Source: 1bog.org
North Myrtle Beach’s oldest full-service real estate agency, listing and selling retirement properties, vacation homes, investment properties and residential homes since 1962.
RESULTS: March 21 North Myrtle Beach City Council Meeting
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 5th 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.
NMB Public Safety Department’s February “Sock it to Winter” campaign was a big success!
During the month of February, the North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Department ran a “Sock it to Winter” campaign in an effort to collect new socks to provide to homeless youths in the North Myrtle Beach area. With the help of Wyndham Vacation Resorts Towers on the Grove, Upward Bound/Horry Georgetown Technical College, and the community at large, the department was able to collect over 1,000 pairs of new socks.
 |
| Photo by Amanda Heim. |
The department partnered with Sea Haven, Inc. to help distribute the new socks to homeless youths.
We congratulate the North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Department and all who contributed to this effort!
34th Annual North Myrtle Beach Community Easter Egg Hunt is March 26, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., at McLean Park
The 38th
Annual North Myrtle Beach Community Easter Egg Hunt will be held
Saturday, March 26, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., at McLean Park (93 Oak
Drive) in North Myrtle Beach. The egg begins at 10:00 a.m. sharp.
Egg
hunt areas are divided by age groups (infant and above), and there are
many other activities for all ages. The North Strand Optimist Club will
provide refreshments.
The
Easter Bunny will make a special visit to McLean Park to hand out candy
to all the children that attend. Participants are encouraged to wear
their Easter best to have their photo made with Ms. Blossom. The North
Strand Optimist Club will provide refreshments.
This
is a very popular event with hundreds of kids participating each year.
There is limited parking at McLean Park, and participants are advised to
arrive early, park in the Main Street area, then walk to the park.
The
event is a combined effort of the North Myrtle Beach Parks &
Recreation Department, North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, North
Strand Optimist Club, North Myrtle Beach Lions Club, Keep North Myrtle
Beach Beautiful, Driftwood Keep America Beautiful Kids, North Myrtle
Beach High School Clubs, North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Department,
and many individual volunteers.
Volunteers
are always welcome to help with the Easter Egg Hunt from 8:00 a.m.–1:00
p.m. For more information contact Gregg Barnhill, dgbarnhill@nmb.us, or call (843) 280-567.
RESULTS: North Myrtle Beach FY 2017 Budget Retreat
The North Myrtle Beach City Council held its FY
2017 budget retreat March 7-8 at Santee Cooper’s Wampee Conference
Center in Pinopolis, SC.
The City’s budget year runs from July 1 to June 30.
The
proposed FY 2017 budget includes Governmental Funds (general fund,
special revenue funds, capital improvement funds, debt service fund)
expenditures of $54,088,271 and Enterprise Funds expenditures of
$39,727,931 for a total of $93,816,202 in budgeted expenditures for all
funds.
The
proposed 2017 budget is $13,656,195 million more than the fiscal year
FY 2016 budget, due primarily to various street improvements, major
water and sewer projects, storm water management improvement initiatives
and other projects.
During
the budget retreat, City Council discussed a proposed property tax
increase of two mills, which would generate about $750,000 annually,
primarily to help pay for four new public safety employees, and enhanced
paving and maintenance of the City’s roads.
An increase of two mills in the property tax equates to $8 annually for each $100,000 of residential home value.
The City’s current property tax rate is 39.3 mills,
which includes 6.2 mills that will be cut in October 2019 when the bond
issue for the construction of the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports
Complex has been paid off. The proposed two mills property tax increase
would bring the City’s tax rate to 41.3 mills, still the lowest tax rate in Horry County and one of the lowest in the state.
Currently,
Surfside Beach offers a property tax rate of 46.2 mills, Briarcliff
Acres 50.8 mills, Horry County 50.87 mills, Aynor 60.8 mills, Myrtle
Beach 74.5 mills, Conway 82.4 mills, Atlantic Beach 84.5 mills, Loris
115 mills, and the Horry County School District 133.1 mills.
City
Council also discussed a proposed $2 increase in the City’s monthly
storm water management fee, which would be applied to local storm water
improvement projects and would also help fund the next ocean outfall
project at 18th Avenue North, construction of which is scheduled to
begin in FY 2019 at a cost of about $11 million. The City will have four
or five ocean outfall projects remaining after the 18th Avenue North
project has been completed, and the fee increase will also help to begin
to fund those projects.
The
storm water management fee is currently $6 per month for a single
family home and would increase to $8 per month. The fee is currently $4
per month for a condo unit and would increase to $5.50 per month.
Some
additional highlights for the proposed FY 2017 Budget include the bond
issue for the Cherry Grove dredging project; a final payment on a $1.2
million platform fire truck; in-house capital improvement projects; and
more than $1.5 million in road paving projects.
Some
additional projects include the widening of Ocean Boulevard in the
Crescent Beach section, placing overhead utilities underground in the
same area, and improvements to 11th Avenue North.
City
Council also reviewed $1.7 million in proposed storm water improvement
projects. The projects represent the City’s response to many storm water
management challenges that arose during the historically heavy rains
experienced in North Myrtle Beach during September and October of 2015.
Projects that would most likely have to be contracted out were
prioritized into four groups. A fifth group was created containing
projects that the City can accomplish using in-house personnel and
equipment.
Thus
far, City Council has determined that the City could tackle many of the
storm water projects in the first two priority groups during FY 2017,
with the rest being accomplished in FY 2018 and FY 2019.
Continued
addition of sidewalks in the city is also part of the proposed budget.
Since 1995, the City has installed 34 miles of sidewalks. Additional
sidewalks and paths proposed for the FY 2017 budget include an addition
to the East Coast Greenway along Water Tower Road (near Barefoot Resort
& Golf), along Robert Edge Parkway west of the bridge, and along
Little River Neck Road.
Traveling Bob Hope Exhibit Opens May 1 at the North Myrtle Beach Area Historical Museum
“Bob Hope: An American Treasure”, a
traveling exhibit celebrating the life and times of the Guinness Book of
Records "most honored" man, will open to the public on May 1 at the
North Myrtle Beach Area Historical Museum, 799 2nd Avenue North in North
Myrtle Beach. The exhibit was created by the World Golf Hall of Fame in
St. Augustine, FL.
"It
is an honor for the Museum to be able to host the exhibit about
legendary entertainer Bob Hope,” Museum Board Chairman Dick Hester said.
“From soldiers to U.S. Presidents, Bob Hope touched the lives of
Americans in a way no other celebrity could—with laughter.”
Hope's
story is narrated in first-person comedy, combining anecdotes, quotes,
jokes and stories from all aspects of his life. The exhibit includes
more than 200 vintage photos and seven video displays that chronicle
Hope’s early years as part of an immigrant family in the early 20th
century; his rise as a star of stage, screen and radio; the
relationships he had with U.S. presidents; his devotion to the U.S.
military; and his love of golf.
"Bob Hope: An American Treasure"
has toured the U.S. and England, but has never been displayed on the
East Coast. In addition to having been displayed at Wings Over the
Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver, CO, the exhibit has been shown
at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans; the Gerald Ford
Presidential Library in Grand Rapids, MI; and the Green Bay Packers
Museum in Green Bay, WI.
According
to Museum Board Chairman Dick Hester, the exhibit rental fee is $45,000
and shipping costs exceed $18,000, all of which have been paid for
through donations. The museum received a grant from the Bob and Delores
Hope Foundation to cover the entire rental fee. The City of North Myrtle
Beach has provided $7,500 in accommodation tax funds toward the
shipping costs, and a $12,000 transportation grant from the Hope
Foundation will pay the balance of the transport fee to safely truck the
exhibit from Denver to North Myrtle Beach.
"We're counting on our community to help make the exhibit a success in South Carolina," Hester said. “Although the Museum received grants for the exhibit and for transportation, additional funds are needed to help promote the exhibit to the rest of South Carolina and to our neighbors in North Carolina.”
"We're counting on our community to help make the exhibit a success in South Carolina," Hester said. “Although the Museum received grants for the exhibit and for transportation, additional funds are needed to help promote the exhibit to the rest of South Carolina and to our neighbors in North Carolina.”
Sponsorship levels range from “Par Sponsor” at $500 to “Hole-in-One Sponsor” at $5,000.
Interested persons are asked to contact Museum Director Jenean Todd for more information at 843.427.7668 or director@NMBmuseum.com.
North Myrtle Beach welcomes top Prep School Basketball Teams
Admission is $12 per day, $20 for a two day pass, or $30 for a three day pass.
For a list of teams and tournament brackets for the USA National Prep Basketball Tournament, visit www.usanationalprep.com.
Participating Schools:
American Basketball Institute (GA) Prestige Prep School (NJ)
Moravian Prep School (NC) - 3 Teams Combine Prep School (NC) - 3 Teams
Combine Prep School-Atlanta (GA) - 3 Teams Tennessee Prep-(TN) - 2 teams
Georgia
Prep
(GA) Forest Trail School(NC) – 2 teams
Indiana
Prep
(IN) Bryant & Stranton (VA)
Concord
Prep
(NC) Mount Zion Christian Academy (NC) - 4 teams
S.O.E Prep (NC) - 2 teams South Side (VA)
Raleigh
Swish City Prep (NC) Our Saviour New American (NY)
Upper Room Christian (NY) - 3 teams Our Saviour Lutheran (NY)
National Christian (MD) - 3 teams Comenius School (SC) - 3 Teams
Legacy Charter School (SC) - 2 teams York Prep (SC)
Faith Baptist School (GA) Faith Assembly (NC)
Bull City Prep High (NC) - 2 teams Genesis Academy (VA)
New Garden Friends School (NC) St.Ignatious School (SC)
Piedmont Classical (NC)
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