Robert Slick

Market Common, built on the site of the old Air Force Base in Myrtle Beach, takes the best of the city and leaves the worst out. Parking meters will not be installed at least for one year. The "urban village" concept combines retail stores, restaurants, parks and residential housing in the same complex. It is a sight to see and is stunning. Fortunately the developers and the Myrtle Beach City Council decided to leave out the parking meters. If you want walking distance access to Market Common without living there look at Seagate Condominiums. These are the original Air Base houses converted into condos. Some are single, detached homes just like a regular neighborhood and some are duplexes. Condo fee covers all exterior maintenance including paint among other things.

Myrtle Beach State Park (think long walks on the beach) and a dog park are both within walking distance.

If you want to know where future growth will happen, follow your local infrastructure: Roads, Water, Sewer, Power. Here in Georgetown County, South Carolina we are watching the corridor of Highway 701 that runs north out of Georgetown, South Carolina to Conway, South Carolina. From the recent Plantersville zoning meetings to the continued speculation about where a future road will cross the Waccamaw River and Intracoastal Waterway to connect the Waccamaw Neck to Highway 701, this area is changing.

One entity to watch carefully is the Georgetown County Water and Sewer District (GWSD). Don't be fooled by the name, this is a private water company and must make a profit to survive. In other words, they expand in areas that promise a viable customer base. One such area is Plantersville, S.C.

GWSD has applied for financial assistance from the federal government to continue their public sewer system from Georgetown, north across the Black River and into an area encompassing most of Plantersville. An environmental assessment must be done for this project and copies of it have been made available to the public.

As real estate professionals it is our duty to constantly educate ourselves and discover material facts about areas, neighborhoods, and specific properties. Knowledge and experience are how we add value to a transaction, never stop learning.

The bridge connecting the bike lane along U.S. Highway 17 in Murrells Inlet and the recently constructed bike trail along the edge of Huntington Beach State Park has been completed. It is a beautiful wood bridge that connects to a trail leading all the way into Litchfield, SC. The Huntington Beach State Park trail is paved and meanders through gorgeous wooded and wetland sections of the park. This trail provides a wonderful and much safer alternative to cycling on U.S. 17.

Earlier this month there was a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Boat Landing on the Sampit River in Georgetown, S.C. The Landing will be named the Carroll Ashmore Campbell Marine Complex in honor of Carroll Campbell, South Carolina's Governor from 1987-1995. Carroll Campbell died in 2005 and is buried in Pawleys Island, S.C.

The landing is scheduled to be complete in June 2009 and will feature six boat lanes for putting in and taking out boats and 200 public parking spaces. The need for this new marine complex was sparked by the increasing popularity of fishing. Increased boat traffic has made the current public landing at East Bay Park congested during the peak season. The Sampit River is freshwater at the location of the proposed landing just south of the Sylvan Rosen Bridge in the Maryville section. However, saltwater access is just around the bend in the Winyah Bay. See you on the water!

Some residents of Pawleys Island, S.C. are spearheading a movement to fund and employ lifeguards on Pawleys Island Beaches during the Summer months. Currently the only lifeguards in Georgetown County can be found on the beach in Huntington Beach State Park. Other Georgetown County beaches are "swim at your own risk." That's not so bad if you understand where you are and how the currents typically flow. However, one problem area year after year is at the south end of Pawleys Island where the tidal flow of Pawleys Creek meets the Atlantic Ocean, creating strong and unpredictable currents. This is also the location of a public parking lot and public beach access bringing many beachgoers straight to what may be the most dangerous area of Pawleys Island to swim. Swimmers are rescued every year and unfortunately, some of them have also drowned. I hope residents, the city and the county can come together to find a workable solution for funding seasonal lifeguards before another life is lost.