Ocean Isle Beach considers paid parking for next year

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — During a workshop on Tuesday, commissioners discussed the possibility of introducing paid parking on the island starting April 2025. 

Ocean Isle is one of the few beaches in the Cape Fear that doesn’t have paid parking. 

Mayor Debbie Smith noted the paid parking model will allow for more available parking during the summer months, and will ideally cut down on traffic.  

This model—she said—will also help the town gain additional revenue without raising taxes. 

“Everybody around us is now charging for parking, and I have to agree that’s probably putting an undo burden on our infrastructure to try and take care of those who don’t want to go somewhere else and decide to come to Ocean Isle,” Smith said. 

To get an idea of what a potential policy might look like, staff rewrote the Holden Beach paid parking policy for discussion, though no decision was made on Tuesday.  

The board agreed any decision will be held off until a third-party management company is hired to consult with the town.