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Sunset Beach resident lays out five-point plan for paid beach parking
Summary
Laurie Thomas Vass told the Town of Sunset Beach council she favors a seasonal paid-parking program capped at $1 per hour, a $100 annual pass for Brunswick County taxpayers, an appeals process for fines, and reopening an emergency access gate at Palm Cove to restore beach access.
Laurie Thomas Vass, a Sunset Beach resident, presented a five-part proposal for paid parking on the town’s beaches during a transparency forum held by the Town of Sunset Beach Council.
"I have 5 comments about the paid parking on our beach," Vass said, then outlined recommendations she said were intended to balance public access and parking management: limit paid parking to May 15 through Sept. 15; cap the hourly fee at $1 with a five-hour maximum per day in any one space; create a $100 annual pass for Brunswick County taxpayers; create a citizen right of appeal for parking fines or enforcement; and open the town emergency access gate at Palm Cove to allow citizens access to the beach.
Vass said she had provided copies of her remarks to the town administrator and that she included citations "to our general statutes and to the Supreme Court regarding public access to our beaches." She described a personal history of using the Palm Cove pathway, saying, "for years and years and years, I would pull my fish cart down that pathway, and I'd fish down there at Tubbs Inlet, and I can't do that anymore," and asked the council to open the gate to restore that access.
The proposals combine operational limits (a defined season and hourly cap), a residency-based annual pass proposal restricted to Brunswick County taxpayers, and a procedural change to allow citizens to appeal parking enforcement. Vass framed the appeals item as a protection for residents disputing fines or enforcement actions.
No council member made a substantive response on the record during the forum. After Vass’s comments the presiding official reopened the floor for further remarks but, with no additional substantive items, the council moved to adjourn. A member moved to adjourn, a second was recorded, and the meeting ended following a voice vote; specific vote counts were not stated on the record.
The council took no immediate action on the paid-parking proposals during the forum. Vass provided written copies to the town administrator, which the council may review or place on a future agenda for formal consideration.
