For years, Wrightsville’s beachgoers have found respite from parking fees by parking in several church lots around the island and, on busy holidays, the churches staff the lots to maintain order and accept monetary donations in return. But the town could decide to regulate this practice.
March 10, the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen will discuss whether to develop an ordinance allowing the churches to charge for parking. Currently, churches and other businesses are not allowed to charge for parking without having a conditional use permit.
Most churches currently allow free parking in their lots, although they staff the lots and accept a donation on holiday weekends. Wrightsville Beach Baptist Church accepts donations for its mission trip to Haiti, said one of the church’s staff members, Mike Edmonds.
During the last board of aldermen meting, when the church parking lots were brought up as part of a larger discussion on parking changes, Edmonds said the church’s staffing of the lot on busy holidays keeps the situation under control.
“If we weren’t down here, it would be a big mess for all the neighbors,” he said, adding that without supervision, the free lot would fill way beyond its capacity and the nearby Coral and North Channel drives would get trashed.
Budget public hearing
The board will also invite the public to offer opinions on what they would like the town to prioritize in its budget this year.
The board will hold workshops throughout April and May to hear the needs of each department. The process involves deciding what projects, equipment or programs are necessary to implement this year and what can wait for future budget cycles.
In June, before the final budget is adopted, the board will hold another public hearing.
email [email protected]
