Revitalizing Downtown Myrtle Beach

JLP+D served as a strategic planning and development advisor to One Grand Strand, a nonprofit association of business and community leaders working to economically revitalize the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area by stewarding investment in the city’s downtown core. One of JLP+D’s primary tasks was to assess the existing governance framework as it pertains to the implementation of Myrtle Beach’s recently adopted Downtown Master Plan, considering the capacity, role, and needs of three key entities: One Grand Strand, the City of Myrtle Beach, and a new public-private “place management” organization. This assessment led to the creation of a new privately-led, publicly-supported Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance.

Our analysis included an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of district management, public space operations, programming, and other stewardship. We identified best practices and analyzed downtown management precedents, interfacing with our expert colleagues from organizations such as the International Downtown Association and Urban Land Institute. This resulted in an extensive report that benchmarked the performance of Downtown Myrtle Beach versus its competitors on several key metrics; made the case for public, private, and non-governmental stakeholders to commit resources to the revitalization of downtown; and outlined recommendations for an innovative “networked governance” model that could advance downtown economic development initiatives. These recommendations were adopted by the Myrtle Beach City Council and are currently being implemented.

JLP+D also formulated and advanced a number of additional initiatives related to downtown revitalization, including strategies for the introduction of arts, cultural, and academic/institutional anchors who can create economic activity and drive demand outside of peak tourism season; the identification of infill development opportunities on vacant and underutilized sites (with a focus on workforce housing); investing in and enhancing the vitality of a downtown commercial corridor primarily comprised of minority-owned businesses; and the need to connect key assets to one another via multi-modal trails that double as placemaking opportunities.

Building upon the firm's past work in Myrtle Beach, JLP+D is serving as a strategic advisor to the newly created Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance, a privately-led, publicly-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit place management organization dedicated to downtown district management and advancing the area’s revitalization. The need for, and creation of, the Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance was a product of JLP+D’s local needs assessment and recommendations to local civic and public leaders. Since it's formation, JLP+D has helped the MBDA enhance its operations, with the goal of implementing the recommendations of the Downtown Development Framework Plan adopted by City Council in December 2020. As a part of this work, JLP+D has provided support for the establishment of a Downtown Myrtle Beach Municipal Improvement District (MID), including evaluating assessment district boundaries, collaborating with local civic leaders to gather private sector support for the assessment, and producing materials for the MBDA to use in meetings on the topic with public sector and community stakeholders. Additionally, JLP+D has formulated and advanced several initiatives related to downtown revitalization, including strategies for the introduction of arts, cultural, and academic/institutional anchors who can create economic activity and drive demand outside of peak tourism season, as well as advocating for federal and philanthropic funding for key initiatives supporting housing, equitable economic development, and catalytic cultural facilities. As a part of that effort, JLP+D’s work to build cross-sectoral focus on addressing a range of social challenges and needs in the community helped secure local philanthropic support to allow the City to hire Enterprise Advisors to help shape impactful new policies, programs, and projects advancing economic mobility and inclusion.