The Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen is again seeking a solution to parking in Harbor Island’s business district.
Several years ago, the town tried adding meters to Old Causeway Drive, but those meters were later taken down. During the board’s April 8 meeting, the aldermen discussed adding paid parking to nearby Pelican Drive, but received opposition from residents during the public hearing. Residents would still be able to park on the street using their hangtag, but they were concerned designating Pelican Drive as paid parking would dangerously increase traffic on the narrow road.
The idea was first suggested during a March 26 budget meeting as the board, faced with a $156,704 shortfall in the proposed budget, cut items and searched for areas of additional revenue. Adding pay-by-phone parking to Pelican Drive would only cost the town around $1,500 and generate between $10,000 and $15,000 during one eight-month parking season.
The town would purchase and install 10 to 12 signs along the road explaining the process of entering a license plate number and credit card information to pay. No meters or pay stations would be required.
Even before opening the April 8 public hearing, Mayor Bill Blair advised his board to not vote on the matter yet. If the town begins charging beachgoers to park on Pelican Drive, he said, it could cause those people to simply utilize the free parking on nearby Keel Street, Old Causeway Drive and Marina Street instead.
“What we do know is all these pieces are connected,” he added, saying any decision regarding paid parking on Harbor Island should be made carefully and comprehensively.
The town needs to figure out what solution works best for the nearby businesses, Blair said, because there is some uncertainty as to whether paid parking would help or hurt them. He said managers of Poe’s Tavern, a restaurant opening soon on Old Causeway Drive, are in favor of paid parking because it would deter beachgoers from parking there, opening up more room for restaurant patrons.
But Jason Adams, founder of neighboring business Lighthouse Beer and Wine, spoke against paid parking during the public hearing, saying it dissuaded potential customers when it was implemented several years ago.
At the very least, alderwoman Lisa Weeks said, the town needs to prevent boaters unhitching and parking their trailers all day in the Harbor Island business district. She suggested marking specific areas where boat trailers can and can’t be parked.
Blair asked Wrightsville Beach parking manager Bryant Sykes to devise several parking scenarios for the business district, and present them to the board during its April 14 budget meeting. The board will then likely hold another public hearing in May to come to a final decision before the summer season starts.
