During Wrightsville Beach’s peak summer months, store employees and patrons compete with beachgoers and boaters for around 100 coveted free parking spots in the Harbor Island commercial district. With a slew of residential developments cropping up on the other side of the drawbridge and at least one new business opening soon on Old Causeway Drive, mayor Bill Blair said the problem is only going to get worse.
Town leaders are considering adding pay-by-phone or metered parking to the district — which encompasses Old Causeway Drive, and Keel, Short and Marina streets — to deter the all-day beachgoers and open up more space for patrons. The revenue generated from the meters themselves would be inconsequential to the town’s overall budget, Blair said; more valuable to the beach is the sales tax yielded by a thriving business district.
The business owners argue, to thrive, they need to be able to supplement their limited onsite parking with street parking. When they received conditional use permits from the town, they were given parking exceptions under the assumption patrons would park for free on Old Causeway Drive.
The problem, Alderwoman Lisa Weeks pointed out, is Old Causeway Drive has 56 spaces. The board, in an effort to bring quality businesses to the beach, granted parking exceptions for a total of 68 spaces, and that number could increase if Nathan Sanders moves forward with his plans to redevelop the vacant building that previously housed Middle of the Island.
Town leaders sought input from the business owners during an April 23 public hearing and received a decidedly mixed response.
Sanders and Poe’s Tavern co-owner Riddick Lynch said they were in favor of paid parking. David Monahan, owner of long-time staple Causeway Café, told town leaders it could drive him to leave Wrightsville Beach.
He said, because of his restaurant’s long lines, his customers typically stayed around 90 minutes, so they would end up paying nearly as much to park as they would for breakfast.
“You’re going to run me out of business,” he said, “and you’ve got to remember that business has been a very important part of Wrightsville Beach.”
Surfberry founder Rick Civelli acknowledged the importance of forcing turnover in the business district but suggested methods other than hourly paid parking.
Civelli said he would be in favor of paid parking that accommodated patrons staying less than one hour. He suggested the first half hour be free or the town install old-fashioned coin meters so patrons could pay by the minute.
Pelican Drive resident Jim Smith proposed implementing paid parking but allowing patrons to park for free using a limited-time vehicle sticker received from the business they visit.
Blair said creating a unique set of parking regulations for the Harbor Island commercial district would not be consistent or fair to businesses in other parts of town that had made similar requests.
“You can’t treat this strip like everything else,” Lighthouse Beer and Wine founder Jason Adams argued. “They have the draw of the ocean and hotels within walking distance. … The $9,000 of revenue you get on this strip, [these businesses] will lose $9,000.”
Adams, after hearing the varying opinions from his fellow business owners, said they should meet and discuss, among themselves, a compromise that accommodates the needs of their individual shops. If they agree on implementing paid parking, they also have to work out details like where their 100 or so employees will park. The island has a commercial lot for such purposes, located behind the Coastal Federation’s Southeast Regional Office, near the fire department.
The aldermen did not have a quorum to vote, so the matter will be continued during the board’s May 7 meeting. Blair acknowledged the final decision might not please everyone, but he said it could always be adjusted later.
“There are no perfect answers, no perfect solutions,” he said. “We’ve got to make the best of what we’ve got. … From Memorial Day to Labor Day … too many people in too small a place.”
email [email protected]
