During the February 15 North Myrtle Beach City
Council meeting, four City employees were provided with Longevity Awards
for their length of service to North Myrtle Beach residents, businesses
and visitors. The awards are provided in five year increments to City
employees who consistently provide excellent customer service. Receiving
awards were Electrician Milton Willoughby (30 years of service),
Planner Dawn Snider (15), Motor Equipment Operator Eddie Stevenson (15),
and Motor Equipment Operator Arron Vereen (15).
Tom Walker, chairman of the North Myrtle Beach Tree City Board, provided
Council with a report on the board’s activities and accomplishments for
2015. The board has completed proposed updates to the Public Tree
Ordinance for the City, which passed first reading at the Council
meeting. The board also held three well-received public education
sessions on trees and tree care at the North Myrtle Beach Library.
A
newsletter was created to provide North Myrtle Beach residents with
more information on the Tree Board’s activities and goals for the year.
The newsletter was mailed out with the City’s January 2016 water bills.
During
the past year, the Tree City Board provided 12 Tree of the Month
awards, which highlighted the features of unique trees within the city.
By highlighting the trees and those who care for them, the board hopes
to continue to encourage tree preservation and informed tree maintenance
throughout the city.
Thanks
to the efforts of the board, and City Council’s continued support of
board initiatives, North Myrtle Beach again earned the Tree City USA
award. The City has earned this award for 10 consecutive years due to
its tree preservation, maintenance and planting initiatives.
On
December 4, 2015, an Arbor Day celebration was sponsored by the Tree
City Board. It included the planting of multiple Willow Oaks at City
Hall.
City Council passed second (final) reading of an ordinance to
rescind the City's current code sections regarding the type of
information pawnbrokers located within the city must maintain and
electronically transfer to the Public Safety Department. A primary
change is that pawnbrokers must now photograph not only an item being
pawned but also the person who is pawning the item, and then transmit
the same electronically to the Public Safety Department.
City Council tabled until its first meeting in March 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 first meeting in March 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 first meeting in March 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 a motion to appoint Bubba Collins to the North Myrtle Beach Planning Commission.
City Council passed first reading of an ordinance to
amend the Public Trees Ordinance text, Section 19-56 thru 64, to
address recommended revisions proposed by the North Myrtle Beach Tree
City Board. The Tree City Board is tasked with a review and/or revision
of the public tree ordinance every two years in order to maintain Tree
City USA status.
The
proposed revisions would 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 Department of Public Safety as the enforcement
mechanism for the ordinance.
City Council passed first 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
proposed 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
proposed ordinance sets up 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", also approved by Council. After
that, the financing can proceed to closing. No public hearing is
required prior to the enactment of the ordinance.
