The Myrtle Beach area is full of new developments. Here are some of the biggest projects

The Myrtle Beach and broader Grand Strand area is experiencing new development.

Horry County issued more than 17,000 building permits with a construction value of $1.63 billion during the 2022-23 fiscal year, a 10 percent increase from 2021-22.

Meanwhile, Horry County’s population has grown at a rapid rate. Between 2010 and 2022, Horry County’s population went from about 269,000 to about 383,000, a 42 percent increase, according to the US Census Bureau.

With more development expected throughout 2024, here are some of the biggest projects on the Grand Strand.

The Inlet Square Mall is undergoing a massive re-development in Murrells Inlet, SC

Having sat mostly empty in recent years, the Inlet Square is getting overhauled.

A 250,000-square-foot mixed-use property is replacing the 500,000-square-foot mall, The Sun News reported in December 2023. Plans include a possible hotel, retail spaces and other locations.

Planet Fitness and Belk, currently part of the Inlet-Square Mall, are staying in place, but part of the property is getting converted into a multi-family area. The proposed multi-family portion could feature eight three-story buildings, a clubhouse, a dog park and a pool.

Paramount Development Corporation is behind the project after purchasing the mall property for $6,000,000 in February 2023, according to Horry County Land Records.

More than 3,300 new homes are coming to Conway, SC

Conway grew at the start of 2024. The city council approved annexing about 1,800 acres of land at its Jan. 2, 2024 meeting.

The plan calls for adding more than 3,300 homes to develop a property between Pitch Landing Road and Harper Road, next to Highway 701 South.

Called Warden Station, the property includes 1,380 single-family detached homes, 1,018 townhomes and 920 multifamily units. It will take about 10 years to finish about half the project, according to Warden Station Plan.

Is downtown Myrtle Beach, SC, getting a new multi-use development area? What we know now

The City of Myrtle Beach is creating a master plan for new downtown development. The swath of property is between North Kings Highway and Flagg Street, enclosed by 7th and 8th Avenues.

The site, more than 7 acres next to the now-closed Pavilion location, would be turned into a classic mixed-use development with elements unique and authentic to Myrtle Beach, although details still need finalizing, City of Myrtle Beach Assistant City Manager Brian Tucker said.

Tucker also said the city plans to send a request for qualifications for potential developers in a month or two to three at the latest to partner with on the project. A rough timeline for forming a basic framework for the project, picking a development partner and finalizing the master plan would ideally take a year, Tucker said, although things can always change.

“We’re not going to pretend to be real estate developers in City Hall,” Tucker said. “It’s not our forte, but finding the right development partner that wants to step in and do the private development there is really the next key part of that puzzle.”

The project will consider local developers, too, Tucker said. The city has had multiple conversations with Burroughs & Chapin about the project, although Tucker added that he didn’t think the company would ultimately be the development partner.

Part of the project will involve demolishing several buildings on the property right now, including the White Sands Motel and Auto Money Title Loans store. Not all buildings are getting knocked down right away.

Bombay at the Beach, an Indian restaurant at 702 North Kings Highway, will stay in place for now, Tucker said.

“(Bombay) still haven’t actively sold that property until July,” he added. “So we’ve allowed them to see out the end of their lease, and then we will make plans for that building.”

What’s happening to the former site of this Surfside Beach, SC, fun park?

Closed in 2022, the Wild Water and Wheels site sits unused, but development could begin soon.

The Wild Water and Wheels property was listed on Zillow in August 2023, with the asking price rising in January 2024.

NAI The Litchfield Company Director of Sales, Chip Abernethy, said the goal is to sell the 16-acre property as one piece.

Abernethy also said the land is getting developed for commercial use, but the original plan for a mixed-use project was scrapped because the city of Surfside resisted adding the residential. Surfside residents also opposed the mixed-use development due to flooding concerns, The Sun News reported Dec. 7, 2022.

Things like a grocery store, fast food and retail could be part of the development, Abernethy added.

“The best thing would be like a mix, where you where you got a little bit of everything,” he said. “It would be nice if we could kind of tie them all together and make it where everything flowed good, and I think that’s what we’re trying to do. Just to take advantage of the whole property.”

The property is for sale for about eight million dollars, and while nothing is signed yet, there is an offer on the table for the entire 16 acres of land, Abernethy said.

“We could probably easily sell like different 3.5 acres or four acres,” he said. “But what we’re trying to do is not necessarily jump right into that and try to find somebody that wants to develop a whole thing.”

Almost all of the former theme park was ripped down, with cleaning the property expected to take two months, Abernethy added.

North Myrtle Beach, SC, introducing new high-end mixed-use retail and apartments

North Myrtle is adding new high-end mixed-use developments combined and new residential and commercial projects clustered along Robert Edge Parkway.

With vertical construction beginning in late January or early February 2024, The Exchange at Sunset Grove is a five-building, 123-luxury apartment project in North Myrtle Beach.

With one, two and three-bedroom apartments, storefronts will occupy the first floor of each building. Between Old Highway 17 North and South Highway 17 North and located along North Myrtle Point Boulevard, The Exchange will also have an up-scale restaurant, pool, park and green space.

The project isn’t the only development going on in North Myrtle Beach. Along with a new luxury strip mall featuring a steakhouse coming to North Myrtle Beach, the area around Robert Edge Parkway is undergoing massive changes.

Two new apartment complexes, The Lorrel and Parkway Apartments, have been built near the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex, with more than 600 units between the two projects. The Parkway Apartments, expected to cost around $70 million to complete, could also be accompanied by an additional commercial development, The Sun News reported in October 2023.

Even more residential construction is underway on the other side of Carolina Bays Parkway. Across the road from Valorous Church at 2100 Firetower Road, a new 372 multi-family unit community is planned, with site work underway on the 25.8-acre property.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The name of The Lorrel apartments was incorrect in an earlier version of the story. (Updated: 11:34 a.m. 01/12/2024)