The Opinion Blog

In Choppers v. Residents, Everybody Loses

Friday’s editorial wades into the recent dustup between Helicopter Adventures and the business’s Plantation Point neighbors:

What happens when the letter of the law runs into less well-defined limits such as civility and politeness? We end up with situations such as the one now involving Helicopter Adventures.

The business, set up to offer aerial tours of the area, opened its doors in May and quickly earned the ire of its new neighbors in the Plantation Point development, who loudly complained about the noise made by the aircraft as they took off and landed near their homes. Nevermind that the company had followed all of the rules in setting up its business, talking with county officials and jumping through all the hoops required by local laws.

Putting the 'Spit' in 'Hospitality'

If Myrtle Beach wants to make a good first impression on visitors, we need to clean up that ugly U.S. 501 corridor into town, and there may finally be a good proposal for that on the table, as Sunday’s editorial explains:

“Myrtle Beach Welcomes You!” the city’s new signs proclaim to drivers headed into Myrtle Beach. Installed in mid-August, they’re part of the ongoing effort by local leaders to put the Strand’s best foot forward in the hope of giving visitors a good first impression and leaving them with a good feeling about our area. It’s just one of multiple recent initiatives to spruce up our image. Tourists can also now enjoy a beautified Ocean Boulevard, explore a downtown area that’s becoming more attractive, and by the spring they will have a brand new airport terminal to fly into.

Unfortunately for tourism boosters, the folks who visit don’t pop straight into the resort-like and generally well-kept Ocean Boulevard area. Instead, most drive into town on U.S. 501. And you can put as much whipped cream as you want on a mud pie; it’ll still leave a bad taste in your mouth. The rundown, dilapidated entry to Myrtle Beach, the sight that greets most visitors, is simply ugly.

Power of the People



Tuesday’s first editorial:

For Grand Strand residents who don’t live in or near Barefoot Resort, the recent brouhaha about a proposed annexation and development of land next door to the community likely was of little interest. Why should others care about a neighborhood or wetlands they will probably never see? Nevertheless, while the specific issue at hand may be rather humdrum fare for many, the manner in which it was settled holds a valuable lesson in the enduring force of organized, civic resistance.

City of the Future

Thursday’s editorial uses some of the lesser-known points of Myrtle Beach’s comprehensive plan draft to encourage more public participation in the process.

What Myrtle Beach wants to look like in the future has been hotly debated for years - some worry that we’re striving to be too pretentious, while others see us as too tacky - but the entire vision for the next 10 years is presently being written in the city’s comprehensive plan.