WILMINGTON — Residents living in an area of downtown Wilmington near the waterfront will soon experience some relief when it comes to the “dangers” of parking on their block.
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Wilmington City Council voted unanimously to approve a resolution Tuesday that further restricts parking on the 300 block of S. Front Street, at the request of those who live along the corridor.
Parking on the street will now be restricted to residential permit-holders only between 9 a.m. and 3 a.m. daily. Formerly, non-residents could not park in the area from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Repeated concerns about speeding, reduced visibility backing out of their driveways and not finding nearby parking from neighbors in the 300 S. Front Street block urged the city to take action. Assistant parking director Jeff Inmon called it a “true grassroots movement” during Tuesday’s meeting.
The city noted commercial activity has grown tremendously over the last three decades, increasing traffic downtown. Last November, residents in the 300 block of South Front Street — between Ann and Nun streets — presented a petition to the city, signed by at least two-thirds of the dozen neighbors requesting added restrictions.
While the two-pronged test required to increase parking regulations failed last fall, it passed a new survey result from May 2023. To meet city code for incorporating the residential parking program on a street, it must be 70% occupied by parkers and 25% of vehicles must belong to individuals who do not live in the immediate vicinity.
In November, the 70% occupancy was not met; however, May’s results showed 87% occupancy with 70% of vehicles not owned by nearby residents.
As a result, the city sent a ballot to the 12 residents in the area to gauge support. Nine, or 75%, voted yes to implementing the new rules; one voted no and two never responded.
The two-thirds in favor were enough to secure the change. The Downtown Parking Advisory Committee also supports the new parking time limits and voted for approval at its August meeting.
Bruce Kemp told Port City Daily on a call Tuesday exiting the driveways will be an easier feat to overcome. He described he currently has to roll down his car windows to listen for oncoming traffic since visibility is so restricted from street parking jammed with vehicles.
Kemp said hazards and sightline issues continue at the intersection of S. Front and Nun streets.
“I think there’s accidents there frequently,” he told PCD. “I hear honking and slamming of brakes all the time.”
Kemp said he can rarely park on his street due to other vehicles taking up space. He also noted some of his neighbors don’t have a driveway, so everyday tasks, such as bringing in groceries, are even more taxing when having to park a block or more away.
While Kemp is encouraged by the move to restrict parking, which he said is also a safety issue, more still needs to be done. He’s been communicating with the city for nearly a year on behalf of area residents to encourage change.
However, Kemp also wrote excessive speeding is a top concern.
“I’ve learned my neighbors’ much bigger and consistent complaint is consistent speeding above the 25 mph residential speed limit of nearly all vehicles all the time, along with the periodic crazy fast cars,” he wrote in an email to deputy city manager Thom Moton and city council member Luke Waddell July 13.
The city traffic engineering department performed a speed test between Jan. 12 and Feb. 19 to monitor actual driving rates. Results showed 143,954 vehicles traversed the S. Front Street block over 38 days, averaging just under 4,000 drivers daily.
The speed limit is 25 miles per hour, though the city’s results showed an average speed of 31 miles per hour.
About 60%, or 2,254 vehicles, travel at more than 24 mph daily. More than 100 vehicles travel daily at speeds of 34 mph or greater; 20 daily drivers exceed 40 mph, up to 70 mph.
“Average speeds over the whole range is not a meaningful stat if addressing the problem is the objective,” Kemp wrote to staff in reference to the city’s survey. “The very unsafe ‘feel’ cannot be denied.”
City staff is working on solutions to address excessive speeds. Last week, city crews recently added additional striping along the 300 block of S. Front Street to create the impression of a narrower lane, a way to slow down drivers.
“The goal of the striping is to help improve the problem of cars that were previously parking too close to the curb cuts, and to lay out more effectively the parking space allotment on the block,” city spokesperson Dylan Lee explained.
The striping will continue into the 400 and 500 blocks of S. Front Street. Lee said the Wilmington Police Department just recently placed a radar trailer on the block to further deter speeding.
“I’ve been very impressed with the city’s responsiveness,” Kemp told PCD. “There are only a handful of tools available to them and they appear to be trying to pick the right next tool on a regular basis.”
Kemp also said Wave bus operators are part of the speeding problem, but he also understands they have certain time constraints to meet on their routes.
“I’ve talked to the Wave board about that,” he told PCD. “There are conflicting operating objectives. It’s not a simple solution and it will take time.”
Wave interim executive director Jon Dodson confirmed residents have reached out. He also said some have spoken at Wave board meetings during public comment.
“In the last two months, our vehicles traveled down S Front St in either direction between Market St and Castle St at a speed exceeding 29 mph less than 1% of total trips in that timeframe,” he wrote in an email to PCD. “Our team worked with bus operators to ensure they are abiding by speed limits, with careful attention paid to residential areas — operators also receive consistent safety reminders systemwide.”
While the 300 block of S. Front Street is entirely residential, it’s only a block away from waterfront dining, including Elijah’s, Pilot House, Chandler’s Wharf and Roosert and the Crow. Thus, S. Front Street has become a desirable location for visitors to park.
The 300 block of S. Front Street was one of three remaining residential roads in the central business district still under 20-year-old guidelines. Only the 400 block of S. Front and 400 S. Second streets now remain restricted to residents only from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Signs will be installed within 30 days, according to Lee, and parkers will receive a two-week grace period following. During that time period, “soft enforcement” will issue warnings to non-residents and allow time for any residents to purchase parking permits if they haven’t already.
After the two-week grace period, violators will be fined $40 if found parking without a permit.
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