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Built in 1990, Inlet Square Mall has deteriorated over the years. Much of the mall is expected to be razed as part of a new redevelopment project. Charles D. Perry/Staff
A developer plans to tear down much of the existing Inlet Square Mall. Charles D. Perry/Staff
A mall walker strolls by empty stores at Inlet Square Mall on Oct. 9, 2023. Charles D. Perry/Staff
Managing Editor - Post and Courier Myrtle Beach
Born and raised in South Carolina, Charles Perry has worked in the state's newspaper industry for nearly 20 years. He covers Horry and Georgetown counties.
Built in 1990, Inlet Square Mall has deteriorated over the years. Much of the mall is expected to be razed as part of a new redevelopment project. Charles D. Perry/Staff
MURRELLS INLET — Stories often swirl about the coming redevelopment of Inlet Square Mall.
Paul Risban has heard so many plans for the 33-year-old mall, he struggles to take any of them seriously. Still, after more than eight years of working at the World of Wireless store inside the South Strand shopping center, Risban understands a mall with so many empty storefronts isn’t sustainable.
“We know the day is going to come,” he said. “Something will happen. Let’s face it. The writing is on the wall.”
That writing became much clearer this month. The Horry County Zoning Board of Appeals on Oct. 9 approved a series of variances for the mall sandwiched between U.S. highways 17 Business and 17 Bypass.
A developer plans to tear down much of the existing Inlet Square Mall. Charles D. Perry/Staff
The board’s decision clears the way for a developer to begin converting the nearly 60-acre site into a mixed-use project. Plans include razing much of the existing mall and constructing new buildings, including hotels.
“We’re probably the fourth or fifth developer to step in and try to tackle this animal,” said David Harner of Paramount Development Corp. “Malls today, we all know they’re struggling, and we’re working very hard to make the redevelopment of Inlet Square Mall a reality.”
Paramount hasn’t released much information about its plans, but Harner’s presentation to the ZBA offered a glimpse of what the group hopes to accomplish.
They plan to keep some of the existing infrastructure and buildings. That includes the Belk store, which they hope will remain open through the redevelopment, as well as the buildings that once held a Kmart and J.C. Penney. They aim to renovate and find tenants for those two big box buildings, while many of the connecting spaces will be torn down.
Developed in 1990, Inlet Square Mall spans nearly 500,000 square feet. Along with its anchor stores, brands like Books-A-Million and Stein Mart once had locations there, as did Frank Theatres.
But the mall steadily declined in recent years.
Hours before the ZBA vote, few businesses at Inlet Square were even open. Some operate on limited hours a few days each week, but many spaces sit vacant.
Most of the activity centers around Belk and Planet Fitness, with the exception of the mall walkers who stroll past shuttered storefronts and “store closing” signs.
Even the developer has acknowledged the challenges.
“The redevelopment of the failing mall will benefit the residents in many ways,” Paramount wrote in documents submitted to the ZBA.
Inlet Square's situation isn't unique. Nearly two decades after Myrtle Square Mall was closed and razed, the Kings Highway site in the heart of Myrtle Beach still sits empty.
Five years ago, a developer crafted plans to convert the Myrtle Beach Mall on U.S. Highway 17 into a residential and shopping hub similar to The Market Common in Myrtle Beach. Those drawings never materialized. Property records indicate that the mall was sold to a Tennessee company in April for $7.8 million. So far, no plans have been announced for redeveloping that 45-acre complex.
Some old malls have also been the subject of legal disputes in recent years. In 2021, Inlet Square Investments, LLC, sued then-owner West C Street Holdings, LLC, seeking to recover more than $2.8 million plus late fees and interest. The case was dismissed later that year, and Inlet Square Investments now owns the property, according to county records.
A mall walker strolls by empty stores at Inlet Square Mall on Oct. 9, 2023. Charles D. Perry/Staff
Much of the discussion at the Oct. 9 ZBA meeting focused on the developer’s need for variances to some of the county’s requirements for parking, setbacks and landscaping.
The developer pointed out that the mall met all the county’s zoning requirements when the shopping center was built, but it would be nearly impossible to complete renovations if the developer is required to make the original facilities comply with more recent regulations.
New buildings would be built to county code and meet the current standards, Harner said, but the variances would allow the developer to repurpose some of the existing infrastructure and facilities.
For example, some of the changes sought by Paramount would allow a brewery and a breakfast diner to share a parking lot.
“It just gives us the flexibility we need to meet the demands of today’s retailers,” Harner said.
Many of the variances are for the parcel that holds the Belk store, which Harner said would have enough challenges staying afloat with all the demolition and construction expected to take place around it in the coming years.
“We’re trying to keep them open,” he said.
The ZBA unanimously supported the developer’s proposal.
“Right now, it’s an eyesore,” board member Bobby Page said of the mall. “If you don’t do something with it, it’s going to get worse.”
Board member Drew Parks, who lives on the South Strand, agreed.
“As we all know, enclosed malls are a dying breed,” he said. “What they’re doing is great.”
After the meeting, Paramount representatives said the board’s vote was vital to their vision becoming reality.
They have experience redeveloping old malls and have spent more than 30 years working in this market. Some of their recent projects include the Food Lion grocery stores on S.C. highways 707 and 9.
When asked about a timeline for the mall's redevelopment, the developers said the process will take years but there will be noticeable changes at the mall by the summer of 2024. They pointed out that it’s taken several years just to get this far.
“The redevelopment is actively being pursued today,” Neal Bowers, the company’s real estate manager, said. “This (vote) was a big step towards that. … So much of the work that’s been done up to this point, nobody can see.”
Bowers said it’s too early to say which businesses will be part of the redevelopment, but the goal is to respond to the community's needs. While he provided few specifics, in general terms he said the project has long been needed.
“It will improve the overall aesthetics of the mall,” he said. “It’ll improve stormwater (infrastructure) … And it’s something that people have been looking for — and waiting for — for 20 years.”
Risban, who works at World of Wireless, felt certain the redevelopment would happen before the pandemic. But when COVID-19 upended the world, he wasn’t sure about Inlet Square’s future. These days, he doesn’t dwell on the subject. He just focuses on cell phones and waits.
“It’s inevitable,” he said. “Things have to evolve.”
Follow Charles Perry on Twitter at @horryjournalist
Managing Editor - Post and Courier Myrtle Beach
Born and raised in South Carolina, Charles Perry has worked in the state's newspaper industry for nearly 20 years. He covers Horry and Georgetown counties.
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