Residents and council urge clearer outreach and a professional parking study as paid parking rolls out

Sunset Beach council members outlined new communications steps for the town's paid-parking rollout and staff reported two months of net revenue, but several residents urged a professional parking study and clearer outreach for tourists.

At the start of the meeting a council member described a new "beach parking" section on the town website to host FAQs, parking-plan updates and a bank of answers for residents. The town administrator also reported net paid-parking revenues of $88,585 in March and $87,983 in April, with $79,353 expended to date, figures that the administrator presented as the program moves into implementation.

"If we would have done this at the beginning and had a parking study... we wouldn't have these issues," said Christine Bowman, a Sunset Beach resident who identified herself during public comment and told the council she submitted a budget request asking the town to pay for a professional parking study recommended in the Jan. 30 NCDOT letter to the town. Bowman said she was submitting a petition she said included more than 550 signatures from residents, property owners, business owners and visitors asking for a study to address demand, pedestrian safety and communication.

Council members and staff discussed options for reaching tourists who may not use social media'including distributing materials to rental companies and using police and the town webpage as highly visible channels. One council member suggested recruiting volunteers or "parking ambassadors" to assist on busy weekends.

During the town-administrator report staff said engineers are finishing a main-street parking survey and will determine where parking spaces can be designated; the council said it will meet with property owners and NCDOT once site plans are finalized. Public works staff also described curb adjustments and conversion of three spaces to LSV (low-speed vehicle) spaces to improve fire-truck access.

The council set a June 2 public hearing on the draft FY2025-26 budget during which several council members agreed to include an agenda item specifically addressing whether to fund a professional parking study.

The meeting yielded no formal vote on a study; residents and council members said the issue would be decided during the June budget hearing or at a later special meeting. The town's web page was identified as the central hub for parking updates and FAQs ahead of the summer season.