RESULTS: March 21 North Myrtle Beach City Council Meeting

During the March 21 North Myrtle Beach City Council meeting, two city employees were provided with Longevity Awards for their length of service to residents, businesses and visitors. The awards are provided in five year increments to city employees who consistently provide excellent customer service. Receiving the awards were Building Official Delane Stevens (15 years) and Master Electrical Inspector Gordon Windham (10).

During the meeting, Senior Planner Sean Hoelscher received the city’s Employee of the Month Award. Sean has been providing valuable in-house design services in support of multiple city projects managed by the planning and development, public works, and parks and recreation departments. Also, Sean recently passed exams to become a licensed landscape architect, a certified floodplain manager, and a certified arborist. Sean has worked for the city for seven years.

A Resolution expressing the city’s annual support of efforts to curb child abuse and neglect nationally and locally was included on the March 21 meeting agenda but was moved to Council’s first meeting in April, which is the time frame in which it is normally presented.

City Council approved a request by the Society of Stranders for a special event permit for group’s Spring Safari Parade, to be held April 23, 1:00 p.m-4:00 p.m. on Main Street.

City Council approved a request by the Wellness Council for South Carolina for a special event permit for the Earth Day 5K Run to be held April 23, 7:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., at Barefoot Resort and Marina.

City Council approved a request by Continental Event & Sports Management for a special event permit for the 5^th Annual Divas® Half Marathon & 5K to be held April 29-May1. April 29 and 30 will be devoted to participant events. The Divas® Half Marathon & 5K will be held May 1 from 7:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

The Divas® Half Marathon Series is held annually in North Myrtle Beach, SC; Galveston, TX; Branson, MO; San Francisco Bay, CA; Peachtree City, GA; DC's Wine Country, VA; Long Island, NY; San Juan, PR; St. Augustine Beach, FL; and Temecula, CA.

The Divas® Half Marathon & 5K series embraces a full weekend experience that caters specifically to women.

City Council also passed a Resolution approving Mutual Aid Agreements that allow for the temporary transfer of officers from 16 jurisdictions to North Myrtle Beach to provide law enforcement support to help manage traffic and other impacts that the Town of Atlantic Beach event, Bike Fest, has on the city. Bike Fest will be held May 27-30.

City Council passed second (final) reading of an ordinance to amend the Public Trees Ordinance text, Section 19-56 thru 64, to address revisions recommended by the North Myrtle Beach Tree City Board. The board is tasked with a review and/or revision of the public tree ordinance every two years in order for North Myrtle Beach to maintain its Tree City USA status.

The revisions bring the public tree ordinance up to date by removing obsolete terms and definitions, updating the process by which a public tree may be removed, allowing for the pruning of private trees encroaching into the public right of way, updating the annual work plan, and identifying the public safety department as the enforcement mechanism for the ordinance.

City Council passed second reading of an ordinance to approve the "Master Trust Indenture" for the Cherry Grove Municipal Improvement District (Dredging Project), which is a step forward in obtaining financing for the project.

The ordinance approves a Master Trust Indenture ("MTI") for the Cherry Grove Municipal Improvement District ("District") financing, and authorizes the Mayor and City Manager to execute and deliver the MTI upon the issuance of the first series of bonds for the District this year.

The ordinance establishes the mechanics for issuing and paying the bonds, and will be presented to financial institutions, which may have an interest in providing the financing.

Once a lender has been chosen, the final details of the bonds will be set forth in a "supplemental Resolution", which must also be approved by Council. After that, financing can proceed to closing.

City Council tabled until its May 2 meeting the second reading of an ordinance to annex and zone one lot located adjacent to the Parkway Group PDD (PDD), which is located west of the Intracoastal Waterway. Council wants to wait until an associated Development Agreement has been completed before giving second reading to the proposed annexation and zoning.

Baird Stewart, authorized agent for LStar Communities and NGD Property I/II, LLC, has petitioned the city for annexation of about 60.69 acres of property adjacent to the Waterway Hills section of the PDD. The parcel is currently within unincorporated Horry County. The petition also reflects the requested city zoning district of Planned Development District (PDD) by joining with the existing Parkway Group PDD.

The property is contiguous to the corporate boundary of the city and is zoned Commercial Forest Agriculture under Horry County’s jurisdiction. The property is vacant and unimproved. Surrounding land uses are vacant and a former golf course.

City Council tabled until its May 2 meeting the second reading of an ordinance for a major amendment to the Parkway Group Planned Development District (PDD) to allow changes to the previously approved phase known as the Waterway Hills Tract and to add a newly annexed area known as the Wilson Chestnut Tract. The area is referred to as “Grande Dunes North” in the PDD, which is located west of the Intracoastal Waterway. Council wants to wait until an associated Development Agreement has been completed before giving second reading to the proposed ordinance.

The proposed amendment reduces the previously approved density for the property from a maximum of 2,500 residential dwelling units to 858 units over a total combined area of 241.46 acres, a 65 percent reduction in housing density.

Grande Dunes North would be a private, gated neighborhood with private roadways using a guard at the entrance gate. The development would be constructed in six phases. Phase I would be the Entrance Parkway and Grande Dunes Connection, Community Amenity, and 119 residential units. Phase II would be north of Phase I along the Intracoastal Waterway. Phase III and Phase V would be north of the Entrance Parkway and Phases IV and VI would be located south of the Entrance Parkway.

City Council tabled until its May 2 meeting the second reading of an ordinance to amend the Parkway Group Planned Development District (PDD) to allow changes to the previously approved residential tracts known as Seashore Farms and L.L. Chestnut, referred to as “Waterside” in the PDD. Council wants to wait until an associated Development Agreement has been completed before giving second reading of the proposed ordinance.

The Waterside development would be constructed in 10 phases. Phase I is the most complete and plans have been provided to the city for review. Phases II through X will require further review and amendments prior to construction.

Phase I of Waterside includes three proposed neighborhoods— Pinnacle Ridge, Copper Creek and Copper Meadow. When completed, Pinnacle Ridge and Copper Creek will offer a variety of housing options, such as detached single-family homes, neighborhood commercial areas, and attached single-family and multifamily homes. These neighborhoods would be connected by roadways and multi-purpose paths.

City Council passed first reading of an ordinance to amend the lease agreement between the city and Apex Water Park, LLC, the company that will offer a wakeboarding facility on the northern part of the lake located at the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex.

Apex requests that the leased area also include a small portion of land (about .08 acres) adjacent to the lake that would accommodate the placement of a building to serve as an observation area for guests and visitors. Apex anticipates that it will serve prepackaged food and beer and wine to its guests within the observation building.

Apex also requests that the leased area include an additional area of the lake parallel to the Go Ape zip line for the operation of a wake-surf boat. The motorboat will not exceed 12 mph when in operation, and its wake will be used to teach people to surf.

Apex requests the lease be amended to allow for the placement of outside advertising signs or banners on each of the towers supporting the cable system for the wake ski amenity; on the ramps and sliders floating on the lake; and on the railings around the observation building, the pro shop and the motor control buildings.

The lease would also be amended to provide that all sponsorship revenues will be considered part of the gross revenues under the lease.

City Council passed first reading of an ordinance to amend the Zoning Ordinance text in Sections 23-42 and 23-36 regarding overflow parking.

The proposed amendment would exempt parking lots intended as noncommercial surplus or overflow parking in association with another use from having to be improved with concrete or asphalt. To qualify for the exemption, the parking stalls would have to be located on a parcel of land that is separate from the principal use it supports, and could not contain stalls otherwise required to satisfy the minimum parking requirement of that use. Additional performance criteria would also have to be met.

If the proposed amendment passes second reading, it would still require parking lots intended as a commercial, principal use of land to meet all the improvement standards, meaning concrete or asphalt, and the use of landscaping would also apply.

City Council passed first reading of an ordinance to amend the Zoning Ordinance text in Sections 23-18 and 23-36 to exempt banners as prohibited signage within public parks and sports complexes.

The North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex is unique to any other public use that the city has historically managed. There are numerous accessory uses within the park, and the sign ordinance as currently written does not address signage for such a use, nor any of the accessory uses.

Various commercial attractions need flexibility for corporate signage, and the city needs flexibility to review and approve corporate and/or sponsorship sign packages for the various attractions. The proposed changes would allow the city manager to approve comprehensive sign packages for accessory uses within public park and sports complexes, consistent with lease agreements between the city and given attractions.