Atlantic Beach is a colorful, historic and growing town in Horry County, South Carolina. The community is filled with historic beach side cottages, well preserved mid to late nineteenth century buildings and beautiful custom designed new homes, as reflected in the photographs from our Town. These structures provide the foundation for the forward-thinking plans being developed to preserve the Town of Atlantic Beach which has been historically important in African American culture along the South Carolina coast since the 1930s.
Since Atlantic Beach's incorporation in 1966, the town has adopted comprehensive plans and implemented land use regulations with the last major plan amendments occurring in 2001. More recently, the town adopted a master plan in 2007, The Atlantic Beach Master Plan, which provides strategic guidance for implementing revitalization efforts. In 2014, recognizing the importance of moving forward with the implementation of recommendations in the master plan and the need to remain compliant with the state’s planning enabling law, Atlantic Beach initiated the process of updating its 2001 comprehensive plan.
Beginning in June 2015, the town’s planning commission held a series of scoping meetings to develop the required nine elements of the updated plan. These elements include:
- Population
- Economic Development
- Natural Resources
- Cultural Resources
- Community Facilities
- Housing
- Land Use
- Transportation
- Priority Investment
Each of the planning commission meetings provided the public an opportunity to review, participate and provide input on the updated plan. The result of this effort is the Town of Atlantic Beach, South Carolina Comprehensive Plan, 2017-2027. This plan is designed to meet the requirements of Title 6, Chapter 29 of the State of South Carolina Code of Laws. Equally important, this plan is designed to provide policy guidance and implementation activities to be undertaken to assist in the fulfillment of the town’s redevelopment vision.
Reviving Historically Black South Carolina Beach Town