News Title:Dunes Marketplace: A Proposed Mixed-Use Project Beside Ocean Village Remains on the Market
A proposed mixed-use development at North Kings Highway and 52nd Avenue North in Myrtle Beach continues to be advertised as a future condominium project, even though construction has not been confirmed. Called Dunes Marketplace, the project was approved through a 2024 amendment to the Ocean Village Planned Unit Development (PUD). The proposal would introduce commercial space and residential units to a site positioned beside an established gated neighborhood on Myrtle Beach’s historic Golden Mile.
The location is important to understanding the project. Ocean Village was planned in two phases: a 6.23-acre residential neighborhood along 52nd Avenue North and a separate 1.7-acre tract along North Kings Highway reserved for future development. Dunes Marketplace is the proposed use of that second tract. Rather than expanding the neighborhood with more detached homes, the plan calls for a building combining commercial space at street level with residences above. The city’s planning documents describe the change as a revision to the Phase 2 portion of the Ocean Village PUD.
Ocean Village Establishes the Residential Setting
Ocean Village is a gated, single-family home community developed by Nations Homes on Myrtle Beach’s Golden Mile, near the Atlantic Ocean and Ocean Boulevard. The neighborhood has been marketed around coastal cottage-style homes, established live oaks and magnolias, and shared outdoor amenities that include a pool and park area, sidewalks, a gazebo and a fishing pond. Its setting offers a residential alternative to the condominium buildings and visitor-oriented businesses found along other parts of the Myrtle Beach coast.
Dunes Marketplace occupies a different role in the overall plan. The commercial tract lies along North Kings Highway at 52nd Avenue North, immediately beside the Ocean Village neighborhood. It is across from Pine Lakes Country Club and close to the beach and the restaurants, services and lodging that line this stretch of the city. The proposed development would place a more compact, mixed-use building at the highway edge while leaving the established residential phase as a distinct part of the planned development.
That relationship also helps explain why the city reviewed Dunes Marketplace as an amendment to the existing PUD rather than as an entirely unrelated project. The 2024 application sought to change the intended use of the Phase 2 property from the previously planned mixed-use medium-density designation to a live/work building generally consistent with Highway Commercial zoning.
Nations Homes: An Established Local Builder With a Different Approach
Nations Homes II is an established Myrtle Beach homebuilder and real estate developer with a history of projects across the Grand Strand, including Ocean Village. The company has experience in residential construction, community development and the planning and approval process involved in bringing new developments to market. Its background is relevant to Dunes Marketplace because this is not simply a proposal associated with an unfamiliar developer. Nations Homes has an established local presence, although its current level of construction activity is less apparent.
Part of the explanation may lie in how the company approaches homebuilding. Unlike national production builders that develop large subdivisions with rows of standardized homes, prominent entrance signage and on-site sales centers, Nations Homes has emphasized custom homes, individual homesites and more selective residential projects. That approach can produce a much smaller public-facing footprint. Scattered-lot construction and custom or luxury homes do not necessarily generate the same volume of subdivision marketing, model-home traffic or readily searchable inventory as a large production community. Consequently, the absence of numerous advertised subdivisions should not, by itself, be interpreted as evidence that a builder is no longer operating.
Even allowing for that distinction, however, there are relatively few publicly visible signs that Nations Homes is currently building new homes at substantial scale. Its website emphasizes custom homebuilding, house plans and selected communities, but provides limited readily accessible information about a broad pipeline of active projects, homes under construction or current new-home inventory. The available public-facing information does not provide a clear picture of the company's present construction volume. Its business model may help explain why its activity is less visible than that of larger builders, but it does not eliminate the uncertainty about how much construction is taking place today.
That context is relevant to Dunes Marketplace. Nations Homes' development experience and history of local projects provide useful background, but neither its reputation nor its business model establishes the present status of this particular development. The project's own records and observable progress remain the most reliable indicators of whether it is moving toward construction.
The Original Proposal Included Shops, Offices and 18 Apartments
When Dunes Marketplace was introduced publicly in 2024, the concept called for a four-story building with commercial uses on the first floor and residences on the upper three floors. The plan described 18 apartments—six two-bedroom units and 12 three-bedroom units—along with 105 parking spaces. Proposed commercial uses included two restaurants, two offices, a retail space and a salon.
According to reports published in fall 2024, the developer, Nations Homes II, hoped to begin construction in spring 2025, subject to obtaining the required permits, with an estimated construction period of approximately 18 months. At the time, the developer said several commercial spaces had attracted interest. Those early expressions of interest, however, do not establish that leases were finalized or that the commercial tenants ultimately committed to the project.
The anticipated construction timeline is significant because the proposed spring 2025 start has passed. Without confirmation of construction, updated permits or revised development documents, it remains unclear whether the original schedule was delayed, the plans changed or the project is still awaiting the steps necessary to move forward.
Myrtle Beach Approved the PUD Amendment in December 2024
Myrtle Beach City Council approved the second reading of Ordinance 2024-65 on December 10, 2024, by a 6–0 vote, with one council member absent. The ordinance amended the Ocean Village PUD to allow the Phase 2 tract to be developed as a live/work building, with commercial space on the ground floor and residential units above.
The Planning Commission had recommended approval with additional recommendations addressing what would happen to the property's zoning if the project did not proceed and how parking along 52nd Avenue North might be managed. The precise legal effect of those recommendations depends on the final adopted ordinance and its exhibits.
The approval established a land-use path for the proposed development, but zoning approval by itself does not demonstrate that construction financing was secured, final construction drawings were completed, building permits were issued or work began on site. Those are separate steps in the development process.
Current Listings Describe a Smaller Residential Offering
Dunes Marketplace has continued to appear in real estate listings under the proposed address of 5200 North Kings Highway. Listings have advertised two-bedroom, two-bathroom units of approximately 1,112 square feet and three-bedroom, three-bathroom units of approximately 1,425 square feet. Advertised prices have ranged from the mid-$350,000s to approximately $471,000, depending on the unit.
There is a notable difference between the original public proposal and the later sales marketing. The original plan described 18 apartments and several ground-floor commercial uses, while current listings promote only 12 condominium-style “villas.” The listings also describe the project as “to be built” and state that prices remain subject to final working drawings and specifications. The available information does not establish whether the original concept has been formally redesigned, whether a revised plan has received city approval or whether the current listings reflect an updated proposal that remains in development.
The difference raises an important question: are the 12 advertised units part of a revised version of the original live/work development, or does the marketing reflect a concept that has not yet advanced to a finalized design? The answer matters because the original proposal included a substantial commercial component, whereas the current residential listings emphasize condominium-style homes. Without updated plans or confirmation from the city or developer, it would be premature to conclude that one design has formally replaced the other.
The continued presence of these listings is evidence that the project is still being marketed, but it is not proof that construction is underway. Real estate listings can remain active while a proposed project awaits approvals or financing, while a developer evaluates presales, or while marketing information remains online after plans have changed. The listings alone do not identify which explanation applies here.
What Happens Next?
The next meaningful evidence of progress would be a verifiable building-permit record, approved construction drawings, a revised site plan if the project has changed, or visible site work. These records would help establish whether the 12-unit offering represents a current, buildable design and how it relates to the original plan for 18 apartments and ground-floor commercial space.
It would also be useful to establish whether the commercial component remains part of the proposal. The original plan envisioned restaurants, offices, retail and a salon, which would have given Dunes Marketplace a different role from a residential-only condominium building. If the project has evolved toward a smaller residential offering, the implications for its layout, parking, approvals and relationship to North Kings Highway could be significant.
Nations Homes' current construction activity is another piece of context, although it should not be confused with direct evidence about Dunes Marketplace. The company has an established local history and appears to operate differently from large production builders, with a greater emphasis on custom homes and selected projects. At the same time, there are relatively few publicly visible signs of substantial current construction activity. That makes project-specific documentation particularly important when evaluating the status of this development.
The location remains a compelling part of the proposal: commercial frontage on North Kings Highway beside Ocean Village, near 52nd Avenue North and the beach, in an area where established residential streets meet a busy coastal corridor. If built as a live/work development, Dunes Marketplace could add a different type of housing and commercial space to this part of the Golden Mile.
For now, the most accurate description is that Dunes Marketplace is a city-approved mixed-use concept on the Phase 2 tract of the Ocean Village PUD that continues to be marketed as a future condominium development. The available information confirms the zoning amendment and ongoing sales listings, but does not yet confirm that construction has begun or that the currently advertised design is the final approved plan. The passage of the originally anticipated construction start, the difference between the original proposal and current listings, and the limited publicly visible information about the project's progress all make further confirmation worthwhile. Until updated records or observable construction provide that confirmation, buyers and nearby residents should treat Dunes Marketplace as a proposed development rather than a project confirmed to be moving forward.