If you had the chance to set up a temporary activity on a prime, oceanfront spot in the heart of Myrtle Beach, what would you put there?
That's what the Myrtle Beach Downtown Redevelopment Corp. is trying to decide.
Requests from groups that want to set up temporary activities or attractions next summer on the former Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park property, which the corporation leases from Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc., are trickling into the redevelopment group's office at City Hall.
One group wants to set up the trendy oversized hamster balls that folks crawl into and push around. Another wants to set up a tent-like structure to house theater-like performances. Another wants to set up an inflatable slide - which is what operated on the former Pavilion site this past summer with so-so results. And downtown festivals already plan to use pieces of the property.
"We have a list of things to consider," said Dave Sebok, executive director of the Downtown Redevelopment Corp.
Whatever goes there, it must be temporary, can't compete with offerings at other B&C properties and must get B&C's stamp of approval. The Downtown Redevelopment Corp.'s board of directors will hash out more guidelines for what should be set up there during its retreat in January.
"Those 11 acres could be used for events and things ... that could create activity and interest [in downtown]," said Chuck Martino, a DRC board member.
Next season will be the second summer the 11-acre, former Pavilion property has been open for use. The DRC worked out a lease with B&C last spring and spent $19,400 cleaning up the site - which was littered with construction debris such as concrete chunks and wire.
The amusement park shut down after the summer of 2006, leaving a vacant void in the heart of Myrtle Beach. Business owners, visitors and the Downtown Redevelopment Corp. wanted to bring a little life - even if it's temporary - to that property.
"People are happy that we have it cleared," Sebok said. "Everybody felt it was important for it to look proper and presentable."
The land was used this past summer for festivals with temporary stages set up for bands and other live entertainment, and an operator of an inflatable slide set up shop but didn't do as well as projected.
Moon-Walker Sales, which operated the slide, paid the DRC $5,000 a month for rent during July, August and September, but sales fell below projections, according to the DRC, which would have received 10 percent of the revenue if sales had hit $50,000 a month.
"Perhaps it wasn't the perfect fit," Sebok said.
Martino envisions a mix of activities, possibly a Sunday picnic where locals or visitors bring food to picnic on the site and play Frisbee or other games, a kite festival, maybe even volleyball leagues and occasional extreme sports competitions.
"We are looking for more of that type of thing to go on," he said. "Something to create some excitement and interest."
Mike Achtenberg of Myrtle Beach says his hamster-ball attraction would be the perfect fit.
He operates one at Coastal Grand mall and is looking to expand next year, growing to about seven or eight locations in the Carolinas, he said.
He would set up a large pool, with about eight of the clear hamster balls for funseekers to climb in and push around. The downtown location is appealing because of the boardwalk and the fun atmosphere of that area, Achtenberg said.
"The location itself is one of the main places in the Myrtle Beach area. Everybody knows the Pavilion," he said. "That's why I thought it would be successful."
The Downtown Redevelopment Corp. has an annual lease with B&C that will renew March 1 unless B&C or the DRC decides not to continue. The DRC pays about $7,000 a year for insurance on the property.
"Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc. is supportive of the DRC's interim uses for the old Pavilion site so far," B&C spokeswoman Lei Gainer said. "Our interest is in uses that will benefit downtown and the community as a whole."
B&C eventually will develop the land, but the project, like many others, is on hold because of the down economy. Officials haven't said what will be built there, though past proposals have included a mix of lodging, residential condominiums, stores and special attractions.
B&C wouldn't say whether it planned to move forward with development there in 2011, which would wreck the DRC's plans if construction started before the fall. Jim Apple, B&C's president and chief executive, sits on the DRC board.
"In today's economy, it's impossible to predict a timetable for development of the site. We intend to wait until economic conditions warrant redevelopment," Gainer said.
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