Topsail Beach leaders discuss parking fees at annual retreat

TOPSAIL BEACH, NC (WWAY) — The town of Topsail Beach discussed paid parking at their annual retreat today. The town says they need the money to help with beach renourishment.

Mayor Howard Braxton says they have received some opposition, successes in other beach towns are learning them toward the idea.

“Wrightsville Beach. Even though theirs was extremely high in parking for day trippers, as they are called coming in, we will not go that high with it,” Braxton said. “But they found that it didn’t hurt the people coming in. They still have the same number. Everything is still the same. They just get a little money to help them keep up the beach.”

Braxton also says after their recent $10 million beach project, paid parking is their only option besides raising taxes. He says they also need to look at enforcement options.

“We’re hoping to bring in a company maybe to handle it so that our police department will not have to do it,” Braxton said. “They just can’t handle it with everything during the summer. That’s one of the things that made us look at this too, because we don’t want people going around parking in our residents’ yards.”

Braxton says the next step is holding public hearings for input before any decision is made.