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A former Surfside Beach water park won’t turn into apartments. But it’s future is murky.

Developers hoping to turn a former Surfside Beach amusement park into a 300-unit apartment complex have scrapped the concept amid heavy criticism from residents.

“We’re just working on another plan, and probably have to go back through the process,” Mark Lazarus, whose Lazarus Entertainment Group operated Wild Water and Wheels from 1990 through last year, told The Sun News Jan 10.

The property was rezoned in 2019 to allow for commercial and residential use in addition to its amusement designation.

Conway-based real estate firm Diamond Shores came forward last month with a proposal to put 300 homes and a 40,000-square-foot commercial pad on the property, located at 910 Business Highway 17 S, but ran into opposition from neighbors and a recommendation by the town’s planning commission that council members reject the idea.

Surfside Beach neighbors want to stifle apartment development of a former water park

“It’s on Business 17, and the town would like to see some type of business (there) that is generating income for the town,” Mayor Bob Hellyer told The Sun News Jan. 10.

Average daily traffic from the project would bring 26,700 trips a year to the area, according to its application.

Lazarus said increased competition from other nearby entertainment venues put Wild Water and Wheels at a disadvantage, and he doesn’t expect it to open again.

“It’s not going to be a water park. The demographics and the studies we’ve, I know what the traffic is. It’s a different demographic than what’s in Myrtle Beach.

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