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Hilton Head Island adopts paid‑parking ordinance; council sends Pope Avenue review to Oct. 15
Summary
The Town Council unanimously adopted an ordinance revising paid‑parking regulations and voted to place a separate review of the Pope Avenue parking fee schedule on the Oct. 15 agenda, after public commenters warned of spillover parking into neighborhoods.
Hilton Head Island’s Town Council voted unanimously on Oct. 1 to adopt an ordinance amending Title 12, Chapter 3 of the municipal code to revise paid‑parking regulations.
The council held a second and final reading of the ordinance after town staff said the text was unchanged from the first reading. Councilmember speaker 5 moved the ordinance and the measure passed on a 7–0 vote. The ordinance’s motion language includes severability and references an effective date, but the transcript did not specify the operative day the ordinance takes effect.
Council also agreed to add a related, but narrower, item to the Oct. 15 agenda: a focused review of the parking fee schedule for the Pope Avenue business area and formation of a town‑and‑business task force to recommend a consolidated area parking plan. The motion to place that item on the Oct. 15 agenda passed 5–2. The mover said the intent is to limit the discussion to the Pope Avenue area and develop recommendations for employees and local businesses; council members asked that legal and clerical questions be answered before the Oct. 15 discussion.
Members of the public urged caution. Amy Fean of Forest Beach told the council she appreciated additional time to gather stakeholder data and said, "The decision that gets made is gonna impact a lot of people, not just in the Coligny Beach area." Deborah Jurado, a 50‑year resident, warned of "unintended consequences" if Coligny remains the only free area and Pope Avenue becomes what she called "Parking Central," urging the council to consider resident exemptions and employee/owner accommodations.
Town staff said the resolution tied to the parking changes will remain in place while the task force gathers recommendations; public comment on the Pope Avenue proposal will be taken when the item is formally on the Oct. 15 agenda.
The ordinance action and the scheduling decision are separate: the ordinance was approved on second reading for townwide parking regulations, and the Oct. 15 agenda will include a staff‑and‑business review specific to Pope Avenue.
