Controversial Market Common housing plan getting another look by Myrtle Beach leaders

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A controversial plan rejected last year by Myrtle Beach leaders to add 200 rental units in Market Common is back.

In March 2023, city council members voted 5-2 against a proposal by HomeFed Corporation that would have brought the mixed-use MarketWalk venture to life, voicing concerns about traffic and overcrowding.

HomeFed, the California-based real estate firm that owns Market Common, has spent the past year meeting with various community groups and redesigning the concept hoping to finally win approval, which would be built at the intersection of Phillis Boulevard and Farrow Parkway.

Company officials met with the city council Tuesday at a workshop to go over details of “MarketWalk 2.0,” which includes 189 rental properties and a Starbucks. No votes were taken at the meeting.

“MarketWalk will be an excellent addition to Market Common, and it’s fully consistent with the high standards we have for the community,” HomeFed regional vice president Anthony Giacoia said.

Marketwalk’s proposed location was initially planned as a 180,000-square-foot retail area and then a hotel, but neither idea got off the ground.

“Market Common itself has been very successful in keeping its retail spaces full and continues to have good transition when space does become available,” said Watler Warren, who’s working with HomeFed on MarketWalk. “The key has been to have users in Market Common.”

HomeFed officials said in 2023 that rents would have started at $2,300 a month, and 440 parking spaces would be created. The city’s planning commission, DC BLOX and Myrtle Beach Air Force Redevelopment Authority all backed MarketWalk at the time.

According to Market Common’s original master plan, it has capacity for 1,680 residential units. Even with MarketWalk’s completion, the total inventory would be just more than 1,100.

Karl Pfalzgraf, a Market Common resident who was opposed to MarketWalk in 2023, said HomeFed has done a good job communicating with residents about its potential, and urged that outreach to continue.

He also said officials eventually need to expand Howard Avenue to take vehicles off Farrow Parkway. Council member Bill McClure, whose district includes Market Common, agreed.

“I understand that’s going to take a lot of effort to get it done but I think without the extension of Howard, we’re just setting ourselves up for a lot of trouble as we move forward,” he said.

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12 . See more of his work here .

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