Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parking topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Little Compton council adopts Second Point parking ordinance to prioritize commercial fishermen and permitted users
Summary
After public comment and a Harbor Commission explanation, the council voted to adopt an amendment to Chapter 9 restricting overnight parking at Second Point to commercial fishing-vehicle owners, employees and permitted harbor users, with town-issued hang-tags and enforcement by the police department.
The Little Compton Town Council voted to adopt an amendment to Chapter 9 of the town code that restricts parking at Second Point between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. to commercial fishing-vehicle owners and their employees and to persons using the harbor, except for vehicles displaying a town-issued lot permit provided from a list created by the harbor master.
Supporters, including Ben Goetz, chair of the Harbor Commission, said the change is primarily an implementation of a hang-tag system so police can enforce zones and preserve spaces for people who make a living on the water. "The only change really is pulling out . . . a sentence that allocated a certain number of spots to overnight trip fishermen," Goetz said while explaining that the pier itself remains accessible at all hours under the deed but the lot’s governance is separate.
Several public commenters and mooring holders urged broader, automatic access to permits. Resident Bill McIntosh recommended that mooring owners and other town residents who pay fees should be automatically eligible for stickers and warned that limiting access could force small-boat users into unsafe nighttime behavior. "If you're a license holder, if you're a mooring holder, you should get a sticker," McIntosh said.
Councilors discussed competing estimates of available spaces: speakers cited roughly 23 current spaces at the site, while others characterized the new visitor allocation as producing about eight public visitor spots near the west wall; the record shows varying counts and no precise, final space tally was provided at the meeting. Councilors emphasized the amendment does not create new commercial spaces but aims to manage parking through signage, hang-tags and enforcement.
The council closed the public hearing, made a motion to adopt the ordinance as presented, and approved it by voice vote. The council asked that signage and a period of warnings accompany the initial rollout so residents know the enforcement posture before tickets are issued. The police chief will have responsibility for implementing signs and enforcement and the harbor commission and department staff signaled willingness to fine-tune the process after implementation.
The ordinance takes effect as adopted; councilors said they will revisit the rules if problems emerge.
