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Vibrant downtown Conway should serve as an example of what can be accomplished to revitalize downtown Myrtle Beach.

Merchants in downtown Conway banded together many years ago to fund a program designed to promote and enhance the historic shopping district.

Their efforts have met with great success. While the downtown districts in surrounding cities lanquish, Conway has become a popular destination for diners, shoppers and tourists. The best may be yet to come.

Despite repeated efforts over the past two decades, the old downtown Myrtle Beach shopping district has not been as succesful.

But now, property owners in downtown Myrtle Beach may have the type of financial vehicle needed to kickstart the area and retore much of the charm that once made downtown a great place to do business and recreate.

Recently, Mytle Beach City Council gave first reading to create a Municipal Improvement District which could fund things like street beautification, additional sanitation services, enhanced security, marketing, special events and research to support neighborhood economic development.

Amy Barrett, president and CEO of the non-profit Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance (MBDA), said creating a MID in Myrtle Beach adds to the importance downtowns can have on communities.

鈥淒owntowns can be the heart and soul of a city,鈥� Barrett said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to the city鈥檚 identity, image and brand. A downtown could be the place where people come to meet their neighbors, gather around important events, really the heart and soul of a community.鈥�

I agree whole heartedly with her comments.

Just about every town in America of any size has a Wal Mart or other big box store. They become boring in their conformity.

But a thriving, revitalized downtown speaks to me and lets me know that people there truly love and support their community.

The downtown district included in the MID stretches from 21st Avenue North to 12th Avenue South reaching from Ocean Boulevard, across Kings Highway and into the Withers Swash neighborhood. There are roughly 3,650 properties in the MID, Barrett said. Those properties have an assessed value of $60 million, which was calculated at 6% of the properties鈥� market price.

Taxes on these properties will undoubtedly increase but I believe the investment, combined with other improvements by Coastal Carolina University and the City of Myrtle Beach, could reap huge rewards.

However, all of these efforts will be greatly hampered until a higher use for the old Pavilion property can be found.