Trails, bridges and monorails: Conway residents share ideas for 2022 master plan

CONWAY, S.C. (WMBF) - From small ideas to much grander ones, all ideas were welcome at a public input session Wednesday in Conway.

City leaders are trying to come up with a master plan that will serve as a blueprint for development over the next five years.

They got a lot to work with, now they’ll have to see which ones will stick on the list.

”Shops and restaurants along the riverfront,” said one resident.

“We could have a trail going from Conway to Myrtle Beach,” added another.

“Something that’s going to attract college kids,” added yet another.

From trails to monorails - the ideas knew no bounds for what folks who love downtown Conway would like to see come next.

The city has knocked out just about everything on its last master plan set in 2017, so now it’s all about looking forward to the next five years.

The ideas started off small, like what businesses people feel downtown is missing.

“Oh, an ice cream shop,” said one resident.

Some folks like Mike Cook, who lives on the Riverwalk, feel this is the perfect time for the city to make a splash.

“We need something big down here, like a convention center or marquee hotel,” said Cook. “Something to bring people here instead of just driving over for dinner.”

The planning firm in charge of drafting the master plan asked for big ideas like that - and attendees didn’t hold any back.

A train connecting Myrtle Beach to Conway, another bridge into downtown and a bike-walk trail circling downtown were just a few brought up during the discussion.

Obviously, they won’t all make the cut for the master plan, but it seems at least one big idea may just find its way to the top of the list.

“Number one, people want to expand the Riverwalk,” said Irene Dumas Tyson of the Bourdeaux Group, who led the discussion. “That is, talk about what’s sacred, can you imagine Conway without the Riverwalk? You can’t.”

Dumas Tyson says they’ll present the city with a six-month section of things that should be done immediately, and another chunk that will span the next five years.

A rough draft of that master plan will be unveiled Friday afternoon, which will give a glimpse into the future of downtown.

Click here to complete a survey about the master plan.

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