MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – The city of Myrtle Beach has been working for years on downtown redevelopment, but leaders are also thinking of things as simple as ambiance.

Part of a master plan that the Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance is working on is also plans for lighting in areas between 16th Avenue North to 3rd Avenue South, stretching from Broadway Street all the way to the beach.

“Wintertime, when it is darker earlier, those are those type of nights that, you know, you worry a little bit more,” said Kristina DiDomenico, co-owner of Kaleidoscope Artisan Collective.

DiDomenico told WMBF News her business relocated to Broadway Street a few months ago, but she’s noticed something about the new location.

“At night, when you are leaving, when you are going out, this whole area here has no light,” said DiDomenico.

And, she’s not the only one.

“For the time of the year when it’s dark at five o’clock, it got a little bit– you know, there was no lights on the other side and no, really, businesses for a little while,” said Chase Masters, co-owner of Lucid Coast Candle Bar on Ninth Avenue North. “We were able to install some lighting ourselves.”

So, MBDA is hoping to balance out lighting, focusing on areas that may be either overlit or underlit.

“The nighttime environment needs to feel safe, and we believe that it’s starting to get safer, so we want to bring the lighting in to make sure that it creates a safer environment for everyone to enjoy,” said Jason Greene, President and CEO of MBDA.

And although safety is huge for business owners, they said the downtown area’s reputation is also important.

“We do get a bad rap, I think that the history has not been the best,” said DiDomenico. “I think that lighting would probably help that and make people feel safer, but maybe also tell other people that they had a great experience down this way.”

Greene said the downtown master plan is going through internal review now, but will go to city leaders for approval after.

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