Sunset Beach council adopts ordinance eliminating minimum parking requirements for nonresidential development

The Town of Sunset Beach council on Sept. 8 adopted an amendment to the town's Unified Development Ordinance that eliminates minimum parking requirements for nonresidential developments.

Planning staff Ron told the council the planning board initiated the change and voted 3-0 to recommend approval. "The amendment would eliminate minimum parking standards for nonresidential developments in the Town of Sunset Beach," Ron said, adding that residential standards and maximum parking limits would not change. He illustrated the effect with an example: "Let's say a 5,000-square-foot retail center was proposed on the beach today...this wouldn't, if the ordinance is approved, they would have no minimums."

Supporters told the council the amendment is intended as an economic-development tool to make redevelopment more feasible on small or constrained parcels and to reduce impervious surface. Ron said the planning board included a provision requiring additional landscaping when a property owner chooses to provide fewer spaces than previously required.

Councilmembers asked how the change would interact with existing conditional zoning agreements in areas such as Riptide and Sea Trail and whether it applied to the town's "BB1" commercial zoning and the "Mud" district. Ron said the amendment does not change established conditional zoning agreements; those would remain in force unless separately amended. He also said the proposal clarifies how parking is counted in the Mud district, allowing on-street parking to count toward parking calculations for the district.

Mayor Tim Corbett called for a motion to adopt the ordinance; a councilmember moved, another seconded, and the council voted to adopt the amendment and to find it consistent with the town's 2017 comprehensive plan and the Sunset Beach land-use plan. Planning staff noted a consistency statement is required with adoption.

Because no members of the public spoke during the public hearing, the council proceeded directly to the vote. The ordinance will be effective according to the town's standard ordinance-adoption process and will be reflected in the Unified Development Ordinance materials provided to applicants and posted by staff.

Next steps: town planning staff will implement the ordinance text and update application materials; the council and planning staff indicated they may revisit related conditional-zoning questions if property owners seek changes.