Atlantic Beach leaders clear the way for a $100 million hotel. Residents are outraged
In an historic decision almost certain to alter their town’s character, Atlantic Beach leaders on Monday approved a new rule to allow development along its prized oceanfront strip.
Officials acknowledged their vote was tied to a $100 million “condotel” project proposed along 30th Ave. S. Site plans couldn’t be submitted without the necessary zone change.
Depending on perspective, the 21-story high rise either puts Atlantic Beach on a path toward economic prosperity or assures it will become a victim of its own ambitions, forcing an eventual merger with neighboring North Myrtle Beach.
For hundreds within the town of roughly 400 residents, it’s the latter.
“Atlantic Beach has been able to preserve something almost no other part of the Grand Strand region can even imagine: A coastline unmarred by massive hotels and high rises blocking views of the ocean,” resident Naim Vaughn said.
In February, Georgetown County native Charles Morant submitted to the town a conceptual plan for “The Black Pearl of the Atlantic,” a massive mixed-use structure boasting 168 hotel rooms and 24 luxury condominiums along with several short-term rentals.
For a town with virtually no sales tax base that runs on less than $1 million annually, proponents say The Black Pearl — a tribute to the town’s nickname — is critical to keep pace with Horry County’s ever increasing growth and popularity.
“The first time I took a seat in ‘95 my fear, my genuine fear, was, ‘what would Atlantic Beach look like at the end of my term,” said four-term Mayor Irene Armstrong, who was first elected in 1995. “I don’t want to be an old woman in a rocking chair, and Atlantic Beach’s store shelves are bare, like they are now. For over three generations, the shelves in Atlantic Beach’s stores have been bare.”
Residents stand strong behind their town
Born in the talons of Jim Crow, Atlantic Beach was established in 1934 after entrepreneur George Tyson gave the county a $2,000 down payment for development rights on 47 acres between 29th and 32nd avenues south, east of U.S. Highway 17.
Officials expected the Black businessman to default on his $10,000 balance but instead, he made enough money to purchase 49 more acres in the summer of 1941 along the highway’s west side.
With 90 acres of pristine land hugging the Atlantic shores, Tyson created a Black enclave where nightclubs, restaurants and street carnivals thrived. Its sands were lined with Black families from across the Southeast who could safely enjoy the water without fear of violating segregation laws.
In the years to follow, acts including Chubby Checker, Fats Domino, The Drifters, James Brown and Marvin Gaye would gig at venues like the Black Hawk Night Club and help give Atlantic Beach its “Black Pearl” moniker.
By 1966, Atlantic Beach had incorporated and ever since has resisted overtures to give up its identity.
Leading up to Monday’s vote, more than 70 yard signs dotted Atlantic Beach properties opposing the condotel and leading people to a website created by a group called “Supporters of the Tyson Ancestral Restrictions of the Deeds,” or STARD.
Among their fears:
Hundreds of condo residents having more voting power than all the other residents combined, giving them the ability to repeal the town’s charter
Traffic congestion
Environmental issues
Strain on the infrastructure
NAACP leader says town’s history being ‘washed away’
Brenda Murphy, president of the state NAACP chapter, said Atlantic Beach leaders are “washing away” their town’s history by catering to potential large-scale development.
“Visit Hilton Head. Visit Charleston, South Carolina. How long do you think you will stand when that building stretches in front of all the dwellings of the people that have lived here all of their lives,” she said.
Town Manager Benjamin Quattlebaum said the zone changes approved on Monday were done with an eye toward long-term economic development. Morant’s group still has to file an application and get his project approved before any construction can start.
Morant, who didn’t attend Monday’s meeting, told The Sun News in February he expects doors to open in 2028.
“This is a landmark community, and we want to preserve that heritage and build on that heritage,” Moran told the town’s planning commission in February. “We think it’s time for Atlantic Beach to move forward. To develop. And we think this is the perfect opportunity to do that.”
