CAROLINA BEACH—For visitors to Carolina Beach who were hoping to take a tour of the town via a trolley pub, Carolina Beach Town Council has officially nixed the business plans.
Since January, Carolina Beach residents Tina Bell and Matt Hamlet have petitioned town leaders to approve their plans to open a new business on the island, The Pleasure Island Peddler.
After receiving input from town staff, residents, and the Police Advisory Committee, Town Council ultimately voted down the approval in a 3-2 decision; Mayor Joe Benson and Councilman JoDan Garza were the only two council members in favor of the new business.
The main causes of concern were traffic congestion, potential routes and safety concerns.
In March, Council asked the applicants to make more specific routes, adhere to safety requirements and to limit the amount of trolley pubs allowed to operate in the town.
Deb LeCompte attended the Town Council meeting on behalf of the town’s Police Advisory Committee. LeCompte said the committee had concerns in January when the application first came forward, but the committee was not asked to give approval or disapproval. But the committee did have concerns, she said.
“The size of the vehicle takes up a whole lane that creates a visibility issue that makes passing difficult. Left-hand turns are already a dangerous task on Lake Park Boulevard as it stands now, and this could only add to that current problem,” LeCompte said.
The slow rate of speed the pedal pub would travel at also caused the Police Advisory Committee concerns, despite the fact the town already allows slow moving vehicles such as golf carts to operate in town.
Town Council recently approved an speed limit change to Lake Park Boulevard to accommodate golf carts, despite the recommendations of NCDOT not to allows golf carts on the busy thoroughfare.
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