Myrtle Beach City Council Makes Big Plans for Boardwalk

Laura Thomas - WMBF News

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - It aims to bring business to the beach, and when construction wraps up, a new boardwalk will stretch itself along more than a mile of beach between the 2nd and 14th Avenue Piers.

On Tuesday, the Myrtle Beach City Council discussed ideas to make the new attraction even more attractive.

The Downtown Redevelopment Corporation, or DRC, is looking at everything from permits for street performers to sidewalk cafes. David Sebok, the executive director of the DRC, says another one of the possible attractions is a sky ride over the beach.

"We see some operational opportunities for franchise agreements, perhaps with a sky ride a ride over the ocean front, or maybe it's up 9th Avenue that can generate money that can put money back into the No. 1 amenity, which is the beach and the ocean front, and keep growing that as a destination and tourist attraction," said Sebok.

Mayor John Rhodes says he's excited about the opportunity for sidewalk cafes.

"The sidewalk cafes - that's a must," explained Rhodes. "We've got to grow up and get with times. We have got to do things just a little bit different, and this isn't even stepping outside the box. This is just getting ourselves up to date with what's going on in other parts of the country."

Myrtle Beach City Councilman Randal Wallace agrees.

"The sidewalk cafés, I'm really excited about that," said Wallace. "I think it's going to be something to give that whole area down there a new flavor and a draw that will have people coming, I think, from everywhere to go down there."

City council is expected to look over all of these plans at their meeting in January.

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