Poindexter

[GSP Tiger]

Poindexter pushes MB on height limit

Myrtle Beach City Council is facing a request that would build a new 240-foot 27 level structure on 17th street. Poindexter, if the request is approved, will become Myrtle Beach's tallest building.

The building would have a seven-level parking deck below and a public park on both sides to access the oceanfront and its views.

Myrtle Beach caps its height at 180 feet, North Myrtle Beach at 165 feet, little River at 60 feet, and Surfside Beach at 55 feet. Unincorporated parts of Horry County's beachfront have no limits.

If this becomes reality, could we finally see some taller towers at the beach?

[Spartan]

That is indeed interesting. I knew there had to be a height limit at MB. One more hotel won't make that much difference in terms of the skyline. The current tallest doesn't really stand out at all.

[Spartan]

Here is the image from myrtlebeachonline.com

[krazeeboi]

Cool. If they uncap the limit, I'm sure they'll have the tallest in the state soon enough.

[btoy]

I am cunfused, I thought they already had a building at 329 feet. Also, in Greenville the Tower at Falls and Broad will be 350 w/ 20 stories, seems that 27 stories a 280 is short.

[Hybrid0NE]

Nice, although they should've pushed it around 200ft taller. We can't let Miami continue to have the only scrapers on the shore.

[monsoon]

I am cunfused, I thought they already had a building at 329 feet.  Also, in Greenville the Tower at Falls and Broad will be 350 w/ 20 stories, seems that 27 stories a 280 is short.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Indeed it is the Margate Tower. Currently the 2nd tallest building in SC.

[GSP Tiger]

I think Myrtle Beach should raise its height limit considerably, maybe up to 400 feet. If a new tower atleast that tall went up, you would definitely have a grand view of things such as the ocean.

Out of curioustly, how many feet tall is a level - 10 feet or 12 feet?

[monsoon]

I think Myrtle Beach should raise its height limit considerably, maybe up to 400 feet.  If a new tower atleast that tall went up, you would definitely have a grand view of things such as the ocean.

Out of curioustly, how many feet tall is a level - 10 feet or 12 feet?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It really depends upon the building. Residential buildings tend to be a foot shorter on average than office buildings. Some Hotels only have 7ft ceilings and others like the Margate have 9 ft ones.

[GSP Tiger]

Ceiling heights are very interesting. You want them to be high enough porbably to feel open, but low enough so you can have some equal height among each story.

Would a 400-feet tower be about 45 stories?

[monsoon]

Probably closer to 30. There is the thickness of the floors to consider plus room for HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc.

[GSP Tiger]

Assuming the thickness in the floor is the space between a ceiling and the actual floor above, how many inches is it usually?

[Mr.Marc]

The proposed building (Pointdexter) looks okay. I just think that people in SC need to get out of the habit of these box topped highrises. Our cities need architects with some type of imagination.

[GSP Tiger]

I guess Atlanta, Charlotte, and Greenville has some good examples. In Atlanta, the Westin Peachtree is a tall 72-story cyclinder hotel with two circular rotating levels for a restaurant and a lounge up top. In Greenville, all new towers cannot have a flat roof and must feature something architecturally amazing. In Charlotte, who knows what they have.

[Spartan]

There are probably restrictions on what MB can do because of structural requirements for hurricane force winds, etc.

[btoy]

The proposed building (Pointdexter) looks okay. I just think that people in SC need to get out of the habit of these box topped highrises. Our cities need architects with some type of imagination.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There may be some other reasons as well due to the international building codes. From what I understand not only must you have a sprinkler system but a backup water system in case you have a fire and the water isn't working. At least three of the towers in Greenville have chosen to put a roof top pool on the building so that the pool can be drained into the sprinkler system as a back up for the regular system. Its hard to put a pool on a rodd that is not flat. Granted you could say incase the pool in a glass pyramid.

BTW, to make it clear don't know for sure what the international code says, but that is what I have heard or read about it recently. Any architects what to clarify?

[GSP Tiger]

Does South Carolina law now require all newly built hotels and towers to have sprinkler systems in place?

[monsoon]

Remember we are basing these limitations on what has been reported in the Sun News, a Knight Ridder paper. I would like to see some official site with the restrictions that what is in that paper as it was obviously wrong about the Margate Towers, and there are a few 24 story buildings also that would break that limit.

The only restriction that I have ever heard of in Myrtle Beach was that a building owner had to provide one parking space for each room. This had the effect of limiting height because of the difficulty of doing so. I have heard this restriction was removed.

BTW, I don't believe any international law or building code would apply in SC or the USA. There isn't a way for a US Court would adjudicate a foreign law.

[UrbanSoutherner]

I did not realize that there is a height limit in Myrtle Beach. My guess is still that Myrtle Beach will have the largest and tallest skyline in SC hands down within a couple of decades. And I agree that SC's high rise architects need to get more creative with architectural forms other than boxes. I love Atlanta and Charlotte's skylines with their variety of building forms, towers, pinnacles, etc. Even Raleigh, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro have a number of high rises that manage to break out of the box so to speak. You do not have to be a larger city to do so.

[UrbanSoutherner]

Remember we are basing these limitations on what has been reported in the Sun News, a Knight Ridder paper.  I would like to see some official site with the restrictions that what is in that paper as it was obviously wrong about the Margate Towers, and there are a few 24 story buildings also that would break that limit. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are the Margate Towers definitely in the city proper? If I remember correctly, they are on the north side around where the city limits ends. By I am not sure. Any MB folks who know?

[sonofaque86]

I did not realize that there is a height limit in Myrtle Beach. My guess is still that Myrtle Beach will have the largest and tallest skyline in SC hands down within a couple of decades. And I agree that SC's high rise architects need to get more creative with architectural forms other than boxes. I love Atlanta and Charlotte's skylines with their variety of building forms, towers, pinnacles, etc. Even Raleigh, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro have a number of high rises that manage to break out of the box so to speak. You do not have to be a larger city to do so.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Amen!! If I see another dang box building I'm going to scream!

[btoy]

Remember we are basing these limitations on what has been reported in the Sun News, a Knight Ridder paper.  I would like to see some official site with the restrictions that what is in that paper as it was obviously wrong about the Margate Towers, and there are a few 24 story buildings also that would break that limit. 

The only restriction that I have ever heard of in Myrtle Beach was that a building owner had to provide one parking space for each room.  This had the effect of limiting height because of the difficulty of doing so.  I have heard this restriction was removed. 

BTW, I don't believe any international law or building code would apply in SC or the USA.  There isn't a way for a  US Court would adjudicate a foreign law.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Didn't the state just pass new legislation after the hotel fire in Greenville that killed six that says that new hotels must have sprinklers and exsisting hotels that did not must have s sign when entering mentioned that they do not have sprinklers?

As for the International building codes, it may have been just Greenville County that adopted those, I didn't even think of that. BUt it has nothing to do with any international body or court of law. If adopted locally or on a state level it makes them local or state law and so yes in that case there would be someone to enforce them.

[Spartan]

Didn't the state just pass new legislation after the hotel fire in Greenville that killed six that says that new hotels must have sprinklers and exsisting hotels that did not must have s sign when entering mentioned that they do not have sprinklers?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think that is correct.

Dont forget- Just because there are height restrictions doesn't mean a developer can't obtain a variance. But the track record for that is not to good. Margate would definately have to be in the county, considering how tall it is.