Parking woes continue to plague Carolina Beach as people share feedback with town staff

CAROLINA BEACH, NC (WWAY) — The contentious issue of parking in Carolina Beach was the focus on Wednesday night as residents, business owners, and visitors packed the council chambers to voice their concerns about the current parking program.

Staff hosted an input session, sharing data on the current parking program before hearing from the public on was to improve it.

A common grievance people shared is lack of access to parking permits or affordable parking for people who live over the bridge, like residents in the Monkey Junction area.

“They’re not tourists, they’re our neighbors. They used to spend a lot of money here. They’re not coming. They sent a letter to the town council when parking changes were made for Beau Rivage and The Cape and said we’re not coming. They kept their promise. They haven’t come,” Ron Stevens said during the meeting.

The town’s parking program has been under scrutiny for several years. In November 2021, the council voted to implement year-round parking. Since then, modifications have been introduced, such as reduced parking rates in November and December, with specific days of the week designated as free. The primary source of contention revolves around the confusing nature of the program and off-season parking.

“We spend $1 million to try to increase business in the off-season, and then what do we do? We become the only town in North Carolina, the only coastal town to charge for parking in November and December,” Jeff Hogan said.

“Our attraction is the beach. That’s why people come here,” David Cole said. “If the weather’s not good, they’re not coming to the beach, but they would stop at Hurricane Alley’s or The Dive. Now people are so pissed off that they’re not even coming to Carolina Beach.”

“I believe it needs to go away immediately before businesses close their doors and people lose their jobs, all because you wanted a little extra money in the off-season. It can’t be that much money because there’s no one in the parking spaces,” John Yorfino said.

The meeting was hosted by staff as an information session, so council was not present and no action was taken. Staff hopes to review feedback and bring a proposal before council in January.

The town is accepting feedback until 5 pm Thursday. Written comments can be turned into Town Hall or submitted electronically.