175 news jobs, UPS facility could be delivered to Grand Strand

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - A new addition could be arriving in the North Myrtle Beach area in the coming year, bringing 175 new jobs with it.

Currently, an area off Water Town Road is just a field of trees. But it soon could be replaced with an $11 million UPS facility

This area sits near S.C. 31 and S.C. 22, which city leaders say, makes it the perfect location for UPS’s new 40,000 square foot facility, giving the Grand Strand an additional hub.

“This enables them to handle more packages and trucks without going in and out of the Myrtle Beach area and going to points in North Myrtle Beach and points North,” said North Myrtle Beach spokesperson Pat Dowling.

And with any new commercial project comes new jobs.

“It’ll bring about 175 decent-paying jobs to the city. And that 175 is probably the peak, the jobs will vary given the times of the year,” Dowling said.

But this isn’t all the $11 million facility will bring with it.

“What the city gets out of it additionally is not just new jobs but more taxes which is good. It’s a commercial facility so it brings in more than let’s say a residential development would,” Dowling said.

Before the new facility can arrive at its destination, North Myrtle Beach City Council has to vote and approve the plans for a second time in order to make everything official.

The plan has garnered support from many city and county officials.

“The expansion of UPS is another awesome win for Horry County,” Horry County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner said.

“This is good for our city and good for our county,” North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley added.

This will be the first commercial addition to the Parkway Planned Development District and there are hopes it won’t be the last, but Dowling said there’s one key factor that could help.

“But in terms of bringing larger corporations into the area, we do need an interstate connection,” Dowling said.

The plan is for the project to be completed by the latter part of 2020 and for the jobs to become available during the next five years, with another possible addition to the building and road depending on how business and traffic are affected once it’s completed.

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