CAROLINA BEACH — Town leaders approved tens of millions in federal support for Carolina Beach renourishment this cycle. The future of town parking policy remains in question after council removed residential parking passes for oceanfront lots to comply with eligibility requirements in September.
READ MORE: CB upping parking rates to $6 an hour in lots, $7 in ‘premium lots’ to cover off-season break
Council unanimously approved a contract with the United States Army Corps of Engineers at a Nov. 7 special meeting to provide $32.9 million in federal funds for construction costs to renourish 2.7 miles of shoreline in the town. Beach renourishment takes place every three years.
Town manager Bruce Oakley told Port City Daily the town will contribute around $15 million to the renourishment project, which is out to bid, with progress expected to begin in January. The town’s priority is to fill the north end of the beach with sand first due to increased erosion.
The contract with the Unites States Army Corps of Engineers states no resources will be allocated for exclusively private benefits, impacting town parking policy. The decision took place without discussion at a 1-minute meeting this week. The parking season in Carolina Beach ended Oct. 31 but current policy, should it stay in place next season, will make residents ineligible for parking passes when the next season begins March 1.
At its Oct. 2 meeting, council voted to disallow resident parking passes for 767 oceanfront lots in order to move forward with the project. The town maintains it was forced to make the change to residential parking passes to ensure federal funding for beach renourishment after USACE changed its interpretation of eligibility requirements. In an October newsletter, town officials stated missing the time window for this year’s cycle would have “irreparable consequences” to dune infrastructure and beach strand.
An October 2019 USACE evaluation for Carolina Beach stated the town met the agency’s requirements by maintaining a total of 767 public parking spots on the beach. They also must be available to both visitors and residents on “equal terms,” meaning people have to pay the same rate across the board, according to USACE’s reading.
USACE deputy district manager Christine Brayman sent a Sept. 19 letter to town manager Bruce Oakley stating the town had not demonstrated how its policy for the 767 spaces was non-discriminatory. Brayman wrote the spots have different rates based on residency status, in violation of the town’s agreement with USACE.
Oakley said staff tried to find other means of meeting the 767 spot requirement in September — such as providing spaces within a quarter mile of the beach — but could not achieve USACE approval without allowing access to oceanfront sites.
It’s unclear how it will affect residents during next parking season, which opens March 1. Passes usually go on sale in December. The renourishment project is set to begin in January and wrap by April.
Town clerk Kim Ward said she did not expect council to discuss parking again until the beginning of next year.
Resident Matt Dunn — who has lived in Carolina Beach since 2005 and ran for council in 2021 — pointed to a Nov. 30, 2021 council workshop as the genesis of the issue. Council approved a new contract with Pivot Parking at the meeting that included broad changes to the town’s parking program, including removing eligibility for non-residents to purchase annual parking passes.
The meeting occurred a week after the town agreed to the Project Partnership Agreement with the United States Army Corps of Engineers on Nov. 24, 2021. In it was language of parking being available “to all on equal terms” to receive renourishment federal funding.
“It’s one of those things where our council continues to make us pay for poor management over the years,” Dunn said.
Council member Mike Hoffer noted USACE has not required Kure Beach to similarly remove residential parking because the town allows both residents and non-residents an opportunity to purchase passes. The neighboring beach town is undergoing the same renourishment schedule as Carolina Beach.
Hoffer advocated changing CB’s parking policy to sell annual, unlimited parking passes to anyone in a Nov. 8 blog post.
Off-island passes have been a hot topic among council in the past, many disapproving of them. During the 2023 municipal elections, Mayor Lynn Barbee, and council members Jay Healy and Deb LaCompte answered in PCD candidate questionnaires they were against this option. Concerns revolved around lack of spaces to support the growth of county residents and “diminishing returns” to sustain the parking program.
Hoffer said in his blog post he supports selling limited, less expensive passes to residents for $25.
Oakley said Hoffer’s suggestion had not been formally reviewed. He added it may not be feasible due to the potential impact on revenue; the town anticipates a total of $2.9 million in parking revenue for 2024-2025, up from $2.68 million in 2023-2024.
Unlike other New Hanover County beach towns, Kure Beach council did not choose to increase parking rates this year. Kure Beach also uses Premium Parking — different from CB and Wrightsville Beach.
Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach increased rates from $5 to $6 an hour and from $25 to $30 a day for premium spaces over the last year. Pivot — WB’s contractor since 2020 — recommended the changes to Wrightsville’s Board of Aldermen in January.
Wrightsville Beach does not sell non-resident parking passes and limits locations for residential parking permits in oceanfront areas.
Dunn noted many Carolina Beach residents do not live within walking distance of the beach. He argued removing residential parking will have a significant impact on quality of life and criticized the influence of contractor Pivot on town policy.
“They’ve advanced this whole idea that we should be like Wrightsville Beach in terms of how they handle parking,” Dunn said. “But I’d say 85% of residents in Wrightsville Beach are within a block or two of the ocean. It’s not that way in Carolina Beach.”
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