Planning wasn’t started because it seemed like a fashionable thing to do…it was born of necessity.

People looked at the hodge-podge their cities had become and decided they didn’t want bars and pool halls next to their churches and schools.

They wanted their service stations on main streets, not sprinkled through residential areas. They also wanted highways that border their neighborhoods rather than penetrate them.

In short, they wanted to protect their property values, encourage business and make their cities more attractive.

Without planning, whether in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina or anywhere else, most building is without rhyme or reason. The Myrtle Beach Plan is a comprehensive plan and guide for site planning of new and renovated motels, restaurants, homes, gift-shops, convenience stores, theaters, amusements and other businesses. Traffic congestion, parking shortages, visual pollution, limited water supplies, inadequate parks, an increasingly crowded beach, outmoded drainage system, and other factors all affect the quality of life of those who live in Myrtle Beach. These side effects do not have to accompany growth. Having more of every thing does not in itself guarantee a prosperous and satisfying future city. Therefore, managing the growth and improving the physical environment is of prime importance to the City Council of Myrtle Beach.