family owns Mountain Air, an exclusive community of homes in Burnsville.
“That was the highlight of our trip,” she said of the Pavilion. “Sam (one of their sons) would beg from the time we left here, until we got there, to be sure we could go down to the carnival. That’s what we called it.”

The Youngs have a place at Surfside, just south of Myrtle Beach, and go down several times a year.

For nearly 60 years, it was the highlight of millions of tourists’ vacations, most of whom spoke the common language: “Meet me at the Pavilion.” It was a place where people gathered, danced, learned to shag, fell in puppy love, some even forming lasting relationships resulting in marriage.
The main draw was the rides, now up to 40 attractions, including the famous carousel and Hurricane Category 5 roller coaster, the log flume, haunted house and others.

Memories will come down with the buildings. And many people who either live or vacation there are heartbroken. MORE…

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