WILMINGTON — Nearly 600 additional parking spaces are planned for UNCW as parking capacity is narrowing. The new spaces are being proposed in addition to a multimillion parking deck project approved by the state in June.
The spaces are to be located in various places, from the Deloach Lot to off-campus. David Cook, UNCW’s director of parking and transportation services, said increasing capacity is needed to stay ahead of the university’s growth, as parking becomes tighter.
Cook presented trustees with data on campus parking, as well as upcoming transportation improvements.at Thursday’s UNCW Board of Trustees meeting. He said 94% peak occupancy rates are reached on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Typical mornings, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., have 74% capacity and afternoons, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., have an 81% capacity.
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“At 94%, spaces are still available, but the perception is that they’re less convenient or not there at all,” Cook said.
There are 10,022 parking spaces overall on campus.
“Parking comes up as one of the most important issues impacting staff, students, visitors,” Chancellor Aswani Volety echoed during last week’s meeting.
Students who live on and off campus can apply for a parking permit; however, off-campus undergraduates who live within a 1-mile radius from the school are not eligible to park in permitted spots from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. They can purchase night and weekend permits for $164.
Other permits, issued annually on a first-come first-serve basis, vary in cost from $290 to $483, depending on the parking zone a student is assigned. Zones consist of: commuter zone 1 ($473) commuter zone 2 ($410), commuter park and ride zone 3 ($290), residential parking decks ($483), resident zone ($410), and other special permitted zones (such as resident remote park and ride, which is $290).
A representative for UNCW did not answer by press how many student parking permits were given out this academic year.
Volety said the university continues to see healthy growth rates and hit a record high of enrolled students at 20,556 in 2026.
Cook told trustees UNCW’s student-to-parking space ratio is one of the highest out of all the UNC system schools. UNCW comes in with roughly 0.49 spots per student, with the closest ratio of students-to-parking-spaces being East Carolina University with a rate of 0.45 spots per student (ECU has 27,206 students versus 12,355 parking spaces).
On the lower end of UNC system schools’ parking spots to student ratio is North Carolina A&T which has 15,700 students and 4,732 parking spaces — a ratio of 0.30 spots per student.
Out of UNCW’s 10,022 spots, just 85% — approximately 8,519 — are reserved for faculty, staff and students. The remaining spaces are either pay-by-space, visitor, accessible or otherwise reserved.
“We’re making today’s demand,” Cook said. “And we’re preparing for future growth.”
Cook added the campus has implemented a new fully virtual parking permit and enforcement system, as well as a tiered upgrade process for individuals seeking a preferred parking zone in an attempt to make the campus parking more convenient. Wiith the new system, 670 upgrades to parking permits — such as putting students in their preferred zones — have been granted since move-in in August.
As presented Thursday, UNCW plans to add between 550 and 575 new parking spaces for the 2027-2028 school year. Cook did not give a cost on construction and a representative for UNCW did not answer by press whether an estimate is available.
The UNCW Resident Remote and Park & Ride — an off campus lot located across College Road at the intersections of Hurst Drive and Hoggard Drive — will have an additional 300 spots. Remote Park & Ride lots are designed for students who need a vehicle nearby but do not plan on driving daily.
Additionally, the Deloach Lot will expand with 50 to 75 new spaces. 200 net new spots will come with the Hurst Connector — a roadway project, approved by the UNC Board of Governors in July, linking Hurst Drive to Riegel Road.
In addition to the added parking, a multi-level $20.4-million-parking deck is set to be completed by August 2028. It will replace an already existing 159-space lot by Morton and Leutze halls, bringing in 500 new spaces.
Parking Deck IV’s debt service authority was approved by the state legislature and signed into law on June 19, 2026 as a part of House Bill 1123. The bill allows UNCW to finance the parking deck through borrowing and other eligible institutional funds.
On Thursday, the university requested the 13-member board approve the prioritized order of design-build firms to lead Parking Deck IV: Monteith Construction Corp, with LS3P, Thomas Construction Group with Becker Morgan Group and W.M. Jordan Company with Bowman Murray Hemingway Architects.
The trustees approved the motion unanimously, aside from Trustee Jimmy Tate who was not in attendance. UNCW will begin fee negotiations with the firms until contract terms are reached.
With the deck and new spaces underway, UNCW will add around 1,000 parking spots overall for campus permit-holders.
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