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Nags Head OKs state-mandated cut to parking-space width, council notes beach-town concerns
Summary
The Nags Head Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 1 to amend the town's Unified Development Ordinance, reducing minimum parking-space widths from 10 feet to 9 feet to comply with changes in North Carolina law; staff and commissioners expressed concern about impacts on large vehicles and turnover in a beach community.
The Nags Head Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 1 to adopt a staff-drafted text amendment to the town's Unified Development Ordinance that reduces the standard minimum parking-space width from 10 feet to 9 feet, aligning the town code with recent changes to the North Carolina General Statutes.
Planning and Development Director Kelly Wyatt told the board the statutory change forces local governments to adopt the narrower standard except for accessible, parallel or diagonal stalls. "This is just a text amendment before you this morning, related to our parking standards," Wyatt said, outlining that the amendment would set residential spaces at 9 by 18 feet and commercial spaces at 9 by 20 feet.
The planning board had unanimously recommended adoption at its August meeting and staff recommended approval. After the public hearing, Commissioner (speaker 10) moved to approve the amendment "as presented," Commissioner (speaker 6) seconded, and the board adopted it by voice vote.
Several commissioners acknowledged concerns about narrower spaces in a town with many large vehicles and high vacation turnover. "We are a beach town with a lot of large vehicles, SUVs, trucks, roof racks, coolers, kayaks," Wyatt said, noting the town’s prior 10-foot standard "has served us well." Mayor Ben Cahoon and other commissioners said the change appears unavoidable given state law but expressed frustration that the Legislature limited local discretion.
The amendment excludes accessible, parallel and diagonal spaces from the reduced width requirement, consistent with state statute. Staff said the change is primarily regulatory compliance; no additional local exceptions were proposed during the hearing.
What happens next: The text amendment takes effect as an update to the UDO consistent with the adopted language. Staff will incorporate the revised table of parking standards into planning materials and apply the new dimensions to future plan reviews.
