{"id":12369,"date":"2022-08-26T18:50:30","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T18:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/?p=12369"},"modified":"2024-10-14T20:39:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T20:39:53","slug":"santa-fe-realtors-promote-diverse-housing-options-in-housing-strapped-region-2-3-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-3-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-4-2-4-2-2-3-2-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/homepage\/success-story\/ccar-sg0922","title":{"rendered":"Five Years Later, Walkability Study Commissioned by Coastal Carolinas Association of REALTORS\u00ae is Still Paying Dividends"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In 2016, the REALTOR\u00ae<\/sup> Party established a Smart Growth mindset in the City of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, by funding an in-depth walkability study that continues to inform local decision-makers on infrastructure improvements.\u00a0 Improvements large and small undertaken by the local REALTORS\u00ae<\/sup> and the city have strengthened the partnership and leveraged additional outside support.<\/p>\n

In the coastal community of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the year-round population of 36K swells into the millions during the summer, pedestrian safety is a natural priority.\u00a0 The city began addressing this issue back in 2016 with the help of the Coastal Carolinas Association of REALTORS\u00ae<\/sup>, which had received a pilot grant from the REALTOR\u00ae<\/sup> Party to conduct its first in-depth walkability study. \u00a0The resulting report detailed a range of adjustments that would improve not only the health and safety, but also the economic outlook of Myrtle Beach.\u00a0 In the years since, the city administration and the REALTORS\u00ae<\/sup> have worked together to make this vision a reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can’t emphasize enough the doors the grants from the REALTOR\u00ae<\/sup> Party have opened for us in the City of Myrtle Beach and surrounding communities,\u201d states Laura Crowther, CEO of the Coastal Carolinas Association.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cWe have great relationships with elected officials and staff, and I give much credit to the ability to use the grants for community improvements!\u201d<\/p>\n

That first grant, for a walkability workshop and study, was a powerful catalyst, agrees Madison Cooper, the association\u2019s Vice President of Government Affairs.\u00a0 \u201cOur subsequent efforts have grown organically from the study, and the REALTORS\u00ae<\/sup> remain a force for advancing the city\u2019s walkability and livability.\u00a0 The city knows it can count on us, and we appreciate all that the administration is doing to improve quality of life in Myrtle Beach, so it\u2019s beneficial both ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

A key feature of the city\u2019s recent Master Plan is the creation of a vibrant Arts and Innovation District in the urban center of Myrtle Beach, a concept recommended in the walkability study. \u00a0As Mark Kruea, the city\u2019s Public Information Director, describes, \u201cIt\u2019s a unique opportunity to build a walkable, bike-able streetscape that ties together the renovated buildings, realigned roadways and new public spaces.\u00a0 We are layering-in the people-friendly elements that will make the spaces inviting and connected.\u201d<\/p>\n

The City Council has also created a downtown Municipal Improvement District funded by an additional 1% tax on businesses, which overwhelmingly support it; this will be administered by a new public-private office, the Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance.<\/p>\n

In the years since the walkability study, the Coastal Carolinas Association has secured two Placemaking Grants<\/a> from the REALTOR\u00ae<\/sup> Party.\u00a0 The first rehabilitated a central downtown plaza where popular concerts are held, while a second, smaller, grant enhanced the safety of the alleyway connecting the plaza to its parking lot, with new lighting and benches.\u00a0 For its part, the city has invested in other projects to improve pedestrian safety, including the installation of brick borders and decorative fencing to buffer sidewalks along major traffic corridors. \u00a0\u201cIt seems like such a simple thing,\u201d says Cooper, \u201cbut many visitors are unfamiliar with where they should be crossing the streets, and we don\u2019t want them inadvertently stepping out into traffic.\u201d\u00a0 These relatively modest projects have encouraged additional outside investment in the community\u2019s efforts to amp-up walkable appeal: a recent grant from AARP has enabled the city to embellish utility boxes at intersections with colorful scenes that add life to downtown crosswalks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t overstate the impact that the walkability study has had on the local community,\u201d asserts Cooper.\u00a0 \u201cIn fact, the influence of its Smart Growth development concepts goes beyond the city limits:\u00a0 the REALTORS\u00ae<\/sup> recently submitted a letter of support to the county, urging it to settle an easement that will allow the city to create a rail trail that will revitalize its northern district.\u00a0 There is no doubt that our original study back in 2016 has created this mindset of healthy development and improved quality of life!\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about how the Coastal Carolinas Association of REALTORS\u00ae<\/sup> is working to improve the health, safety, and quality of life in its communities, contact CEO Laura Crowther at laura@ccarsc.org<\/a> or 843.839.8084; or Madison Cooper, Vice President of Government Affairs, at mcooper@ccarsc.org.<\/p>\n

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