Results - February 4 North Myrtle Beach City Council Meeting

Mayor Pro Tempore Terry White presided over the meeting while Mayor Marilyn Hatley was on City business in Columbia, SC.

During the meeting, Council approved a special event permit for the March 16 St. Patrick’s Day Parade, beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Main Street.

Council approved a special event permit for the March 16 St. Patrick’s Day Festival, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Main Street. The festival includes about 150 vendors, 3 stages offering live music, and a children’s area offering rides and amusements. 

Council passed second (final) reading of an ordinance amending the Town Centre area in the Barefoot Resort Planned Development District. The amendment revised the portion of the Town Centre area of the Barefoot Resort Planned Development District on vacant land alongside the Intracoastal Waterway and marina. Barefoot Cottage Village is destined for the site. It is a residential neighborhood described by its developers as “reminiscent of the simple life of small town America” and offers 274 in-common cottage units ranging in size from 510 square feet to 1,292 square feet.

Changes required by City Council prior to passage of second reading included the developer’s agreement that no rentals of units within the project may be for a term less than 30 days, and the developer will pay a $1,100 per unit beach parking fee at the time of building permit application. The per-unit parking fee goes into a fund to support improved and new public parking opportunities.

Council passed second reading of an ordinance to amend the Beach Cove Ocean Resort Planned Development District (PDD) changing the monument sign located on South Ocean Boulevard at 48th Avenue South. The changes include adding an LED display screen to the sign. The screen will display information about resort events, amber alerts, and local weather. Screen brightness will vary to meet day and night viewing requirements.

Council passed first reading of a proposed ordinance to rezone one lot of about 1.96 acres located off Commons Boulevard behind California Dreaming from HC (Highway Commercial) to R-2A (Midrise Multifamily Residential).

Access to Commons Boulevard would be further scrutinized at the subdivision or site plan level of City review.

Council passed first reading of a proposed ordinance to amend several sections within Chapter 3 of the City’s Code of Ordinances entitled, “Alcoholic Beverages”, to allow for the establishment of a festival zone, which would allow beer and wine to be consumed in approved areas of shopping and/or entertainment destinations of 10 or more acres.

If the proposed amendment passes final reading before City Council, a property owner could apply to the City for a permit to have a festival zone within their location.

The application process would require the property owner to submit a map depicting the exact boundaries of the desired festival zone, a detailed narrative of how the property owner would manage the possession and consumption of beer and wine within the festival zone, and other facts.

The property owner would submit the permit application to the City Manager and Director of Public Safety for review and comment and a recommendation to City Council at least 30 days prior to the meeting at which City Council would consider the permit request.

If Council approves a permit request for a festival zone, the City Manager would monitor compliance of the approved plan. If the City Manager determines that a permit holder has violated the terms or parameters of an approved festival zone, the City Manager at his sole discretion would have the authority to suspend or revoke a festival zone permit.

Council tabled until its March 4 meeting a proposed ordinance to amend the Prince Planned Development District to allow for a Hampton Inn & Suites hotel and parking garage.

Placing overhead utilities underground is a requirement of all planned development districts. City staff has recommended that the developer pay a fee in lieu of completing the utilities work in order to align the work with SCDOT’s schedule for placing overhead utilities underground along Ocean Boulevard. Negotiations regarding the fee are underway.