How an urban park could help unlock the full potential of Myrtle Beach’s arts district

A downtown park is part of Myrtle Beach’s plan for unlocking the full potential of its arts and innovation district — a forested “front door” of sorts to not only draw people inside the city’s core, but convince them it’s worth staying.

“That is one of our biggest recommendations when we go into a community, is to find those Instagrammable moments. What you’ll find is not only are you engaging with visitors, you are engaging with locals. You are helping them to rediscover their own community,” said Main Street South Carolina director Jenny Boulware.

There’s no cost attached to the concept yet, but plenty of ambition: Creation of three retail pavilions, outdoor art installations and space for a performing arts stage.

The project overlaps with Broadway and 9th Ave N., pulling even more activity into a pocket of heavy reinvestment, realigned roads and new infrastructure.

Mayor Brenda Bethune said her city’s cache as a leading American getaway positions the park for success.

A recent Family Destinations Guide study showed the oceanfront city gets more than 130,000 searches annually just through Google, and an estimated 20 million people vacation here annually.

“I mean, let’s offer things that not only attract our current visitors, but attracts new visitors who may want to spend more time, more money, people who want to invest here. Let’s elevate everything so that all of our businesses are more successful. That we are the best community for people to come to to live, work, play, invest,” Bethune said.

Research by the American Planning Association suggests urban parks are powerful economic drivers.

In Atlanta, for instance, condominiums adjacent to Centennial Park saw prices jump from $115 a square foot to $250 once it was built.