Plans for a new restaurant on the Riverwalk moving along

CONWAY, SC (WMBF) – Plans for a new steak and seafood restaurant on the Conway Riverwalk are moving along and residents and visitors could soon have a place to dine, according to city administrator Adam Emrick.

City leaders said the Lower River Warehouse was built in the late 1800s, making it one of the oldest buildings on the riverfront. The Earthworks Group Inc. is providing structural design services for the building's owner.

Steven Strickland said the plans involve rebuilding the restaurant in the footprint of the structure that's already here.

Emrick said as part of their agreement with the developer, the city is going to work on parking, landscaping and stormwater issues through the same engineer for efficiency.

Right now, the old warehouse is not in good shape. Doors are boarded up and Emrick said the area has fallen victim to flooding, which hasn't helped the old building's case.

"For years it sat here looking like it is and it's in really bad shape. The pilings that are holding it up are supposed to be eight-by-eight, but they're about two inches wide," he said.

Emrick added that when the building is redone, pieces of Conway's history will still shine through in the new restaurant.

"The owner wants to reuse the boards from this building somewhere else in the building so as tastefully and as beneficially in the city as we can do it, it's going to be done," he said.

Joshua Batista lives nearby and is a student at Coastal Carolina University. He said he comes to the riverwalk at least once a week and thinks a restaurant will add value to the area.

"I mean I could see myself out here more. It's just nicer to me," he said.

Earthworks Group Inc. is the same company that planned and engineered the Murrells Inlet Marshwalk.

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